Adolf Hitler knew he would make history with his attempt to exterminate the existance of the Jewish race, Susan B. Anthony faught with all her might to make the world aware of the very capable and intuitive mind of the female race, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, along with many others, fought for freedom in their lucrative attempts with the civil rights movement that started in 1955. A political storm was brewing and the ones that saw it knew what impact these events would have on our today's and our tomorrow's. Women have fought and won for their rights, Hitler's actions were reprimanded, and the African-Americans were relentless, bound and determined to receive fair and equal treatment as the white man. Today there is a new group seeking the same acceptance and fortunes as those before them, but many would disgree that they are inferior to these rights that we the people have. The group of whom I speak is that of those fighting for gay rights.
For decades there has been a fear growing beneath the floor boards, expanding its ugly arms and strangling those around us in a cloak termed as homophobia. Those who claim to have this "fear" are in reality masking their own ignorance and hatred towards gays. There are several reasons as to why one person would claim having a fear of gays, some of which are not at all substantial reasons. One common reason is that being gay is "unnatural." I am a little confused as to what is unnatural about someone loving another human being. There is no specificity as to what love is or who it is for. Love has no boundaries, nor limitations. A second reason, is the fear of contracting HIV or AIDs. Those who have the possibility or risk of contracting AIDs would be those who have unprotected sex, prominent promiscuity, or excessive drug use. As a matter of fact, in 1985 a boy by the name of Ryan White contracted HIV from a blood transfusion due to a medical condition known as hemophilia. Because of this incident, proper precautions have been taken, making it highly unlikely that one can contract HIV or AIDs from blood transfusions today, but the point being that anyone, man or woman, regardless of their sexual status is capable of being at risk. A third reason, which I find highly comical, is the fear of catching the "gay." Being gay is not a disease, nor should it be treated as such.
Many people would argue that it is from ones own choosing of what their sexual orientation is. To that I ask, why would someone choose a living of being ridiculed and slandered because of their sexual preference? Why would someone from a strict christian background choose to open up to a family that he or she knows will disown them immediately after finding out? These questions open the doors to the many difficult, if not impossible, struggles thrust upon the gay community every day. Its not just the general public and the government the gays strive acceptance from, but their friends and families too. Everyday someone is striving to breakthrough the barrier of "being different" and everyday someone fails. It's not an easy feat coming out of the closet, especially when there are crude words out there such as "queer" or "fag" used to degrade and cut down those who are gay. In the case of Matthew Shepard, he became the victim of this kind of hate crime. He was tied to a fence, brutally beaten with a pistol, and left to die until a cyclists found him 18 hours later. Shepard died after being in a coma for five days on October 12th. He was 21. Eleven years later in October of 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard Act, which expands the U.S. federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. As if hate-crimes aren't enough, every year roughly 30% of youths between the ages of 15 and 24 commit suicide due not only to homosexual bullying, but to the close-mindedness that surrounds us. Thats about 1,488 youths a year. In 2009, the television network, Lifetime, aired a movie called Prayer's For Bobby. It's a true story about a devout Christian woman who learns her sons secret of being gay. The mother, Mary, is unable to accept her son, Bobby, is gay. Although Bobby eventually moves away to live a life of his own, his past comes back to haunt him and leads him to kill himself. These are real issues happening to real people and I hope it does not take a million Lifetime movies to make a difference in our society.
Gay rights have been fought for many years. Since 1924, there have been organizations such as "The Society In Human Rights" that has given a voice to the gay community. Another famous advocate was Harvey Milk. Many of you may of heard of Harvey Milk from the 2008 film Milk, which told the true story of an openly gay man that moved to San Francisco and opened a camera shop. In his neighborhood he, as well as other openly gay men and women, endured the discrimination and prejudice from the people around them. In his attempts to help his community accept their differences he decided to run for County Board of Supervisors. In this position he wanted to show straight people that gays were not people to be hated or that they were different from anyone else. After two failed attempts of running, it was not until 1977 that Milk's patience had finally paid off. He had won Supervisor and in doing so becoming the first openly gay elected official. Within a year of his election, Harvey Milk worked towards not only the rights of the gays, but those of the senior citizens as well. He wanted to be a voice to everyone who wasn't able to stand up for themselves. Shortly after passing the Gay Rights Ordinance in 1978, which protected gays from being fired from their jobs, Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were both assinated by officer Dan White over gay related issues. In yesterday's society, Harvey Milk was just one man that chose to make a huge difference in the lives of many people, gay and straight. In today's society, we are told to learn from our history, so as not to repeat it. I say we take this page, xerox copy it, and plaster it where everyone can see it. While we're at it, let's make a copy of the 14th Amendment where it clearly states, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." If this is what our 14th Amendment says, how can our government take it upon themselves to ban gay marriage? What issue is it of theirs what any one person does in his or her own house? How is a politicians view on gay marriage relevant in an election when in reality that is all it really should be is an opinion?
With all that I have shared with you, I ask you: how could you shun a person in darkness and hatred just because of their sexual orientation? Why not repeat history and enslave all of the blacks, rip apart homes looking for jews, or tell women they can no longer work and must maintain the stereotypical American household. Women would not tolerate it, African-Americans would not allow it, and the jews would fight it. So why I ask is it fair and just to tell a human being they cannot marry whom they love? Why I ask is it okay for violence and cruelty to be ignored to the people who all they ask for is their right to be a human being. We are in America, "The Land of the Free.." so why I ask are we still strapped in chains, shackled down by fear, close-mindedness, and our ignorance to accept change and a person's differences? It is not the governments business what happens in a home in which they do not live, day in and day out, nor is it yours or mine. It is not their decision or ours for them to decide who a man or woman should love. So today we embark on a new future. Today we open our minds and free our souls to the idea of a place of freedom where no one is judged upon the colors of their skin, the weight of their body, or whether they are man or woman. We commence a new era where everyone is equal and are free to love, free to live, and free to be who they are without consequence. Today we accept each others differences without ignorance or animosity and pull together to break these wretched chains that hold us down by the very principle that makes us human. Today I ask all of you to be more open minded. Take a walk in someone elses shoes to see how the world is veiwed from their perspective. If we can all take that one small step, who knows what wonderous beginnings could be in store for our futures.
