MY NEW HERO
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D)
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed two anti-discrimination executive orders related to the rights of transgender people…contrasting recent high-profile laws in other states that been criticized for discriminating against the LGBT community. One of the Pennsylvania orders bans discrimination against employees or job applicants based on gender expression or identity, in addition to other criteria, including race, religion, gender and sexual orientation, Reuters reported. The second order requires any company that has a contract with the state to eliminate discrimination in hiring employees and requires the companies to treat them fairly…. “What happened in North Carolina, and what is going on in other states, should be a call to pass non-discrimination legislation in Pennsylvania now,” the governor’s office said in a statement…. “The governor wants to make clear that Pennsylvania is inclusive, welcoming, and open for business for everyone.”
With the current spate of legislation intended to make it clear to transgender individuals that they’re legally considered “less than” and therefore unworthy of the same rights as “normal” people, it’s good to know that it’s not universal. It’s a reminder that the vast majority of people- and government entities- aren’t wasting time, energy, and money on oppressing and discriminating those who’ve spent their lives struggling to authentically be who they feel themselves to be.
No one starts out wanting to be transgender, to endure the angst and heartache characteristic of the journey of most who find themselves feeling trapped in a gender that doesn’t reflect who they feel they truly are. I’ve witnessed the struggle (from a distance) of a few transgender individuals…and I’m here to tell you that journey isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like, and I’m grateful I’ve never had to…but how someone with even the tiniest shred of humanity could discriminate against those fighting that battle is beyond me.
That it’s necessary in this day and age to reaffirm that discrimination- for whatever reason- is wrong and has no place in polite society is sad. That said, it’s refreshing to know there are politicians willing to take steps to protect those who pose a clear and present danger to no one and yet are still despised and marginalized by people whose default emotions are hatred and bigotry.
The Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling was supposed to settle the fight over LGBT rights, right? Not a chance. In 2016, states across the nation have been divided by a raft of new legislation—more than 200 bills advocates consider anti-LGBT have been introduced so far this year, according a tally by the Human Rights Campaign. These measures take many forms and have many aims, but they are often rooted in social conservatives’ reaction to two things.
It’s true; the legalization of same-sex marriage presented Social Conservatives with an epic excuse for some serious butthurt…and a cause celebre, something they could unite around opposing while claiming (at least in their collective imagination) the mantle of victimhood. The Supreme Court’s ruling meant that good, God-fearing, Bible-believing, heterosexual Christians who believe that “traditional marriage”- one man, one woman- is the only acceptable definition of marriage could claim to be the “victims” of The Homosexual Agenda ©. That said agenda represents the desire of the LGBT community to turn American gay and forcibly convert our children to a lifestyle based on sinful carnality and disdain for God’s law is common knowledge among those who oppose same-sex marriage.
The suddenly galvanized opposition which has led to the backlash in red states can be attributed to two factors:
The Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage equality has given the American Taliban an issue around which to rally righteous anger and opposition to those whose lifestyle and sexuality disgust them. Marriage equality provided an issue around which Social Conservative Christians and others on the Far Right could find common ground. They may be on the wrong side of history, but they’re not about to go away without a fight…which in most cases means continued efforts to legalize hatred, homophobia, and bigotry.
Transgender individuals are more visible. Once marginalized and pushed to the sides even by those fighting for gay rights, “transgender” is no longer an epithet for those who are expected to remain invisible. As general understanding of the struggles of transgender individuals has grown, they’ve gained greater acceptance- both in the LGBT community and wider society. They’ve also presented a larger target for those who believe the acceptance of transgender as a legitimate “lifestyle” is abhorrent and runs counter to their belief that “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
Gov. Wolf’s executive orders are a reminder that respect for human rights and equality of treatment is a value shared by a strong majority of Americans and government entities.
The backlash against LGBT rights currently running rampant in many red states is a reaction to a perception that political correctness, fueled by Liberals and the LGBT community, is little more than an excuse to discriminate against good, God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians.
Sadly, there appears to be no middle ground between equality of treatment and “traditional values.” As America moves inexorably toward greater acceptance of the diversity of humanity, I’m reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once said, “The are of the moral universe is long, and it bends toward justice.” Those who oppose gay right generally and marriage equality specifically have found themselves on the wrong side of history. They can kick and scream and legislate all they way, but time isn’t on their side.
In this case, the arc of history is parallel to that of the moral universe, and as it continues to bend toward justice, there will be those who feel threatened and will inevitably push back. In time- and I hope I live long enough to see this day- people will be accepted for WHO they are and not judged for WHAT they are. I believe it will happen- perhaps not tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. Someday, though, being human will suffice; it will no longer be necessary to preface “human” with a descriptor intended to separate “good” people from “bad.”
On that day, “traditional values” will finally be seen as love, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion…and Social Conservative Christians will understand how their lives have been far more about bigotry and homophobia than the teaching of the Lord and Savior they profess to revere.
