21st Century Civil Rights – Taking a Stand
I am taking a stand for equal rights for homosexuals, bisexuals, transgendered, – everyone, really.
The topic of rights for the non-hetero population of the world has come up again and again. Whether the topic is adoption, marriage, or general discrimination issues, this is the civil rights movement of the 21st century.
In the interest of full disclosure – I am a never married, heterosexual male. In college I majored in theatre, so of course I was privy to pretty much every stereotype about homosexuals you can think of.
Probably the most vocal aspect of this is in regards to marriage. Recently, the United Kingdom voted to legalize gay marriage. This was an awesome step forward. Here in the United States, though, there are still numerous states that have been working overtime to pass anti-gay marriage bills, so called “defense of marriage” acts. The US Congress passed the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments that question the constitutionality of this law.
Here is the question – what are we defending for or against? Even if the bible says marriage is between only a man and a woman, we are NOT a Christian nation. Pick a religion, any religion, you will find someone in the USA who practices it.
If two people love one another, man and woman, woman and woman, man and man – why shouldn’t they express that love by joining in marriage? Religious arguments aside, there is a financial aspect to this. Married couples get several benefits with regards to taxes, insurance, pensions and 401(k) plans. There are many big businesses that, in their current tight-fisted state, will do anything to hold as much money as they can.
Some argue that gay marriage detracts from hetero marriage. If you believe this, I have to ask you – how? How can two people in love joining their lives together in marriage in any way detract from anyone else?
Also, historically – this argument was made about interracial marriages. This has not been a real issue in about 50 years. My sister is married to a man with different skin color than her – and their marriage doesn’t detract from anyone else’s that I can see.
What detracts from marriage? How about divorce? How about death? How about the impulse marriage that lasts 43 minutes? Gay marriage, though? It does not impact ANYONE in a negative way.
I acknowledge that this is against some people’s religion. Fine. Then don’t marry someone of the same gender. In the US, however, we have no national religion – so you can go to your church and worship god in your own particular way, but you cannot force others to that same way.
How about gay adoption? There are plenty of children out there in need of loving families – if a homosexual couple wants to provide that love, then there is no reason they should not be able to. No one raised by two mothers or two fathers has yet to come out of that a bad person. Some, in fact, are among the most loving people on the planet.
Discrimination due to sexual preference is ludicrous. A gay man, gay woman, transgendered man or woman is equally capable of any job as anyone else. Why on earth should it matter where they choose to give love? Whether in the military, in an office, at a construction site, or anywhere else people work for a living, there is ZERO reason to discriminate.
Homosexuality is a part of nature. Humans are not the only homosexual creatures. Bison, bears, ravens, salmon, rattlesnakes, and dozens of other animals have been observed by scientists partaking in homosexual acts. No one chooses what gender(s) they are attracted to – it is biology.
I believe that the majority of people support equal rights. Polls have been conducted by various news and educational institutions supporting this. And there is no scientific or sociological reason why this should even be an issue.
As for any religious argument – I want to ask you a question. Is God love? The answer, from pretty much every monotheistic religion I am aware of, is YES. As such, how can you possibly feel that hatred and intolerance are in any way a part of God’s plan? God does not hate. Period. Hatred is a human creation.
Let’s take a stand. Let us speak out and let the religious, political, and business leaders of the world know that they cannot continue to deny the rights of ANYBODY. Male, female, transgender, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, rich, poor, young, old, short, tall, thin, fat, brilliant, moronic, theist, atheist – WE ARE ALL ONE. We all deserve equal legal rights and privileges, and we all deserve to be happy.
I support equal rights. Do you?
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