America Must Realign Itself With Truth, Justice, And Fairness For All Americans

There is a sad reality to being in a "minority group" in the United States.

Despite politicians' and pundits' trumpeting of our nation as being the "most free nation on Earth," Americans still have hypocritical double-standards about Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Americans.

This is especially true when it comes to 3 of the most visible issues our country is facing: 1. Gay Marriage 2. The U.S. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy and 3. HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding.

For decades every other social group in the United States has been prioritized to make strides in our society. Women, ethnic groups, religious minorities; all have seen major strides in equality and equal protection under the law in the past 40 years. Indeed, where it used to be acceptable to discriminate, oppress, physically abuse, and outwardly harm members of these social groups; today they are protected in ways that other countries have yet to catch up to.

A glaring exception, indeed a group that has not only been ignored, but in fact is still actively shunned and told to "deal with it" today is the GLBTQ community. Even Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and Latin American folks have greater rights to equal treatment than GLBTQ folks, whereas 10 years ago these groups were largely ignored by the greater political power classes, and barely could get 10 minutes with a major political leader to discuss their issues. When you think of ethnic and religious leaders who preach discrimination against GLBTQ Americans, while simultaneously claiming equality is a fundamental right, such is evidence of how far we have yet to go.

When it comes to Gay Marriage; the religious right has no problem with any other type of "married" relationship between two people. They have no problem with multi-ethnic, cross-denomination, cross-religious, even cross-class unions. GLBTQ marriages are the sole area where they claim the "sanctity of marriage is threatened." Heck, they don't even make this much noise about "non-believers" like Pagans, Atheists, non-Christian faiths, or Wiccans. Nope, they only raise caine about GLBTQ Americans' wanting to have legal equality.

On the U.S. Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, when you compare us to the other top military organizations in the world, we have fallen way behind other countries. From the United Kingdom, to Canada, to Australia, to the UN peacekeeping forces--all see all of their soldiers as equally valuable and equally necessary. The U.S. Military, though, under Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and even William J. Clinton--the creator of the bizzare and outwardly harmful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy--through George W. Bush's regime, all continued to open up the ranks to all comers except GLBTQ members. They claimed that recognizing the equality and necessity of GLBTQ members would harm troop morale; but if you talk to real troops, real commanders (at least the modern and forward-thinking ones), and real military leaders they'll tell you that GLBTQ officers and enlisted soldiers continue to be some of the most dedicated patriots ever to wear their uniforms.

When it comes to global epidemics, the media raises all kinds of hyper-awareness about the H1N1 "Swine Flu," Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and Autism; but couldn't care less that HIV/AIDS is still as rampant in the U.S. as it ever was. Last night I watched Uncle Charlie Gibson shine the ABC World News "light of truth" on the 2nd wave of drug-resistant HIV/AIDS and an epidemic of anti-retroviral drug abuse in South Africa, but I can't even remember the last time I saw a network news report about how drug resistant strains of HIV/AIDS, MRSA, Hepatitis, and Syphilis are ravaging the GLBTQ communities in whole new ways. Stranger still is how the local media here in Chicago have outright ignored the reality that Governor Pat Quinn has targeted public health programs that feed the ADAP, Ryan White, and other HIV/AIDS victim support programs as some of the biggest cuts proposed under his new budget. Even after the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, LifeLube.org, The Windy City Times, The Free Press, and Gay Chicago all decried the cuts in their pages, and Gay Liberation Networks' Andy Thayer was acquitted by a jury for allegedly assaulting a Chicago Police Officer, our community's issues are nearly ignored by the rest of our local press and political establishment.

Except, that is, when they want our money. Yep, Illinois political and business leaders have suggested that Illinois should be the "honeymoon destination" for GLBTQ couples who get married in Iowa. Of course, these same hypocrites can't see fit to give GLBTQ Illinoisans equal rights to marry as Iowa does. Nope, they just want the gay dollar without giving us the equal protection under the law against discrimination, tax fairness, or even protecting the salaries that produce it.

