5 posts tagged “gay rights”

What have I done!

Checking out the equality score card to find out if GLBT citizens in my state are second class citizens, I got a shock (not a huge one...but still...)

I have taken you, my Trentie, from a state with a 4.0 score (out of six) to one of the three worst states in the union with a score of 0.5 Ohio is in the company of only Idaho & Mississippi...we're behind Alabama fer Buddha's sake!

How does your state fare?

http://www.equalitygiving.org/States-of-Equality-and-Gay-Rights-Scorecard

(Oh, and it doesn't matter if you pick the state I actually took him from: Massachusettes or the state of his birth: Maine...both have that 4.0 score).

Sigh...

I need a laugh...here:

Thanks to Heather who had this on her Vox & it made me larf so hard...since we live it every morning...minus the bat, though I do have recurring headaches lately, hmmm.

Last week, I joined a number of online bloggers & the HRC in calling out the media on a lack of reporting of stories about violence against LGBTQ teens with a specific story in mind...and whaddya know! CNN reported on the story today! (Only ten days after the fact)

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/02/25/simon.hate.crime.cnn

Maybe I'll stop calling them Cable NOTHING Network!

We watch local & national news most nights. I listen to NPR on the way to work & sometimes at work while selecting books. I regularly check headlines at least on the big names in Internet "news." And I have heard nothing about this:

http://www.glaad.org/media/eotm_detail.php?id=4238

Any number of stories fly out when pretty co-eds are killed, but GLBTQ teens are ignored...kids will always feel they can get away with this type of bullying if these stories aren't reported, their root causes aren't addressed, and the kids who bully aren't held accountable.

And that title, is SARCASM.

My favorite news story of the past week: High Point Church in Arlington Texas refused to hold a funeral for a Gulf War Veteran when they found out he was gay.

Lovely.

Oh, but it gets "better." 46 year old Navy veteran Cecil Sinclair died unexpectedly after heart surgery. He'd been working as a janitor at the High Point Church. So, not only a veteran, but an employee of the church...and TWENTY FOUR HOURS before the service was to be held, the church called his family and said they wouldn't allow the service to be held in their church. Rev. Gary BIGGOT--oh, sorry--Rev. Gary HATE MONGER--Excuse me! Rev. Gary DESTINEDFORHELL--I must apologize, my Tourette's Syndrome is acting up today--Rev. Gary Simons had the gall to say that the decision not to hold the service wasn't "based on hatred or descrimination but on principle." And  "it's not as if the church didn't love the family." (Implication of this last: "we sure don't love that faggot!")

Now, you know I am not Christian, but I was raised as a Methodist. I read my Bible quite a bit & my mother still says I likely know it better than she does (and she still attends church regularly)...I have news for Mr. Gary Simons and his church: You're not Christians. You can call yourselves what you will, but you have no understanding of the faith you profess.

And, Gary, YOU are what is wrong with America. Until you and people like you pull your heads out, we will continue our slide down the tubes.

So my favorite representative responded to an e-mail I sent him urging him to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act--YES, I knew he wouldn't. But I keep sending them. Just so he knows what a poor job he is doing. Just so he knows we're watching & his time in office is limited.

Here's the response:

Dear Timothy :

Thank you for writing to me to express your thoughts on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). It is good to hear from you.

H.R. 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, was introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). The bill would create a Federal prohibition against employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and provide for remedies in cases of such discrimination.

I oppose any legislation which would provide special rights based on sexual orientation. I believe this type of legislation would set aside a new category of Americans for special protection under the law. I believe all people should have the same rights accorded under the Constitution. No one person should have an advantage or preference over another. It is important that our nation does not disintegrate into a society of separate groups defined by certain characteristics and, even more so, the Federal government should not sanction one group over another.

In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "No State... shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The courts have used the Fourteenth Amendment as a standard to uphold equal rights for all Americans under the Constitution. As a result, I believe it is unnecessary to add Federal law to spell out equal treatment for any gender, race, religion, or sexual preference. The Constitution is very clear on this point -- everyone is covered and I believe people should always be judged with only one criterion during an employment decision -- that they are the most qualified person for the job.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me with your thoughts. Please do not hesitate to call or write if I can be of assistance in the future.

Sincerely,

John A. Boehner

Yes! It's the old saw: "this will grant special rights to gays and lesbians"

"Bullshit" is not a strong enough response. He knows he is full of shit. He knows he is as much as saying that it's the right of every employer to fire the faggots and dykes and trannies if they want to. That's right Boner, it would be a special right and protection for me to know that my job is secure. Heaven forefend, I should have that security!

Then he adds insult to injury by telling me that I HAVE equal rights under the law and a federal law is unnecessary. Hmmm. Can I marry the man I love, Boner? Did you vote for "DOMA" Boner? (I know you did!) SO you STRIPPED ME and every gay and lesbian of equal rights under the law. Hmmm...Yes, most definitely! The Idiot Chronicles continue!