Gay Rights = Civil Rights

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” – President Barack Obama

What does this quote mean to you? When I watched the inauguration and heard the President of the United States saying those words, I was in a state of shock. It is one thing for Obama to come out in favor of gay marriage, but it is something completely different for Obama to not only mention gay people in his inauguration speech, but also to make the case in that same speech that gay rights is a civil rights issue. I loved that his speech was inclusive and I loved that he took a few steps forward in his support of the gay community. There was a little backlash, but the country seemed more concerned with Beyonce-gate than with the content of the president’s speech. I’m not sure what that says about our country. Are we ignoring things that we don’t want to talk about or do we really think that a pop star allegedly lip-syncing at the inauguration is more important than the president joining the ever increasing chorus of people who argue that gay rights is a civil rights issue?

If I Had a Dream

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is tomorrow. When I think of him, I usually think about his I Have a Dream speech that I read as a child. Now days, I wish I could change it and add that a man should not be judged by who he loves but rather by the content of his character. The Defense of Marriage Act bothers me. I think it is unfair and unconstitutional and an embarrassment to our country. I am relieved that not all Republicans support it, but disheartened that the House Republican leadership is using money to defend it. I thought the Republican Party was all for States’ Rights? If a state has decided to allow gay marriage, how can members of the Republican Party support a law that essentially renders legal marriages within a state as null on void on the federal level? If a state recognizes gay marriage then every gay couple that marries in that state should have the same federal benefits as straight couples. I know there is a division within the Republican Party about this topic and I hope that the side I agree with is able to reason with the other people. DOMA is not an asset to the Republican Party’s platform; it is a hindrance. I’m not saying that the party has to come out in favor of gay marriage or publicly change their position, but I do believe that the party would benefit from waving the white flag on DOMA. The House Republican leadership should quietly back off and just stop fighting against it and let the chips fall where they may. Allow states to make the decision and move on to winnable battles.

Just a Question of Love

I’ve mentioned this movie before, but I’m not sure if I ever posted it. I keep thinking that I wanted to post it, but there wasn’t a copy that I could post. Anyway, I have been watching clips of this movie for years now and I finally spotted the full version on YouTube. 

The movie aired on television in France almost 13 years ago. It’s a beautiful story about falling in love and making bad choices and working your way to an ending that isn’t necessarily happy, but isn’t sad either.  You can’t force people to accept your choices or to do things your way, just like you can’t shut off love once you’ve allowed it to take root. I watched the entire movie over the weekend and I fell in love with it all over again. I’m sure you will, too. 

Brief synopsis: Laurent’s family rejected his gay cousin and his cousin died soon after. The death hurt Laurent’s soul and he pulled back from life and stopped trying in school. He used his roommate as a beard so that his parents wouldn’t suspect that he was like his cousin. As fate would have it, Laurent is given an opportunity to salvage his academics by doing an internship with a cute man (Cedric) who is hiding from the world for his own reasons. The two men fall in love and then they have to deal with what being in love with each other means for both of their lives. Cedric doesn’t want to hide their relationship from anyone, but Laurent isn’t ready to tell his parents his secret. 

The movie is a hard journey, but it’s worth it.

Just a Question of Love

A Reason Not to Cheat

I was searching my past blog posts to see if I had shared a particular movie and I discovered an old poem instead. I feel inspired to write a story about it. Unfortunately, it will have to sit on the backburner because I have more projects going than I can handle at the moment. I can’t slow down though. I’m thinking about writing full-time starting in June. That means I have to get to work and make a lot of extra money. Here’s to making dreams come true! And here is the random poem that I posted almost four years ago: 

Three

Three hours before this moment,
I was betraying the one I love.

As the moment unfolds,
My heart struggles to beat,
Fighting against the urge to stop
My lungs fill with air,
Reminding me to breathe
My eyes dart towards the one who shares my guilt
Hoping to not be seen
My lips begin to expand
Smiling as an involuntary response
My brain fires signals
Making me turn towards the one I love.

In the moment,
The one I love is holding my hand,
Waiting for my response
My voice is muted by the question,
“Do you two know each other?”
My body trembles as the answer becomes clear.

Three hours before this moment,
I was saying I would never be caught.

I squeeze the hand of the one I love,
Trying to hold on to what I am about to lose
My first instinct is to say no,
Preserving my innocence.
My mouth moves to begin forming the word
Then I am silenced by the one who shares my guilt
My secret lover does not wish to be secret any longer

Three hours before this moment,
I had everything I wanted.
Three seconds after it, I had nothing.

A Sperm Donor is not a Baby Daddy

I saw an interesting article last night, but I didn’t read it until this morning. The article was titled, “Child Support Claim Rankles Sperm Donor to Lesbian Couple.” Imagine donating sperm and signing away your parental rights as well as financial responsibility then having the state come after you for child support by exploiting a technicality in the law. For William Marotta, the scenario has little to do with imagination. The scenario is his reality. Marotta donated sperm to a lesbian couple. He had a written agreement with the couple that the state is now saying is not good enough.  The state of Kansas has a “law that the sperm must be donated through a licensed physician in order for the father to be free of any later financial obligations. Marotta gave a container of semen to the couple…instead of donating through a doctor of clinic.” This story is unbelievable. I don’t understand why the state would go after Marotta for child support. They have to know the slippery slope that they are standing on. I hope Marotta is able to have the claim dismissed at his January 8^th hearing, because this is the type of case that shouldn’t be allowed to continue. Someone has to be the voice of reason and stop this train wreck from happening.