I can only speak for myself, but I have a suspicion that I'm hardly alone in the sentiments that follow. I have a feeling that there are a lot of good, decent folks out there who are every bit as sick and tired as I am of our national predilection toward divisiveness and marginalizing those we happen to despise and/or disagree with. The controversy over California's Proposition 8 is neither new nor original; California is not the first state to pass a law banning same-sex marriage, nor is it likely to be the last. I do believe, however, that it's the first state to retroactively ban same-sex marriage, effectively rolling back the rights of an entire class of people. You want second-class citizens? It's not like you have to go far to find them. Just ask Rick Warren, who will be happy to tell you that there are still two classes of people who fully deserve to be treated as second-class: gays and non-believers. And now a minister who's made a career out of channeling Anita Bryant is being rewarded with a prominent role at the inauguration of a President who has promised to be the President of ALL Americans. Apparently, tolerance means providing a forum to the intolerant.
Man, I just LOVE Christian charity...don't you? What Would Jesus Do? Somehow, I think He'd be kicking Rick Warren's @$$ from here to Sunday. Then He'd rest on the seventh day and do it all over again.
Here's the thing; I see people. Not "gay" people or "straight" people. PEOPLE...no modifiers, no adjectives. PEOPLE. And I find myself wondering why "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" seems to he held to apply only to the majority? Far too many of us seem far too obsessed with what others are doing behind closed doors. Call me naive; I was raised to believe that this was America, where one is free to live as he or chooses, as long as he or she does no harm. Somewhere along the way, a small but vocal group of hateful religious zealots decided that their narrow, ignorant, overly moralistic ideology gave them the perfect right to force their beliefs upon all Americans, particularly those less "enlightened". I won't even bother referring to these pinheads as "Christians", because they're as much about the teachings of Jesus Christ as I am (I'm a Buddhist, though not a particularly observant one). And how many of these fools even know anyone who's gay? They're not people to the haters; they're abstract concepts.
Don't even get me started on the Golden Rule....
Somewhere along the line, people like Rick Warren lost sight of the fact (if they ever recognized it to begin with) that America is a nation founded on- and defined by- diversity. This is not a Christian nation, as so many are wont to insist. This is a secular nation with a Christian minority...or do you simply not (or refuse to) understand the concept of the separation of Church and State?
I'm not gay. I like girls. Nonetheless, I see no reason why my sexual orientation need be the de facto legal and moral standard for this nation. Not everyone thinks, lives, or believes as I do. What happens behind closed doors between consenting adults is no one else's g-----n business, nor is it an indication of their worthiness (or relative lack of same) to fully participate and enjoy the fruits of all this great nation has to offer.
No majority should have the right to legally classify a minority class as second-class citizens, to deny them rights they both hold sacred and take for granted. This holds particularly true for African-Americans, who, while not a majority, voted overwhelming to deny California's GLBT community the right to marry. The stunning hypocrisy of California's African-American community is almost beyond comprehension. Apparently those who don't know history really ARE doomed to repeat it. Somewhere, Georges Santayana is weeping, because the trolls are winning.
I'm fortunate to live in Portland, OR, which, while not Paradise by any means, does respect those whose lifestyle happens to bleed outside the the solid lines of the mainstream. The GLBT community here enjoys rights and legal protections found in few other places. You don't have to go far outside Portland, though (rural Clackamas County, f'rinstance....) to realize that this aura of acceptance in not state-wide. In fact, it really doesn't exist much outside Multnomah County. I can't imagine what it must be like having to live with the knowledge that a good portion of the population would be perfectly happy to see you and those you love treated as second-class citizens.
There may not be a lot that people like me can do outside of lending moral support. There are two things that do come to mind, though. One I've already done- donate to the Human Rights Campaign. The second, which I plan to be more conscious of, is to patronize companies that support equal rights for ALL Americans- gay or straight. Not all Americans are haters, but those who do hate tend to make the most noise. That doesn't mean they have to have the most impact.
WE DESERVE BETTER...and Lord knows GLBT Americans certainly do.
