For The People, By The People, And Maybe Me Too!

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

These are the very first words of the U.S. Constitution.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This is probably the most memorable line from the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

This was originally going to be a more ranty negative toned blog but last night the New York Senate showed me that at least some people in government positions believe those passages apply to me too. I honestly wasn’t expecting it, but they actually made it legal for me to get married in New York.  This historic vote will actually double the number of people in the entire United States living in states with marriage equality. Last night a friend said he thought I had an even lower opinion of humanity than he did. I told him it wasn’t like that. I told him I have such an idealized notion of how GREAT humanity can be… but they always let me down and disappoint me. But not this time! This time they got something right! And yes that's the empire state building lit up like a rainbow last night to commemorate this moment in time.                                    

Every day I see political parties and religious fanatics playing volley ball with our lives, and make no mistake they are really playing with ALL OUR LIVES like toys. I always thought our government, both political parties, was supposed to work together to make our lives better. Instead what I usually see is a back and forth battle between two parties with religious nut jobs sticking their nose in and wasting tons of time and money and getting very little done. It’s a shame that it is even a question of whether or not everyone, regardless of difference, should be treated equally. I hope I can continue to see more and more states realize that it’s wrong to discriminate against any citizen of our country. It just baffles me that anyone who purports to work “for the people” would ever actively work to limit my rights? Am I not “the people” too? Do my tax dollars somehow have less value than other citizens? Why do they take from me just to appease the other guy? He loses nothing by me having equal rights and all he gains by me not having them is a sense of superiority. Thankfully the New York Senate had enough fair minded individuals to let justice actually shine. At least I am counted as “the people” to some folks in government and this makes me happy.

I understand that many religious people interpret their bible to say I am somehow evil or some nonsense but the fact of the matter is that this is a nation of mixed ethnicity, religion and orientation. I urge anyone who has difficulties reconciling their religious beliefs with their desire to accept those different from themselves to READ THIS and maybe be a little more educated about what the bible is REALLY talking about. You can also visit this site and see what other people who have come to terms with their religion and homosexuality have to say. That said, no matter what the bible says or doesn’t say it should not have a place in determining my rights as a citizen of this country. Not everyone is a Christian, not everyone believes the same things, and because of that the government has a responsibility to protect me and my “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” even if they personally don’t approve of me. New York is now the 6^th state in our country that agrees.

For those of you reading, especially my religious friends and family members, keep in mind how you vote. It affects me personally. Please don’t support any political figure (Republican or Democrat) who actively or passively works to deny me (or any other minority for that matter) equal treatment under the law or deny me rights because I am different. The world is a hard enough place as it is without any of us actively trying to make it worse for others. Those of you who know me know I am a good person, a friend, a cousin, a nephew, someone you grew up with. There are more “me’s” out there, someone's family member or friend, whose lives are affected by your decisions. Please think about that the next time you vote. You don’t have to like me or approve of me… but please respect me as a citizen of this country and as a human being. Please don’t vote to take away my right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”