I don't want a pony for Christmas. I don't want Rove indictments for Fitzmas (Well, I do, but I am not going to expect it). I don't expect Barack Obama to change the world to sunshine and roses.
I want a little respect. And my rights.
In all the myriad of diaries and comments on the RW affair, I noted a common theme among those who have accused the gay community of not falling in line or over-reacting or expecting too much -- they think this is about gay marriage. They can't seem to get their head around the fact that this is about showing Respect to the gay community. Then this exchange happened:
Me: This is not about marriage. This is about respect. And my basic rights.
Diarist: What right specifically?
Me: Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness and equal treatment under the law.
Diarist: Beyond marriage. What specific law denies you those things in your home state? I'm sure there are some. I just don't know 'em.
I was actually quite shocked. I responded, but thought it would be better as a diary and as a starting point:
Are you not paying attention? We are deprived of these things on a daily basis. If not by law, then by lack of law.
LIFE: Have rowdy drunk kids ever beaten a straight person to death because they were straight? Do straight teenagers have a high rate of suicide because their sexuality makes them feel alienated from friends and family? Here is a good starting point. Then read this.
LIBERTY: Did you know that 14 states have laws on the books making gay sex illegal? In spite of the 2003 Supreme Court Ruling, those laws are still on the books. A swing of two votes can reverse that decision, and one of those judges has alredy stepped down, replaced by a right-wing idealogue.
Cops could, and did, routinely break into the bedrooms of gay people and haul them off to jail. 11 more states had such laws as recently as 1989. When I began my teen years, 49 states had laws against it. In many cities, gay bars are still raided "just because." A man in New York City was arrested in the last month for "solicitation of prostitution" when he met another man (undercover cop) in a department store and, after some flirtatious conversation, agreed to the man's invitation to "go back to my place".
In the UN, the US officially supports allowing member nations to criminalize, imprison and execute people just for being gay.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: Job security? None. In most states, you can be fired from your job and thrown out of your apartment just for being gay. There is no Federal protection against either of these. Religious leaders like Rick Warren advocate preventing gays from being teachers, foster parents and health care workers. Want to raise a family? Some states ban gays from being able to adopt. Some just don't do gay adoptions. Many are being pushed by religious groups to move in that direction.
EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER THE LAW: Where do I even begin? Child custody, probate laws, real estate laws, tax laws all can treat a long-time life partner as no better than a stranger with no rights.
Do you need to carry a copy of your living will on your person when you travel out of state in case something happens and your partner is not allowed to see you in the hospital or make decisions on your behalf? I do. Do you need to file a will in your home state and in the states where your parents and in-laws live? I do.
Do you spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to try to protect your home, your mortgage, your life insurance, your pension, your bank accounts so that if something happens to you your partner isn't left homeless and penniless? Are you denied access to health insurance for your partner and your family because you can't legally marry? I do and I am.
Do you wake up every morning with the knowledge that there are people who want to take away from you everything that you have, just because you are gay, and they use "God" as their cudgel?
Do I need to keep going?
Can you add to the list?