17 June 2011

New York State Marriage Equality NOW

It's almost cliche to say that growing up gay is not easy. But that doesn't make it less true. The knowledge that you exist outside the realm of the mainstream society -and their protections- is a terrifying one. Science and thousands of years of experience (let's face it, there is clear archaeological evidence of same-sex love going as far back as humanity) have taught us that sexual orientation cannot be changed. We are innately who we are, end of.

But then there's religion. Cultural taboo. Societal stigma. We're the underdogs, and our opposition makes no bones about it. Nothing new there; in 1553, English King Henry VIII passed legislation punishing our kind with death through the "Buggery Act." Thomas Aquinas argued in 1265 that homosexual acts were second only to murder in sins. There continue to exist more than 8 nations in which homosexuality remains illegal. But we are not victims. We are survivors. We can be told that God sees us as an abomination. God, however -in both my opinion, and that of the conservative zealots- is the creator of all things. God makes no mistakes. Therefore, God wants us here. Equally.

If you read my blog, you probably know I am a New Yorker. Raised in Poughkeepsie, NY, I was lucky enough to have the MTA Hudson Train Line just a stone's throw away from my doorstep -allowing for a quick and easy escape to a more rational world: Manhattan. It was in Manhattan that I witnessed my first LGBTQ Pride Parade. This is a misunderstood event that most Americans despise due to a lack of understanding breed through a lack of education. Few people among or outside our relatively small LGBTQ world remember that the NYC Pride parade is held annually on the last Sunday of June to commemorate our pivotal victory in 1969 against institutionalized discrimination at the Stonewall Inn. A victory against search and seizure. Against violation of privacy. A victory FOR EQUALITY.

The heroes and survivors that fought for us on June 28th 1969 were fighting against the Public Morals Squads (Yes, they were part of the NYPD) of their time. They fought for their friends who disappeared into the East River for the crime of wearing "the wrong" clothing at the hands of the very people appointed to serve and protect us. In no uncertain terms: In the land where we live by Separation of Church and State, they were fighting the religious police. Through their momentum, we have the ability to demand our equality today.

Whether we achieve marriage equality or not this year, we have a few things to remember. We owe no apologies to anybody. Through concepts as simple as the Golden Rule we deserve equal treatment from our peers -whether they are like us our not in their orientation. We are doing a huge favor to the public at large because, as Dr. Martin Luther King pointed out, "No one is free until everyone is free." We are not liberating ourselves, we are validating the rights they currently have and take for granted. So stop begging. Enough with the meekness and timidity. Our LGBTQ communities have so much to be proud of. So when you do call your elected official -and you WILL call them- don't just ask them to vote for us. Remind them how embarrassing it will be when history remembers them for supporting discrimination.

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