It will take some pushing but with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, LGBT rights activists have a golden opportunity to expand our struggle for equality. Specifically, I’m concerned about how married LGBT couples will access all of the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples.
Will LGBT service members stationed in Massachusetts or any or the other 5 states or the District of Columbia be able to marry and have that marriage recognized by the military. I’m hoping.
As some folks here in Hawaii continue to push in the legislature for civil unions (newly elected Gov. Neil Abercrombie says he’ll sign the bill immediately) the prospect of revolutionizing all of the military bases here is in the offing.
In all of this struggle, I really have been so impressed by Lt. Dan Choi and I was delighted to see that he was invited to the White House signing of the repeal. Heard on the coconut wireless that he asked Obama to walk him down the aisle. Now there’s a Kodak moment in the offing.
Check out Sen. Harry Reid returning Choi’s West Point ring. Guess Reid won’t be the hubby.
Lt. Dan Choi gets his West Point ring back from Sen. Harry Reid
George Takei, someone who understands discrimination, takes on the homophobic school board member in Arkansas forced to resign for encouraging gay bullying.
Okay, here’s a new strategy to use talking with people about marriage equality. Schedule a showing of “The Golden Girls” with some of your curmudgeonly “friends.” Laugh it up and then when the show is over roll out the Parade magazine quote from Betty White:
“I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time—and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones—I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”
Go, Betty! Why do those right-wing religious nuts care about our lives so much? Let’s offer them the opportunity to go feed starving Americans. Help the homeless. Lay off their lazy-ass activism of picking on LGBT Americans.
I resisted rushing to look at Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” video. I am now very enthusistically getting everyone I know to look at it and take it to heart! Pass it on . . .
The Pew Research Center reports that more Americans are supporting the supposed all-American principle of equality for all. I find this really refreshing–especially these days when LGBT kids especially are not believing that there is any future for them and are committing suicide.
I hope that older members of the LGBT community will go out there and talk to kids and let them know that there is a future after the travail of growing up gay. I applaud Dan Savage’s It Gets Better initiative. More of us have got to speak the truth to LGBT youth. I want LGBT youth to expect total equality. Not just marriage equality.
