Institution
Poet Walt Whitman, who is widely thought to have been homosexual, wrote this poem in the 1800′s. Could it be more appropriate for our current struggle for marriage equality?
I Hear It Was Charged Against Me
by Walt Whitman
I hear it was charged against me that I sought to destroy institutions,
But really I am neither for nor against institutions,
(What indeed have I in common with them? or what with the destruction of them?)
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta and in every city of these States inland and seaboard,
And in the fields and woods, and above every keel little or large that dents the water,
Without edifices or rules or trustees or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.
Defense of Marriage Act ruled unconstitutional by conservative federal appeals court judge
An important milestone in the fight for marriage equality was achieved today when a federal appeals court in Manhattan declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional. The conservative judge who authored the ruling went one step farther by stating any law that discriminates against gays and lesbians should be viewed with skepticism.
This is a really big deal. Jacobs is not simply saying that DOMA imposes unique and unconstitutional burdens on gay couples, he is saying that any attempt by government to discriminate against gay people must have an “exceedingly persuasive” justification. This is the same very skeptical standard afforded to laws that discriminate against women. If Jacobs’ reasoning is adopted by the Supreme Court, it will be a sweeping victory for gay rights, likely causing state discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation to be virtually eliminated. And the fact that this decision came from such a conservative judge makes it all the more likely that DOMA will ultimately be struck down by the Supreme Court.
So you still think homosexuality is sinful?
Two steps back?
The thing that bothers me the most about the possibility of Romney winning is that social conservatives are sure to point out that the first president in our history to publicly support same-sex marriage lost the election – even though it will probably have little or nothing to do with it, since this election is apparently more about style than substance.
It seems in the LGBT community that we must continually take one step forward and two steps backward. It’s disheartening, especially when the years of our lives seem to slip away much faster than the progression of our cause. I remember telling Honey when we met that we would probably have the federal right to same-sex marriage within five years. That was almost 8 years ago.
10-11-12: National Coming Out Day
There is great power in being true to yourself and honest to others about your sexual orientation. I know this from personal experience. Through coming out to various people in my life – from family to coworkers – I have been able to free myself from living a life full of dishonesty, and I have been able to change the preconceived notions of others about homosexuality.
We might be slightly different from our heterosexual counterparts in some ways, but most humans long for the same basic things: freedom, comfort, and understanding. These three things cannot exist independently of one another. In order to have freedom and comfort, we must open ourselves up to allow others to understand what we are going through.
Exercise your power. Come out to your family, friends, and coworkers. Help to make the world a better place for the young men and women who will still be struggling for equality in the coming years.
Lady Gaga responds to Pope’s remarks on gay marriage
I think that gay marriage is going to happen. It must. We are not actually equal if we are not allowed to freely love one another. What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world. It matters to the people who like the Pope and follow the Pope. It is not a reflection of all religious people.
- Lady Gaga
The Pope implied recently that gay people aren’t fully developed human beings.