Down-Home Discrimination in the Lone Star State
A friend wrote this:
Here in the state of Texas, the Republicans have proposed an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage. It goes beyond banning gay marriage -- it also bans the idea of civil unions and any contractual arrangements between unmarried persons meant to confer the incidences of marriage.
Let me explain how significant that last part is. Since gay couples cannot marry, many of us draw up private contracts to ensure that their partners do have some rights, such as the right to make medical decisions for them if they are incapacitated and other similar powers of attorney. It is the only recourse most of us have to ensure that at times when it matters most, we can make decisions for our partners. This amendment would strip that option away from us as well.
Make no mistake, this is real and powerful discrimination. It does real damage to gay people and their families. I could tell you horror stories of things I've seen happen to gay families because they have no legal protection, like the friend whose partner died and his partner's parents not only completely shut him out of the funeral arrangements, but also managed to have his partner's will invalidated, which meant that he lost the house they had been living in together for years. I know many stories like this.
And here's what the amendment doesn't do: it doesn't do a thing to protect "traditional families". It doesn't help save one heterosexual marriage. These are myths and ideological catchphrases dreamed up by the conservative religious right, which these days basically controls the Republican party.
The Republican party also introduced a bill here banning gay parents from adopting children. The Republican party protected this state's anti-sodomy laws in this state for years, and stood in staunch opposition to the Supreme Court decision to strike down the legality of sodomy laws in this country. Let me make that clear: the Republican party would have preferred that the government have the right to regulate sexual expression between consensual adults, and ensure that anytime I slept with my partner, I was committing a criminal act. Make no mistake -- when Republicans use the phrase "legislating from the bench", this is what they're talking about. Anytime a court rules in favor of gay rights, in favor of the government treating people equally, that's their go-to phrase.
President Bush's support numbers are slipping in the polls. The war in Iraq is becoming increasingly unpopular, and his proposed social security legislation never really gained traction with most folks. And so what does he do to bolster support amongst the most influential part of his base, the conservative evangelicals? Well, this week he trotted out the federal anti-gay marriage amendment again. Never mind that there's real issues that need to be debated in this country -- the economy, the war, education, the environment. Instead of tackling any of that, he's cynically manipulating his conservative base with the one form of discrimination that's still legal here: keeping down the fags.
If I sound angry and upset, it's because I am. The Republican political party continues to demean my very existence on a daily basis, actively fighting to ensure I have as little rights as possible in the future. That is what's happening, and that is what's at stake. I hope you understand my passion -- this is not some abstract political struggle for me, this goes to the core of who I am as a human being.
Here in the state of Texas, the Republicans have proposed an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage. It goes beyond banning gay marriage -- it also bans the idea of civil unions and any contractual arrangements between unmarried persons meant to confer the incidences of marriage.
Let me explain how significant that last part is. Since gay couples cannot marry, many of us draw up private contracts to ensure that their partners do have some rights, such as the right to make medical decisions for them if they are incapacitated and other similar powers of attorney. It is the only recourse most of us have to ensure that at times when it matters most, we can make decisions for our partners. This amendment would strip that option away from us as well.
Make no mistake, this is real and powerful discrimination. It does real damage to gay people and their families. I could tell you horror stories of things I've seen happen to gay families because they have no legal protection, like the friend whose partner died and his partner's parents not only completely shut him out of the funeral arrangements, but also managed to have his partner's will invalidated, which meant that he lost the house they had been living in together for years. I know many stories like this.
And here's what the amendment doesn't do: it doesn't do a thing to protect "traditional families". It doesn't help save one heterosexual marriage. These are myths and ideological catchphrases dreamed up by the conservative religious right, which these days basically controls the Republican party.
The Republican party also introduced a bill here banning gay parents from adopting children. The Republican party protected this state's anti-sodomy laws in this state for years, and stood in staunch opposition to the Supreme Court decision to strike down the legality of sodomy laws in this country. Let me make that clear: the Republican party would have preferred that the government have the right to regulate sexual expression between consensual adults, and ensure that anytime I slept with my partner, I was committing a criminal act. Make no mistake -- when Republicans use the phrase "legislating from the bench", this is what they're talking about. Anytime a court rules in favor of gay rights, in favor of the government treating people equally, that's their go-to phrase.
President Bush's support numbers are slipping in the polls. The war in Iraq is becoming increasingly unpopular, and his proposed social security legislation never really gained traction with most folks. And so what does he do to bolster support amongst the most influential part of his base, the conservative evangelicals? Well, this week he trotted out the federal anti-gay marriage amendment again. Never mind that there's real issues that need to be debated in this country -- the economy, the war, education, the environment. Instead of tackling any of that, he's cynically manipulating his conservative base with the one form of discrimination that's still legal here: keeping down the fags.
If I sound angry and upset, it's because I am. The Republican political party continues to demean my very existence on a daily basis, actively fighting to ensure I have as little rights as possible in the future. That is what's happening, and that is what's at stake. I hope you understand my passion -- this is not some abstract political struggle for me, this goes to the core of who I am as a human being.