Gays and the Government

Here’s the government leading by example. There have been laws on the books for years that prohibit discrimination in employment but it wasn’t until now that the government stopped being a hypocrite and finally got around to considering the military as employment when it comes to Gays. Even though the law to halt ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ was passed, the court had to get involved to implement the change. And, I’ve already discussed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that became law on September 21, 1996. Gays who haven’t harmed anyone should be left alone, not ashamed to be themselves; their fate is in God’s hands and should not be in the hands of our politicians that think they have a right to judge and disregard the premise of our Constitution. 

I’m beginning to think that our country is so busy chasing the problems of other countries that it doesn’t look at our own. I want to point out that a marriage license between a man and a woman is accepted in every state and a marriage license from another country is accepted in the USA but a marriage between two people of the same sex is only accepted in the states that allow said marriages (per DOMA). The federal government needs to quit copping out and make Gay marriage legal in all 50 states especially since the passage of the UN resolution and the recent survey showing that a majority (53%) of the US population is in favor.

But there is good news. California (CA) lawmakers recently approved a bill that will require schools to include Gay and Lesbian contributions in their social studies curriculum. Per CNN, in March the United Nations (UN) Rights Council adopted a statement supported by 85 countries on Gay rights called “Ending Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”. This statement led to the June 17, 2011 UN Human Rights Council passage of a Gay Rights Resolution that supports equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation. The human rights resolution was introduced by South Africa and despite opposition (from Russia as well as Africa and several Arab countries) passed with a vote of 23 for, 19 opposed and 3 abstentions. Suzanne Nossel, the Deputy Assisted Secretary of State for International Organizations said – it really is a key part in setting a new norm that Gay rights are human rights and that has to be accepted globally. The resolution will commission the first ever UN report on the challenges that Gays face around the globe. As of June 25, 2011 New York became the 6^th state that allows Gay marriages.

On October 11, 2011 I heard on the View that every year the documentary ‘Lead with Love’ from the University of Utah comes out as a guide for families to deal with Gays coming out. On November 22 ABC News reported that the President has called on all agencies to stop providing aid to countries that punish Gays; Uganda is considering a law that would put them to death.  

On a side note, Dollywood apparently has a policy that requires employees to ask people with clothing or tattoos that could be offensive to cover up or change clothes. I’m thinking that this is intended to eliminate political and religious views in a place meant for fun. With this being said, a parking attendant asked a Lesbian with a t-shirt saying ‘marriage is so gay’ to turn her t-shirt inside out. I find this okay as long as it is implemented fairly and not just picking on a certain group. I also think they should post the policy so that employees are not taking the brunt of the flack. I agree with their policy and think it’s a good idea for people to keep their political and religious views at rallies for their causes and in private discussions. This way we can keep disturbances from breaking out in facilities meant for entertaining the general public.

I’ve said enough about this issue.