Unless you've been living under a rock or with Rush Limbaugh, you know that the legal issue of marriage equality for LGBT Americans has reached a boiling point. If you read any of my blog posts and take anything away from them, this one is by far the most important yet and while it is my humble opinion, the overwhelming attack on our human rights is something that should be felt by all. Thanks for indulging me.
By now I am sure most of you are aware that the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on two historic marriage equality cases surrounding the right for two men or two women to have their marriage legally recognized in our great nation.
This is a right that the non LGBT population can take advantage of without scrutiny, judgment or interference from our federal government.
Before I begin, I would like to make my stance clear... I am an American. I was raised to believe that all people, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation disability, political or religious beliefs are CREATED EQUAL.
I have many LGBT friends and not only are they my friends, they are amazing, brilliant, funny and caring people whom I have an enormous amount of respect for. I do not see them as gay. I see them as my friends. I see them as people, not a demographic.
Finding that special someone who completes you as a person, who is at the same time your best
friend, lover, confidant, keeper of secrets and sharer of private jokes who loves you unconditionally is truly something to celebrate. As my husband likes to tell me, his Sicilian grandfather told him that true love meant finding someone who you loved 'because' not 'even though' ; a simple yet heart warming reality about the epiphany experienced when you meet your match on this earth. It is by far the biggest 'AHA!' moment in your life, where you now cannot imagine your life without this person in it. Many people like to say that marriage is simply a piece of paper but I wholeheartedly disagree. To me, marriage is the union of two people who love each other unconditionally and who want to celebrate their amazing, unique connection by coming together as one union; vowing to stand by one another regardless of what life may throw at them - exclaiming in front of god, Buddha, your Rabbi or just a rowdy crowd of your crazy friends and family that 'We love each other BECAUSE, not EVEN THOUGH!'Denying anyone the chance to come together as one - to marry your best friend and enjoy the same civil liberties as others is just plain unconstitutional and frankly, it is an embarrassment to our forward thinking, let freedom ring society that our forefathers created for us so many years ago.
You need not read between the lines:
"We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it..."Our government should not have the power to selectively impart these unalienable rights upon only those who historically (like, pre historically) have fit the bill. Our world, culture, media, our way of life has changed BUT our rights have not and the idea of any governmental interference with anyone's right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness or Unconditional Love is our government being destructive and ignorant of our basic human rights. It is up to US to alter or abolish any and all attempts by our government to strip anyone- straight, gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered or otherwise of the right to marry.
Change comes slowly when politics
and religion are involved but when you strip this issue down to its
simplest form this is about denying a select demographic of our great nation
unalienable rights. If those whom we have chosen to wear a robe and hold a
gavel at the highest form of judicial government cannot understand that or
choose to let the dark cloud of bigotry, ignorance or powerful religious
lobbyists sway their decision then it is time to stand up as a nation, just as
our forefathers DEMANDED and join together to say 'out with the old and in with
the new'.
Everyone deserves unconditional, non-regulated LOVE. Everyone deserves life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness- not just a select few.
I had to laugh when I saw the ABC special featuring the new tea party congressman/women.
Almost all of them carry a copy of the constitution in their coat pockets. The Tea Party movements backbone is a strict adherence to the United States Constitution yet these people publicly denounce basic human rights, albeit selectively, to the LGBT population.Ousted Former NH Congressman Frank Guinta
If you believe in these unalienable human rights- if you
believe that every man and woman regardless of sexual preference is entitled to
be happy, then do something. Changing your profile pic is great, but a united
voice knocking down the door of the Supreme Court is what it will take to make
marriage equality happen in our great nation. I've heard that the SC is now
taking a step back, discussing putting off a decision until June or even
throwing the cases back to the state levels. We put them in a position of power
to make just, fair and swift decisions on issues of great importance- let's
force them to do their job.It's time to stand up for love.
