From a straight guy (re: Warren, Prop 8, et al)

[NightWatcher]

I support everyone's freedom to do whatever they wish as long as it doesnt hurt me, and I have never really given much more thought to the GLBT Rights' Movement than that. I am fortunate because never have I been told by anyone that I am going to hell or that I am an freak, sicko, or pervert (ok, maybe I've been called a perv a few times) for who I want to love or how I want to behave. I've never had to defend the choice of who I associate with to anyone. I've had the right to marry (although I screwed the first one up real bad) and I've taken that right for granted. On Election Day, I was happy when I saw that Obama had won, but when I came to the next morning and learned that Prop 8 had passed, I felt horrible. Britney Spears has the right to marry any guy for a weekend that she wants and that's fine, but "other people" are a THREAT to traditional marriage???

I didnt want to stick my nose into the GLBT-Movement, but then the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller came to my mind.
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

I will fight for your right from now on to do whatever you wish as long as it doesnt hurt me (which equal rights for all has NEVER done). I am truly for sorry for the way that you have been put upon by those who are motivated by xenophobia or hate.

Signed,
A civil rights, environmentalist, native rights, GLBT rights activist from South Georgia

[yardwork]

1. Thank you.

[NMDemDist2]

2. word, from red New Mexico n/t

[KitchenWitch]

3. K&R

[ananda]

4. I love the new rhetoric coming from different people..

.. telling how they have come to regard
equal rights in a new way, thanks to this
board.

My enlightenment moment regarding GLBT issues
came when I decided to argue the homosexual
marriage issue as part of the right to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed
to all humans under the Declaration of
Independence.. and as part of the idea that
"all Men" .. meaning all humans.. are created
equal.

To be able to stand against equal rights for
GLBT's is tantamount to considering them either
not human or less than human.. which makes me
think that this is the part of the mindset that
drove the Three-Fifths Compromise and Plessy v
Ferguson.

And I have to thank this board for giving me a
place to work out my views and share them.

Peace,
Sue

[Bobbieo]

5. I just signed a petition to Obama from some group -

complaining about Rev. Warren. So people are really trying to do something about him.

BTW - Wasn't it Diane Feinstein who was the one who solicited him him in the first place and Obama agreed.

[KitchenWitch]

6. No, it was Pelosi.