“But you can get married, can’t you?”
That was the question asked of me in 1993 by one of my friends in the Bay Area. She had just married her long time boyfriend and she was sharing the memories of the day with me. My then-impossibility to marry had never dawned on her.
Flash forward to 2010 and things have changed somewhat. I can marry in a few states (five to be exact), but federally recognized marriage is a reality yet to be realized by our community. Changed, too, is the awareness of LGBT people in our lives thanks to increased awareness from celebrities coming out (Ellen in the late 1990’s, Ricky Martin just last week) to GLBT issues being front and center in our public conversations every day.
Why do gay men and lesbian women strive for the right to marry? In Minnesota there are 515 reasons. Hospital visiting rights, property transfer on death of a spouse, pension and social security benefits – these are just a few.
Besides gay marriage, there are many other issues impacting the LGBT community. And, it will take more than the LGBT community to work on those issues. We need straight allies, like my friend from Oakland, to self-educate and partner with us to address inequalities.
Now there is a national campaign being led by Cyndi Lauper to educate and energize our community on the issues impacting folks in the GLBT community. The WE GIVE A DAMN campaign aims to educate and engage straight-allies around these issues including education, youth suicide and homelessness, older adults, workplace discrimination and more.
Check it out. Join. Do something and make a difference.
Chad,
Thanks for sharing this website. I joined. Love Cindy Lauper’s audio bits.
Chad,
This is a great post. I just joined We Give a Damn, and look forward to using it as a resource. At first glance, I’m struck by the social problems that are linked to…hell, they’re inextricably linked to BIGOTRY against LGBT people, who in turn find themselves suffering in some ways that would otherwise be avoided.
Such bigots need to grow up, and too many of the rest of us need to wake up. Your post helped me to do just that. Thanks.