Why is this even an issue?
J.R. gets political concerning gay marriage
New Mexico is in a heated debate over banning gay marriage. Many lawmakers cling to the idea that marriage is between "a man and a woman" and should not be tolerated otherwise. There is no problem with this ideology because most gay couples are asking for "civil unions," not marriages. I don't see were all the anger is coming from.
To make the situation worse, a young man lies in an Albuquerque hospital on a respirator clinging to life after he was beaten savagely by six men because he "acted like he was hitting on" one of them. This gave them the right to not only beat him, but also chase him back to the hotel he was staying in and rush him before he could even get to the door. If the legislature here in New Mexico enacts this piece of legislation, then what happens to the hopes of the families of the victim in the hospital clinging to life? This is a classic example of impeccable timing.
I sat in Phoenix, Arizona for 8 hours in meetings about harassment and discrimination. It is not uncommon for any of us to throw minor comments around the workplace about how we need to lay off the burritos cause they are gaining up on our waists, or about how lovely one of the buff-jock-prep-metrosexuals looks in that Pepto pink shirt. After my sensitivity training, I not only learned that these statements could be offensive, I also learned that I would be fired. No questions asked if they continued, and that it was federal law that WE AS EMPLOYERS could not discriminate due to sexual orientation. Isn't this a contradiction?
I can be sued or lose my job if I refuse to hire someone who has openly admitted that they are gay ... however, two men that live together cannot enter into a legal contract saying they have the right to change their names, or buy a home together, or hold each other in times of despair, or just exist peacefully behind closed doors.
I worked for Sears for a total of two years, and I am actually proud to say that they recognize domestic partners as spouses and gay couples are allowed the same benefits as straight couples, no questions asked. I worked for The Daily Oklahoman and was given sick time off because my boyfriend was running a massive fever and vomiting every thirty minutes. There were no questions asked. All of this from the most conservative newspaper in the nation. Here I live in the most liberal state capital in the world, "The City Different" and it is less accepting than "The Dark Tower of Gaylord."
In the end, industries are going to make the decision whether it is worth their money to give domestic partners benefits. Most gay couples aren't asking for tax breaks, or special privileges, or a new voice in American politics. They just want to be seen as people. Maybe it’s too much to ask that my best friend and I have the right to buy a car together, or have a joint bank account. However, we could enter into a business partnership and share many of the same privileges. Maybe that's the answer.
Come together my people and change the focus. If we can't get what we want by fighting the system, then ride it like the donkey it is! Find every legal loophole we can and use the lawmakers' weaknesses to accomplish just what they disapprove of. They aren't smart enough to realize that we will succeed one way or another. We've fought this long. It's far from over.
New Mexico is in a heated debate over banning gay marriage. Many lawmakers cling to the idea that marriage is between "a man and a woman" and should not be tolerated otherwise. There is no problem with this ideology because most gay couples are asking for "civil unions," not marriages. I don't see were all the anger is coming from.
To make the situation worse, a young man lies in an Albuquerque hospital on a respirator clinging to life after he was beaten savagely by six men because he "acted like he was hitting on" one of them. This gave them the right to not only beat him, but also chase him back to the hotel he was staying in and rush him before he could even get to the door. If the legislature here in New Mexico enacts this piece of legislation, then what happens to the hopes of the families of the victim in the hospital clinging to life? This is a classic example of impeccable timing.
I sat in Phoenix, Arizona for 8 hours in meetings about harassment and discrimination. It is not uncommon for any of us to throw minor comments around the workplace about how we need to lay off the burritos cause they are gaining up on our waists, or about how lovely one of the buff-jock-prep-metrosexuals looks in that Pepto pink shirt. After my sensitivity training, I not only learned that these statements could be offensive, I also learned that I would be fired. No questions asked if they continued, and that it was federal law that WE AS EMPLOYERS could not discriminate due to sexual orientation. Isn't this a contradiction?
I can be sued or lose my job if I refuse to hire someone who has openly admitted that they are gay ... however, two men that live together cannot enter into a legal contract saying they have the right to change their names, or buy a home together, or hold each other in times of despair, or just exist peacefully behind closed doors.
I worked for Sears for a total of two years, and I am actually proud to say that they recognize domestic partners as spouses and gay couples are allowed the same benefits as straight couples, no questions asked. I worked for The Daily Oklahoman and was given sick time off because my boyfriend was running a massive fever and vomiting every thirty minutes. There were no questions asked. All of this from the most conservative newspaper in the nation. Here I live in the most liberal state capital in the world, "The City Different" and it is less accepting than "The Dark Tower of Gaylord."
In the end, industries are going to make the decision whether it is worth their money to give domestic partners benefits. Most gay couples aren't asking for tax breaks, or special privileges, or a new voice in American politics. They just want to be seen as people. Maybe it’s too much to ask that my best friend and I have the right to buy a car together, or have a joint bank account. However, we could enter into a business partnership and share many of the same privileges. Maybe that's the answer.
Come together my people and change the focus. If we can't get what we want by fighting the system, then ride it like the donkey it is! Find every legal loophole we can and use the lawmakers' weaknesses to accomplish just what they disapprove of. They aren't smart enough to realize that we will succeed one way or another. We've fought this long. It's far from over.