Friday July 28, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 30 |
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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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Letters |
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| MARRIAGE: WE HAVE OUR MARCHING ORDERS
Dear SGN, A bare majority of the Washington Supreme Court has issued a decision on Gay marriage that clearly is the last gasp of institutional bigotry in our state. They've also provided a road map to victory for advocates of marriage equality. In a contorted opinion that both dismisses the natural differences between Gay people and straight people, and also, incredibly, questions the legitimacy of marriages - other than those for the sole purpose of child production - the court has deferred all constitutional concerns about civil liberties to the Legislature, in essence passing the buck on the court's key role. Parents of adopted or artificially inseminated children should be alarmed at this ruling, as should childless couples. Apparently, if a legislative majority is ignorant and prejudicial, that's now our standard for justice in Washington. Justifying legal discrimination in state law, the court made the outlandish finding that being discriminated against "as a class, in and of itself, does not make the class" worthy of constitutional protections from discrimination. Four of the nine justices issued a blistering dissent, stating "neither an objective analysis of relevant law nor any sense of justice" allows them to agree with the decision. On the bright side, the timid court majority did lay the groundwork for citizen action to affirm marriage equality. Civil libertarians and devotees of justice now have our marching orders. We need to create legal equality ourselves through the Legislature or a constitutionally sound legal challenge, as described in the court's decision. Curt Pavola Olympia, WA On Wednesday, July 26, the Washington State Supreme Court codified the second-class citizenship status of members of the GLBT community. In response, a community gathering was held at Seattle First Baptist Church. Many eloquent speakers stepped to the podium to give words of encouragement and support, and started to lay the groundwork for the path that lies ahead (or as Lisa Stone so aptly put it, the house we need to build.) I was given the privilege of speaking for two minutes, not so much to add to the wonderful speeches that both preceded and followed me, but to give further recognition to the people and organizations that made the event possible. I didn't get it all right and I need to set the record straight. To all the wonderful volunteers who worked as ushers, parking lot attendants, who passed out materials, passed the basket, helped set up and clean up, and dozens of other necessary chores, my apology for not giving you the recognition you deserve. I also made another major error, one that I think may have caused embarrassment to Seattle First Baptist Church. It was agreed that I would be the one to make the "pass the basket" request. When I did so, I said that any money collected would be split between Seattle First Baptist Church and the Religious Coalition for Equality (RCE). That statement was wrong and I apologize the church, the RCE and the generous donors in the audience. Seattle First Baptist Church never asked for a cent. Quite the contrary, they willingly and without fanfare covered some of the costs of putting on the event. I made the statement on an assumption and I was wrong. All the money collected was donated to RCE, every cent. Again, I apologize for my carelessness. The Supreme Court kicked us in the teeth on Wednesday, but that didn't stop us from coming together in support of each other and in opposition to the Court's outrageously awful majority opinion. I want to take this opportunity to thank the plaintiffs and their families, the attorneys who worked on the case, the organizations that supported them throughout the process, and the community members and our supporters who were able to take the time to make this an event of unity that most of us will remember until the grave. Sincerely, Bill Dubay Seattle, WA A HARRIED OLDER GAY MAN Recently a friend asked me about how many different hair styles I have worn throughout the years. Although I watched many Gay men change hair styles throughout this time. I didn't make any real efforts to change my looks via hair cuts. There have been a variety of different hair styles throughout the years including long hair, business cuts, short styles, buzz cuts, totally bald and perms. Although I escaped some of those different styles, I did use several varieties of mousse, aerosol sprays, hair tonics, and balms. When approached about coloring my grey hair, the answer has always been NO. I don't feel comfortable with the thought of being blonde, redhead, or brunette. A harried older Gay man, Buzz Flowers TASK FORCE LEADER'S COMMENTARY IS DISTURBING I was very disturbed by some of the statements made by Mr. Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in his commentary New York Marriage Decision: Homophobia Runs Deep (14 July). He writes: "It's not all their fault either. So many of us assume that because people know we're Gay, invite us over to dinner ... or welcome our partners home for the holidays that they are on our side and know what to do. Wrong, yet again. The reality is that most of us have never had a serious conversation about our lives with straight people close to us. (Case in point: I've been out to my parents for 26 years but I didn't ask them to actually do something-like write a legislator ...)". Firstly, I do not know anyone who has come out to his or her family members or friends who has not had a "serious conversation" with them. Unless at the point when we say "I'm Gay" the other person physically throws us out of their presence and slams the door in our face never to speak to us again (which can happen), a multitude of serious questions arise, and inevitably we recount our "life story" and the difficulties we face being Gay. I cannot imagine an instance were a family member or close friend knows someone is Gay, invites him or her and their partner for the holidays (i.e., has a close relationship with them) but has never once asked that person a serious question about his or her life. Secondly, just yesterday, as it happens, I watched the movie Gandhi for the first time. In it there is a courtroom scene that takes