Now I'm not saying that America is bad, or that Americans are bad. I'm just pointing out here that America is the land of hypocritical attitudes when it comes to true equality for all people. Straight folks, especially those in the religious and ethnic minority communities, seem to want equality only for themselves and not truly for everyone. Politicians are even worse, because they're willing to ask for gay money, but don't have the political cohones to actually stand up and deliver real equal rights for the GLBTQ folks from whom they almost always have their hands out to squeeze a few bucks.

It is time for all Americans to deal this hypocrisy a fatal blow, and truly level the playing field for all Americans, and it starts at the top. President Obama relentlessly worked the gay community to support him, promising all measures of change under his administration. As of yet, he has yet to deliver. Governor Quinn, Mayor Daley, legislators, supervisors, and aldermen are no better; as they have continued to ask for our wallets, but pretend our money, health, and value as productive contributors to society aren't as important when the heat is on from the religious leaders, corporate beancounters, and agents of intolerance.

It is time for America to realign itself with true equality, to give GLBTQ Americans all the same prioritization; and to give the same amount of respect and dignity to us that they do any other productive and patriotic community in our country. It is time for us to stand up and make them, especially now, when we have been promised change, but have yet to see any happen.

Comments

[itmaybetoolate]

"Straight folks, especially those in the religious and ethnic minority communities, seem to want equality only for themselves and not truly for everyone." You have gotten to the heart of the matter with this statement. These groups scream bloody murder if they believe their rights have been violated, but turn a blind eye when it happens to us. I think that, when all is said and done, they truly see us as less than human and unworthy of the same rights as all other Americans. Think about it, even straight people convicted of the most heinous crimes are allowed to marry.

[regellner]

It is not right for anybody's civil rights to be denied to them, period.
There was talk by Cheney about letting the states handle this. There is only one thing that he is forgetting: the violation of civil rights is a federal offense; this falls under the jurisdiction of the FBI when other civil rights cases are investigated. Therefore, it is a national issue, states should not have any authority over this.

Following are two articles which deal with these issues:

http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Charlotte-Liberal-Examiner~y2009m6d10-Colbert-segment-illustrates-the-inanity-of-Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell

http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Charlotte-Liberal-Examiner~y2009m5d27-Prop-8-court-decision-denies-civil-rights


Raymond Gellner – Charlotte Liberal Examiner at Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Charlotte-Liberal-Examiner
__________­__________­__________­__________­__________­________

[BringmeReason]

I grow weary of the argument; ethnic minorities outweigh the plight of the GLBTQ community, which people seem to make on a constant basis. People seem to believe that GLBTQ only exist among white American (Not that their struggle is any less significant). This is a fallacy of the highest degree, not to mention an insult to everyone else outside of that spectrum.

I don’t think people understand that the GLBTQ community is a huge scope that spans across every race, creed, gender, religion, society, culture and background. You name it, we’re in it. The misconception that only white Americans make up our numbers is more than troubling, surely people cannot be this ignorant.

Why are people trying to supersede the struggle of the GLBTQ community in replace with ethnic struggles, as if there should be a distinction? I think it is well understood that the struggle of ethnic minorities is still a tough one, but lets not miss-understand our struggle either. We are talking about basic civil rights here, those that even ethnic minorities currently enjoy. I would have liked to believe that other minority groups would understand this struggle and work hard as a union to eliminate discrimination across the board and not just marginalize it for self-interest groups.

[ThomasMc]

Don't expect Obama to stand up for what is right. So far, in court, he is doing exactly the opposite.

[BeninOakland]

Conservatives, especially religious conservatives, have done everything they could for centuries, at the very least, to drive gay people underground, to discourage our relationships, especially healthy ones, to make life for us as difficult and unpleasant as they possibly can. They they pretend surprise that we don't act in healthy postive ways, as is and has been the case with many persecuted minorites.

when we do act in healthy, postive ways, when we try to end the prejudice, when we ask for support and recognition of healthy, postive, monogamous relationships, we're told we can't have that. And the irony is that they will pull out the "you're promiscuous" card so easily, conveniently ignoring how they have handicapped us from birth.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Christian.

