National Equality March 2009
October 12th 2009 16:26
Yesterday, thousands of people of different racial, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds gathered in front of the U. S. Capitol to march for equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgendered Americans. It also happened to be National Coming Out Day as well, which set a unique added tone to the fact that all this occurred the day after President Obama gave a speech supporting Domestic Partners benefits and a congressional repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, along with addressing the military's stand on the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy for gay and lesbian soldiers. One of the most poignant moments during the march was when Judy Shepard addressed the crowd concerning the 11th anniversary of the brutal kidnapping and beating death of her son, Matthew Shepard, simply because he was gay.
I remember vividly when this happened back in 1998. I was a freshman in college at Florida State University. It was my first time away from home, ever, and it was like a whole new world, not just because I was in a new city, but because I was surrounded by thousands of others my age who were all doing the same thing, exploring our personalities and beginning to shape ourselves into the people we eventually have become today as adults. In high school, I didn't have many gay friends, heck I didn't really know any gay people, unless you count our volleyball coach and a few other members on the teaching staff that didn't hide it. As far as students, I knew of a couple that were in band at the same time I was, but they kept it secret, didn't openly show their emotions for their lovers, except during band camp where they knew none of us would really care what they did because everyone was too hot and sweaty and tired to pay attention to anything else besides our marching show. But in college, I found a whole new group of people, people who thought like me, who acted like me and who accepted everyone like me no matter their differences. In fact, my best friends, the people who I spent all my time with and did everything with, were gay, lesbian, bisexual, and even transgendered. I know that sounds so cliche to say "some of my closest friends are...", but it's the truth, and to this day I love and appreciate every last one of them for all the trials and tribulations we've been through as stumbling 18 and 19 years olds trying to find ourselves in this crazy life.
But what still bothers me to this day, even with all the gains that have been made with some states recognizing domestic partnerships and even actual marriages, is that here in Florida, my friends are still unable to legally get married. They are still unable to legally have domestic partnerships granting rights to share property and insurance benefits or even have the rights to adopt healthy children. Throughout all my relationships, I always had a tinge of guilt whenever my friends and I would all go out because I knew that my boyfriends and I could show PDA without getting threatening and menacing looks. I always knew that we could live together for up to 9 years and qualify for common law rights, which are almost as equal to marriage rights as you can get. And I always knew that if we had a kid or two, even if we weren't married, he would have the same rights to that child's care and love legally as I would. But my friends, can do the PDA thing and ignore the looks, they can do the living together thing and ignore the common law rights, they can even already have kids and just bring them into the relationship. But they can't do the mass majority of this with the law recognizing and granting them the same carefree attitudes towards it all as us straight folks have.
And as far as the military, don't even get me started. I've witnessed first hand 10 friends who've done atleast two tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, but have to be very careful not to break the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy as to either lose their ranking as officers or worse, be dishonorably discharged from the military altogether. If they are brave enough to want to volunteer to fight for our country, then what in the hell does it matter if they are gay or not? This is the same logic I've always held against the military when they had issues with blacks and other minorities joining the ranks of white soldiers. Does race or sexual orientation or gender really matter when it comes time to dodge bullets? I honestly think not. And back to my original point, does sexual orientation matter when it comes to love and having a family and living the American Dream with a home and white picket fence? Again, I think not. Matthew Shepard was just living his life, doing the same things as us 18 and 19 year olds were at FSU and thousands of colleges around the country. What was his crime to deserve being kidnapped, tortured, and beaten to death? What is any gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered person's crime to deserve death at the hands of hate? To love, to be loved, to live? Last that I knew of, this isn't a crime and it's definitely not deserving of any man's ideal of punishment or physical attack!
Our rights to love and be loved are not rights given to us by man. These are emotions innate to us as human beings created by a God or higher being. In my opinion, no matter what you worship or believe or don't believe, emotions shouldn't be considered a right granted to us by the Government or dictated by laws created by opposing factions. Instead, we as Americans and World citizens should take back our emotions and love and be loved by whom WE INDIVIDUALLY choose and not continue to allow anyone, including President Obama, Democrats, or the Republicans to discern what's legal and what's not! I know, in a perfect world, this could and would happen, but in our realistic and ugly world, the best thing we can do is protest and march. Although, I was not there physically to show my solidarity with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, I was there spiritually and emotionally and will continue to do so until we're ALL able to equally share in the love! MARCH ON!!
And as far as the military, don't even get me started. I've witnessed first hand 10 friends who've done atleast two tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, but have to be very careful not to break the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy as to either lose their ranking as officers or worse, be dishonorably discharged from the military altogether. If they are brave enough to want to volunteer to fight for our country, then what in the hell does it matter if they are gay or not? This is the same logic I've always held against the military when they had issues with blacks and other minorities joining the ranks of white soldiers. Does race or sexual orientation or gender really matter when it comes time to dodge bullets? I honestly think not. And back to my original point, does sexual orientation matter when it comes to love and having a family and living the American Dream with a home and white picket fence? Again, I think not. Matthew Shepard was just living his life, doing the same things as us 18 and 19 year olds were at FSU and thousands of colleges around the country. What was his crime to deserve being kidnapped, tortured, and beaten to death? What is any gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered person's crime to deserve death at the hands of hate? To love, to be loved, to live? Last that I knew of, this isn't a crime and it's definitely not deserving of any man's ideal of punishment or physical attack!
Our rights to love and be loved are not rights given to us by man. These are emotions innate to us as human beings created by a God or higher being. In my opinion, no matter what you worship or believe or don't believe, emotions shouldn't be considered a right granted to us by the Government or dictated by laws created by opposing factions. Instead, we as Americans and World citizens should take back our emotions and love and be loved by whom WE INDIVIDUALLY choose and not continue to allow anyone, including President Obama, Democrats, or the Republicans to discern what's legal and what's not! I know, in a perfect world, this could and would happen, but in our realistic and ugly world, the best thing we can do is protest and march. Although, I was not there physically to show my solidarity with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, I was there spiritually and emotionally and will continue to do so until we're ALL able to equally share in the love! MARCH ON!!
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