I've been thinking a lot about freedom, liberty, justice, etc. as we head into the 4th of July holiday. It doesn't hold quite the same meaning for me given my status as a lesbian and a citizen who is denied my birthright to be fully protected and included in the laws of this land. Yet despite this inequality I am forced to pay the same taxes as my fellow Americans who enjoy many rights and protections denied to myself and other LGBTQ/SGL (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Same Gender Loving) people.
I've been particularly thinking about folks like Arkansas' own Tim Wooldridge who claimed during his recent Congressional campaign that homosexuality was a choice and as such he did not believe in anti-discrimination laws that would protect LGBTQ people. This was a troubling statement on many fronts, one being that his primary source of income ($150,000.00 annually) was from the Arkansas Association of Universities. Many of the universities he was lobbying for have anti-discrimination policies.
When I heard Wooldridge's contention that we choose to be lesbian, gay, etc. it scraped the scab off of an old wound that it seems that I have carried all of my life. And sadly, I don't know if this wound will ever be healed, for only the salve of full equality is the cure.
First of all, your religion is a choice; as is your job, where you live, what you eat and wear, etc. For the vast majority of LGBTQ/SGL the only choice in regard to our sexuality or gender identity has been to live a life of honesty about who we are. This is a choice not lightly made. To live openly makes you a sitting duck that can be and often is subjected to violence and bullying, loss of family and friends, loss of employment, access to housing, etc.
Of course we could make other choices too. We could choose to live in the closet in fear of being found out; hiding our relationships and changing pronouns. And as if that alone were not dehumanizing, spirit breaking, soul killing enough, we could choose to partner with opposite sex people. Here we could live lives of duty to others cares and slowly suffocate our hearts and minds to death. Or we could even choose celibacy, to live alone, without a loved one and try to live a life that seems to go against our natural origins and nature. In any of these scenarios our quality of life is profoundly diminished. And for what?
To satisfy bigotry? To help fill church coffers? To propel some to political power? In what way does this terrorism of LGBTQ/SGL people make our country and communities stronger, healthier or even safer? While our nation bandies about the words terrorists and terrorism, let us never forget the culpability of Americans with little cross lapel pins, clutching their Bibles, who have been fervently engaged in homegrown terrorism against the LGBTQ/SGL communities for some time now.
Sadder still is that some of these religious zealots who condemn our lives and try to block our access to equality were themselves once targeted and oppressed by the very same Bible they so willingly use as the foundation for their bigotry. For example, women were kept without rights by men using the Bible and the institution of slavery had at its bedrock Biblical scripture to justify and endorse its existence.
Prisoners have been taken in this war upon LGBTQ communities. LGBTQ people have died and others have been brutally assaulted on the back of these pulpit pounders! We have been kicked out of our homes, fired from our jobs, discharged from military service, etc. And no matter how much more openly we are able to live in this day and age, in the back of our minds is a continuous loop that reminds us that we are never safe! We are never free from fear, the threat of harm!
I get so tired of hearing "we love the sinner, but hate the sin"! Since when has love ever been qualified by hate?
I'm fighting the good fight, CAR is fighting this fight, I know a lot of you reading this are fighting the good fight. However, it will take many more of us united for equality, working together for fair and just treatment to win our rights. We will never be equal until the laws of this nation and state refuse to be held hostage by religious terrorists! We will never be equal until we stand up for our rights! We must also challenge every entity that claims to work for justice to understand that justice is not about "Just Us" it is about JUSTICE for ALL of US! And we as LGBTQ/SGL people must understand this as well, we must be good allies as well in our brothers and sisters struggles.
So, on this 4th of July as you have cookouts and fireworks; as you visit with family and friends remember that as LGBTQ/SGL people, we have not experienced this liberation. Remember that this is not really our celebration, this is not our party-this celebration of America's freedom, this country that does not acknowledge, respect or include us.
Do not be complacent, for we are not free! And we will not be free, our families will never be truly safe until we have the full access, protections and responsibilities of our fellow Americans. As the fireworks explode in the night time sky, ask yourself, "What am I willing to do to make this holiday truly mine? What am I willing to do to gain full equality?" And if that answer is to get involved, call us here at CAR 501-244-9690 or email us at artchangesu@yahoo.com.
If not CAR, there are other places to plug in such as the NWA Center for Equality or Stonewall Democrats. But for the sake of your rights, ALL of our rights…DO SOMETHING!
In the meantime...have a safe holiday.
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