place just after the Amritsar massacre at which a British general fires on men, women, and children attending a peaceful meeting. Thousands are killed. The magistrate says to the general: "Could I ask you what provision you made for the wounded?" General: "I was ready to help any who applied." Magistrate: "General . . . how does a child shot with a 3-0-3 Enfield 'apply' for help?" What the magistrate is telling the general is not that he should have known better but that by virtue of being an adult he most certainly did know better yet still chose to do nothing to alleviate their suffering. And that is inexcusable. Let me put it in other terms. Suppose I am trapped in a burning building and my parents and friends walk by and can see me through the window surrounded by the flames. Essentially, what Mr. Foreman is saying is that unless I "ask them actually to do something", I am partly to blame if I am severely burned or die as a result of the fire. I am sorry, but no! No application for assistance is necessary. As an adult, when one sees someone being threatened, one rushes to their aide without a formal invitation to do so. We have newspapers, magazines, radio, television, the Internet, books, plays, movies. In my opinion, unless one lives under a rock, it is impossible for the friends and family members of Gay people seriously to claim that they are ignorant of our plight and of what sort of efforts are required to help us. They are the exact same kind of efforts that were required to eliminate the discrimination against women during the suffrage movement or the discrimination against African Americans during the civil rights movement, which we all learned about in high school. They are the exact same kind of efforts that people have been employing since the dawn of recorded history. The principles are the same and can be universally applied; it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel for every new situation. Furthermore, anyone who has taken an elementary civics class in school knows it is possible to write to one's legislator and that politician's advocate for certain policies, and that the laws based on these policies have a direct effect on the lives of people. For the most part, I don't believe that they do nothing because they don't know what to do, but rather they can't be bothered to get involved. It takes a lot of time and entails a lot of frustration to stand up and fight for someone else's rights. That is not to say that we won't be put in the position of having to ask our loved one's to do the obvious in order to help us, but that certainly is not due to any failing on our part as the commentary implies. We are not to blame for those who claim to love and respect us doing nothing to help us as fellow citizens. On the contrary, I would argue that if we in the LGBT community are guilty of anything, it is of cutting such friends and family members too much slack. In my opinion, that, more than anything else, is most likely the reason why many do not support us at the polls, etc. They vote the way they do and we still sit down with them for dinner. So what real incentive is there for them to change? They can have their cake (vote for right-wing people who discriminate against us) and eat it too (secure in the knowledge that we'll be at the table every Christmas eating pumpkin pie with them). I personally, after a time of making excuses for them, simply had to draw a line in the sand with my family members: No matter how nicely you treat me on a personal/private level (and they did) unless you stand up for my rights in public as a fellow citizen by voting for people who support the rights of all people equally, you may no longer consider me part of your family or have any contact with me. Millions of innocent people suffer needlessly because of right-wing politicians and religious leaders and I now refuse to socialize with those who contribute to that suffering in any way, shape, or form. In other words, I refuse to treat those who discriminate as if their opinions are just as valid as mine and as if they are entitled to the same consideration and respect as those who do not discriminate. I would like to close with one of the passages I included in the letter to my legislators: Furthermore, to create a separate category of civil unions just for same-sex couples sends the message that they are somehow second class citizens who would contaminate the institution of marriage if they were allowed [to] enter into it. It is no different from the practice of making African Americans drink out of separate drinking fountains as they did in the South then expecting them to be grateful for being granted equal access to water. It was simply a discriminatory practice based on unsound reasoning that demeaned them in the eyes of society. Sincerely, SW GAME GAMES COVERAGE INTERESTING, COMPREHENSIVE [Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to SGN Contributing Writer Jim Provenzano.] I want to thank you for your interesting and comprehensive coverage of the Chicago Gay Games in an article published in the Seattle Gay News. It made me feel kind of like I experienced part of it... long distance. Take care, Bill Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty statement on hanging of two Iranian young men The Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty opposes the death penalty in Washington State, across the nation, and around the world. No matter where the state-sanctioned killing occurs, there is a broad spectrum of injustices common to them all. If you are poor, come from the "wrong" race, clan, political party, religion - or in this case, even love or feel attracted to the wrong person (Gay) - you are more likely to die at the hands of the executioner. While we focus on our work in Washington state it is appropriate that we take time to remember the two young men who were executed a year ago in Iran (July 19, 2005). It is right and just that we condemn killing wherever it may occur. To be an outsider is very dangerous indeed. Whether it is the black man in America, the protesters for democracy in China, or two young men who's only "crime" was to love another man - the pattern of torture and killing plays itself out, over and over again. That is why we at the WCADP stand with those gathered tonight to remember this outrage and to recommit ourselves to the fight that will someday put an end to such atrocities. For more information, go to: |
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