by
Corey R
Basic Rights For Gay Americans
Issues: Adoption, Marriage, Gay Rights
Dear Barack Obama and Supporters,
America is called "The land of opportunity"; "The land of the free and home of the brave". These terms are still used today to describe this magnificent country, but are they accurate? Our constitution states that all men are created equally. This statement is saturated with truth but we often fail to realize it, especially now with a new breed of Americans showing up around the country; the gay and lesbian community. This country's history is full of oppression and discrimination beginning with the Native Americans. We showed up and took all of their land and killed many of them. The poor souls that were left were referred to as savages and dirty. Then we proceeded to enslave Africans and use them to do our work. However, once they were set free and slavery was abolished we still looked at them as unequal. Until this day we still refer to each other with words of hatred. Another example of this injustice is the rights of women. Men have always viewed women as unequal and they still do to this very day.There was a point in our history when women were expected to only have children, cook, and clean. Women weren't even allowed to vote or own property. Thank god we are out these dark times, or are we? Every day in this country more and more people are coming out as gay and the population is increasing rapidly in our once quaint community, but sadly as the number of Gay Americans grows so does the number of anti-gay bigots.These people do not view this community as equal, they view them as sinners and un-american. Thankfully all hope is not lost. We do not have to head in this direction. All we need are equal rights for Gay Americans.
Gay Marriage is often frowned upon by most politicians and referred to as "against gods will." Correct me if I am wrong but aren't we supposed to have a separation of church and state? If so, then why is it law makers are constantly bringing religion into the matter? Second of all, anyone who says "it clearly states in the bible that two people of the same sex should not be married," should really take a second look at the book they are getting their information from. This volume of the bible also states in the same section it is a sin to eat shellfish, it is a sin if you do not pray five times a day, and it also states that it is a sin to eat meat on Fridays. If all of these other guide lines are in the same section, then why do we only choose one to follow? It does not make sense to choose one and then throw the book aside. My explanation for this phenomenon is fear. These people fear change so much that anyone different from them is considered a threat. It happens time and time again. Marriage is a sacred union between two people that love each other, it is not about race, religion, gender, age, or lifestyles. Marriage is about love and the willingness to take care of someone no matter what. Your argument is full and enriched with such valid support. I appreciate your argument and your effort. Nice work. -Sashaconnors 9/17/08 5:30 AM
There are a lot of activist groups in this country that say that gays and lesbians should not be allowed to adopt children because the child needs a mother and father to raise them. There are thousands of single parents in this country raising kids all alone with no help from the child's other parent. If one person can raise a child then why can't two? There are countless children with no parents, living on the streets, or living in an orphanage who would do anything for just someone to love them and tell them everything will be ok. But many of them are not given the chance, and with record high adoption rates from the gay and lesbian community, why would you say no to adoption for gay and lesbian families and put the children back on the street? When a 22 year old orphan was recently interviewed on this subject he said, "although I am not gay nor do I know any gay people, I lived on the streets my whole life. I would have given anything to have someone to adopt me, even if they were gay. As long as they loved me and sheltered me I would be happy." He luckily got a job and put himself through college. He like many others has had a sad life already and by banning gay and lesbian adoptions the number of orphans like him would increase rapidly.
I am gay like many other of my fellow Americans, all 4,300,000 of us (as of the year 2000), have experienced prejudice at one point or another. Many of you do not know the hurt we feel on a regular basis, I can't even get changed for gym without person after person staring at me with the same expression on their face that seems to say; "are they seriously letting him get changed in here?" I can still remember freshman year walking in front of the school and having my peers screaming offensive terms at me as their bus drives by. No one did anything to stop them. All they did was laugh at me and encourage his behavior.
I work with a man who has been with his partner for over 15 years, and has never been happier. One day on his way home he was pulled over by a cop who's father is a regular customer of ours so he knew him pretty well. When the cop realized it was him he began to shout derogative and offensive terms. When my co-worker threatened to report him for his behavior, he was arrested and accused of being on hallucinogenic drugs. If this was to happen to anyone else he would of been prosecuted and lost his job. Thankfully my co-worker had all charges against him dropped but they turned a blind eye to the cop's behavior. To this day when he comes into our shop he still mumbles derogative and offensive terms under his breath to me and my co-worker.
Sadly, one of our tenants at work is gay and has AIDS. He actually had to go to court over his job because they fired him due to the fact that he is gay and has AIDS. Luckily he won the legal battle but soon after quit his job there because he was mistreated by his co-workers and employer. The legal battle lasted for almost a year and by the end of it he was in horrible debt from the lawyer fees, but maintains a sunny disposition on the whole situation. We consider this a step in the right direction because it shows everyone that the gay community is strong and willing to fight for what is right. But unfortunately many cases like his go un-recognised across the country, and that is a crime we can not let go un-attended. This gets a little overwhelming because you have so much info in one paragraph. I tried to seperate it into different paragraphs for you. Corey you personal testimony speaks loud and clear about the issues facing gay Americans. Your anecdotes are strong and effective. I am saddened to hear these stories, but impressed with you articulatio of the facts and what needs to be done. Please add a little more information to this paragraph and the next if you can. -Sashaconnors 9/17/08 5:38 AM
A few months ago Katy Perry released her hit song "I Kissed a Girl. " Apparently a church in Illinois posted on its ledger in front of its establishment, "I Kissed A Girl And I Liked It... But Then I Went To Hell." Publicly advertising that being gay is a sin. It took them over two weeks to take the sign down and when they did because of a court order the church reportedly said, "we did not mean to offend the gay community, we just wanted to publicize that they made a wrong choice in their life." I beg your pardon but you tell anyone that they are living their life wrong and that they are going to go to hell for it, they are going to get offended, they aren't going to grovel at your feet asking for you to save them.
Gay rights should not be something we have to fight for in this day and age, especially in America. Barack, I urge you and your supporters to please fight for these basic rights. We the people live in a "free" country. Shouldn't we make that a true statement? Please think of the children across the country that are as bright and as talented as your daughters, who sadly can not show the world what a shining star they truly are due to their lack of a family and support. Think of all the people in love across the country that can not get married due to their life style. We as a community supported you and now it is time for you to return the favor and support us. Help us truly make this the land of opportunity. Excellent last sentence. A wonderful example of a call to action. -Sashaconnors 9/17/08 5:43 AM
Sincerley,
Corey Rader