Being Thankful Day Two: Marriage Equality

               Friday June 26, 2015 will be a day that many in the LGBT+ community will always remember, it is the day that we got the right to marry. I will admit I was in shock. I really didn’t believe that I would see it in my lifetime and I am only 34. I expected that this would be the thing of future generations who were wiser and more learned than my own. So to see it happen was a total surprise to me. I look at Jim Obergefell who brought the case to the Supreme Court with admiration. His courage to take a stand and fight is awe inspiring.

              

I am thankful for this because as I have gotten older marriage is one of those things that I think I would consider. I spent my teens and 20s dismissing marriage as an archaic concept. Now I see it as something beautiful that exist as a symbol of love, not just a government contract. When the fight for marriage equality began it was before I came to terms with my sexuality and I remember looking at images of happy same-sex couples getting married and feeling a pang in my heart, and secretly wishing that was me one day.

I’m thankful for this because what it means beyond love. Yes love is important, and being in love is the reason you should get married, but there’s legal issues too, and marriage equality opened up a whole host of legal protections for same-sex couples. From things like being able to be by your dying partners side or being able to leave your pension to your partner in the event of your death. These are the things that we should have had a long time ago, but at least we have them now, and I’m grateful for that.

Who will Stand for You?

The days of “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it” have long past, but it still feels like being a member of the LGBTQ community is something new. Especially if you listen to the right wing nut bags that want to run for President. The truth of the matter is that being gay have be around for millennia and it is not about to stop, so we as a culture need to fighting it and start embracing it. Now I know that for some people they feel that their religious beliefs prevent them from embracing the LGBTQ community and I have spoken about what we can do with those people. As the LBGTQ community stands up and fights for equality I am reminded of Pastor Martin Niemöller famous poem:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The fight for LGBTQ equality is just another is a long line of equality battles that have been fought in this country and it is time for everyone to take up arms in the battle, because you never know who is going to be the next group targeted to have their rights diminished.

Now I know this might sound counterintuitive from someone who wants anti-gay businesses to put up signs that say “no gays allowed.” I’m not advocating that we force everyone to fly a pride flag in their front lawns, what I am advocating is that every person that believes that all people are created equal stand up and fight. Open your mouth when you see discrimination, stand against companies that have poor records when it comes to LGBTQ issues, and finally get out and vote, it may only seem like one vote, but your vote is one in many and it makes a stand against hate, bigotry, and discrimination.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” I have a similar dream to Mr. King, it just adds a few things like sexual preference and gender identity. If someone has to hate me I want them to do so because they think I’m an asshole, not because of who I choose to love.

Being gay is not a sin, nor is it a choice it is just who you are. Pride is not a dirty word, nor is it something just for the LGBTQ community. Pride is for everyone, because it is for everyone to take a stand when some someone’s rights are being diminished. The road to equality is a long one, and it will have many twist, and turns, but is a journey we all must take. It is however a journey that we should not take alone because just think when your time comes who will stand for you?

Give ‘em a Square State

The following post is for entertainment purposes only, I only hope this will sound as ridiculous as it is supposed to.

I read this article and I laughed, and when I stopped laughing I cried a little, because where I saw the humor in it they were being serious. So I thought to myself maybe this isn’t a bad idea, I mean it wouldn’t be the first time America has herded off a subset of the population in to their own little area. I’m not saying that we have to herd all Christians off, no, just those special few that don’t know how to play well with others. We can start with a few of our Republican presidential hopefuls, I’m looking at you Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee; Bill O’Reilly you can go ahead and come down to the front of the class, anyone associated with Pat Robertson and the 700 club, and we can’t forget everyone’s favorite County Clerk Kim Davis just to name a few.

Now that we know who we’re dealing with we need a place to put them, a place where they can start over, and forge their happy little bigoted communities from scratch. Now a friend of mine suggested West Virginia, and he made some pretty valid selling points, but I think we should give them a square state it makes it easier to put the fence up. Kansas or Wyoming would work, Utah’s already filled with Mormons so we could just mix them in with them, the Dakotas could work in a pinch. Regardless of which location we settle on we just need to make sure it’s got adequate square mileage to support its new population. As for the existing population of the state we would just relocate them into new states of their choosing.

Now in order to roundup our denizens we simply need to run a media campaign, probably just run some advertisements during Duck Dynasty or pretty much anything on the Fox News Channel. Now just to show this isn’t punishment no expense would be spared, we would fly them first class into their newly fenced off sanctuary, and once they landed would give them a Bible and a copy of Bill O’Reilly’s latest book. From that point on they are on their own, no government intrusion, no pesky Supreme Court rulings, and no silly Bill of Rights to get in the way of their religious views. Now this also means they will receive no help from our government, no funding, no loans, or subsidies of any type. Let them live off the land, and build a biblical economy. Hell let them start swapping their daughters for goats, they want to live by the Bible.

Should by some strange chance someone find living in a biblical sanctuary to strict we here in the grand old United States of America would be happy to accept them with open arms guaranteeing they pass the test. Due to the special nature of this sanctuary anyone requesting reentry into the great United States would be required to pass a re-entrance exam just so we can weed out any potential espionage situations, make sure there’s no double agents trying to pass through our doors. Once they pass the exam they are welcome back.

              

          So now that we have solved the problem of what to do with those who can’t embrace the changes that are happening in the 21^st century now on to solving the federal deficit.