No matter how passionate you are about Marriage Equality, it is in your best interest to understand the nuances of Walker’s decision, and what the next steps may mean. It could mean the difference between an end to Prop 8 for California, or a cornerstone for the foundation of the case that will allow Same- Sex Marriage across the entire country.
It isn’t being gay that is the problem, but rather it is the abuse, humiliation and isolation that come from living in a homophobic environment. David tried the “pray the gay away” and it doesn’t work. It drove him to a nervous breakdown, and almost suicide. Trying to not be gay is what leads people to suicide.
Yet, my experience also shows me how successful the anti-gay forces have been in their attempt to define being gay as a choice and a lifestyle. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what laws we pass- as long as enough people buy into that falsehood, the future for LGBT equality will be a rocky one.
If a police officer comes to take a report, and you feel that she or he directly ignores evidence or facts, then that itself should also be reported. If you ever feel that a police officer doesn’t treat you acceptably, at least in zone 5, the commander wants to know about it, because he expects all of his officers to treat everyone with dignity, respect and the full attention of the law.
They need to generate fear in the reader, and create a false sense of being a victim. The truth is that a YMCA or similar facility is not under any requirement to do anything based upon a driver’s license. But the next few sentences lay out the AFA’s real motivation with what they have written.
too often the “T” in LGBT is forgotten, and this piece of work is a big step forward in terms of treating the whole of the LGBT community as valued and important.
Toward that end, Joe will be joining Dan here in Pittsburgh for a rally/ meet and greet on Wednesday October 6th, from 5-6:30 PM. More details to follow. Joe has been out on the road with Dan a few times now, and the message is one we can all agree on- that for the state to prosper, individual rights and equality matter for all of Pennsylvanians, including Gay, Lesbian, Bixsesual, and Trans persons.
I have never heard a person speak out for Marriage Equality who didn’t already live in a place with basic protections against discrimination.
Then Walker handed down his prop 8 ruling, and everything started to shift. Imagine if there were 50 there without much organization, how big of a crowd could have been gathered if there was a major push to create a real counter demonstration?
On the one hand, since there is no reason at all for the state to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, there is no reason, not to allow them to begin marrying right away. On the other hand, the Judge, and his decision are under heavy scrutiny. It could be seen as “pushing the gay agenda” to allow same-sex marriages to restart, and that could take someone away from the detailed, thoughtful, comprehensive, and logical decision that the Judge wrote. At stake however, is the rights of thousands of California couples to marry over the next year or so, and to fail to allow that would be the same as doing what was deemed unacceptable in his decision.