The Quotable Queer

Gay marriage is definitely an issue our entire world community is debating. Even communities and countries where one side has claimed victory still debate the issue heatedly. Recently, South Africa joined the four other countries that have legalized homosexual marriage. The Netherlands was the first to do so in 2001, with Belgium following suit in 2003. Both Canada and Spain began performing gay marriages in 2005. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

There is even deep division and even indifference on the issue within the GBL community itself. This division and lack of full GBL community support seriously jeopardizes any major strides and advances in this culture war.

Regardless of personal views on marriage, it is ultimately a multi-faceted institution. Portions of marriage are absolutely government-sanctioned whereas other aspects of marriage are definitely religious and spiritual in nature. Therefore, personal views of a religious nature as well as issues of civil rights play a role in defining marriage.

Freedom from religion and equality are what the United States originally was founded. Equality was certainly not all-inclusive at the birth of this republic, as blacks and women were obviously ignored with regards to holding any power or position within the government.

However, those mistakes were eventually rectified through the amending of the U.S. Constitution. Countries across the globe have over the last few years done similar recalibrations to begin the elimination of double standards in government-sanctioned marriage, simultaneously strengthening concepts of equality and justice for all.

With the premise that marriage is a government institution that carries not only government benefits but also potential personal costs, it seems logical to realize that all relationships of that caliber are deserving of the same rights and the same detriments. On a deeply personal level, confusion, doubt and misinformation are quite problematic to this civil rights issue. Additionally, personal views are not going to change much within any single generation. Therefore, the issue of expanding and limiting marriage will be fervently discussed and legislated for at least the next two decades throughout the global community.

Despite the personal nature of the issue of marriage, should one specific group, sect or generation impose their personal views on these critical social concepts on the population as a whole? If you aren’t in the majority, the answer is never as clear as some civil rights activists would prefer.

Portions of minority communities will always reach out to the majority by acting, behaving and even thinking as the majority does. These community elements oftentimes act against their own best interests hoping to better fit into society. This explains at least a portion of the division in the GBL community on the marriage issue.

The clarification of the rights of marriage along with a community education on the consequences of potential legislation at both the state and federal level is necessary to increase unity within the GBL community as well as the community-at-large on the issue of gay marriage.
The Quotable Queer

Check out my first post on gay marriage as well as my first post onThe Quotable Queer

Here is my letter to the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council on an update of the Human Rights Ordinance. May right win over bigotry today!

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer

I am writing you to urge your support of Proposition 622. Proposition 622 will update the Human Rights Ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

No matter our personal beliefs, my hope would be that we all could agree that discrimination is not acceptable. Unfortunately, some people will always discriminate, and public policy must act to level the playing field.

Housing and employment should be based on merits alone, not on personal beliefs on personal issues. People will always disagree. Acceptance that a group exists within society does not require agreement with that group or what they represent.

I urge you to side with acceptance that discrimination does indeed take place and is not an acceptable practice in Indianapolis. Vote against discrimination and vote YES on Proposition 622.

There is currently an ongoing war within the media and within American society on how we celebrate and acknowlege this time of year. Although this war seems ridiculous at first glance, a closer examination reveals a much more disturbing nature as to why this particular war is being waged at this time.

The religious right certainly has a stranglehold on Washington politics. Many Republican legislators will do anything to please their extremist constituency.

A simple examination of what happened to former Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, yields much to the current power of the religious right. Although the now Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is undoubtedly conservative-minded when it comes to judicial philosophy, he is certainly not from outward appearances an activist, religious right co-opted individual. The same cannot be said about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. He certainly was a replacement that appeased the religious right wing of the Republican party.

Now, the religious right is fighting the use of Happy Holidays by the government and the business industry. What is so wrong about Happy Holidays being used as a holiday slogan? It not only encompasses Merry Christmas but also many other traditions and their holidays. Do they wish to exclude cultural and religious minorities from publicly celebrating and acknowledging their holidays?

Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Network is possibly the top promoter of this Happy Holidays bashing. He’s even had success in changing the government response to the holidays as well as the business world. Both Sears and Target now “see the Christmas Light“, as he puts it.

What is behind this war waged by the religious right? I believe it to be the last ditch effort to achieve as much of their political, social and economic agenda before their power in Washington and in this country falls apart.

Intelligent design has now pushed so far into Kansas as to actually have the State change the definition of science! (MSNBC, November 8th, 2005)

The religious right certainly knows when to play hardball. Likely, their influence in Washington will be greatly diminished after the November midterm elections. Therefore, they must begin using their limited power now before they have no power to make any change.

Certainly, any religious right victories in the coming year are going to have some staying power, as their influence is not going to disappear, just diminish . . . However, in time what damage they wage now on both American and the World will begin to be fixed and healed. Until then, we must all fight the important fights . . . even the losing battles. Any victory adds momentum.

We must turn the tide sooner rather later and begin building our own momentum! No fight is impossible. Strategy is vital. Doing nothing could be deadly. What can you do today? That is the question we all need to ask ourselves every new day; what can we do.

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer