NPR Illustrates Story with Real Families
Thanks to National Public Radio for using a same-sex family to illustrate one of their stories this evening.
Thornton lives with her two teenage sons and her partner, who works for the city. Because Tennessee doesn’t recognize gay couples, Thornton can’t get on her partner’s insurance. She lost her own insurance when she had to shut down her mental health counseling practice. She could have kept for a limited time the insurance she already had, but with no income, she couldn’t afford it. “The cost was outrageous. I mean I had no money coming in. And to spend $1,200 a month for COBRA was ludicrous.”
Until all Americans understand how our families are affected just like any other family, we won’t be able to count on people to care about our families. This “being visible” is magic- it doesn’t make everything turn rosy, and our lives and families find protection, but it is a start. It lays a foundation for understanding, and it highlights bigotry. For when it is clear that our families are alike all other families, the only reason why people will seek to oppress us is their bigotry.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106299147
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