The miracle is that so many gay relationships stay together and thrive despite all of the social forces arrayed against them, yet so many heterosexual relaitonships fail despite all of the social forces arrayed to preserve and support them

If your concern is trury that young gay men are contracting aids, then one formidable weapon against that should be encouraging themto form long term, monogamous relationships.

[BringmeReason]

“And the irony is that they will pull out the "you're promiscuous" card so easily, conveniently ignoring how they have handicapped us from birth.”

By “handicap” the first thing that comes to mind is the senseless religious programming that every child goes through, whether homosexual or heterosexual, the coding is the same. From birth we are told that we are wrong, will always be wrong and that nothing can come from our perversion. There may be some out there thinking that, “this isn’t’ what I’ve told my kids”. Maybe not you, but think about the society, think about the churches, think about the school and even our government and their role in the mental structure of your kids. How are the GLBTQ community perceived in the minds of kids when gay marriage is still widely illegal or that the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is still intact? I think people should give children more credit then they are getting, they learn very quickly what is acceptable in the eyes of their society.

And so homosexual kids are raised with this constant mentality that their very been is immoral, how could they even accept themselves? Benin, you’re right on point when you say that our community is crippled at the beginning, it’s a wonder how we even form healthy relationships with all of the hate projected to us on a daily basis.

[mollymac]

sad but true. Some of the worst offenders against LGBT people are other minorities. Kissnhug is a good example.

[kindGSL]

What gains have native American Indians made in the last ten years?

[BringmeReason]

Here's a better question...

What gains have GLBTQ native American Indians made in the last ten years?

[SiberianRat]

What's the Q in GLBTQ stand for?

[kindGSL]

gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer

[SiberianRat]

"Queer" is a separate category? Is it for weird LGBTs or what?

[Romulus]

I have read that a significant percentage of the younger generation of gays are practicing unsafe sex with multiple partners even though they are fully aware of the dangers of contracting HIV and other STDs. Is this true? If so, don't you think these young men have brought it upon themselves? Why should the general populace be responsible for funding a cure?

[midknightryder13]

Because most of the cases of HIV worldwide are among HETEROSEXUALS. The U.S. has a higher percentage of infection in the gay community because of happenstance. Having said that, I'm NOT saying I approve of people who WILLING try to seroconvert.

[Randy Shepherd]

Before penicillin Syphilis use to kill. This did not stop people from taking a gamble with sex. It was part of life. Today's youth have known about HIV since birth, so to them it is not new, it has always been a risk that comes with sex. And it is now turning into a long term manage disease, and not one that quickly disfigures you with lesions and weight loss. If you want kids to wear seat belts, don't tell them it will save them if they are in an accident (they are invincible), tell them it will save their face from hitting the windsheild (they are vein).

This is a public health issue. People who are infected don't just sleep with many sexual partners, some go home to their husbands and wives. Why go thru rehab and get clean to find out you have a disease no one is working on "becasue you brought it on yourself". Should we stop looking for a curse for lung cancer, "screw the smokers"?. If there was a cure for AIDS then the Red Cross would allow gays to donate blood. That would be a huge boost to our blood supply, that is always below desired levels. 80% of infertility for women is due to an STD that went unchecked and scarred the fellopian tubes, so was all that past infertility research a waste? Should we not help women in the future becasue it is probably their fault? How about some compassion.

[it is me]

Yes the younger generation of gays are practicing unsafe sex at an alarming rate, but so are heterosexuals. What never really gets ANY publicity is the fact that African American straight males are the fastest growing and most high risk people in the US to contract HIV.

Then again, we still live in a country where I, as a gay man in a monogmous relationship of 11 years, still is not allowed to donate blood because I am gay (or as I like to say, I have been gay after 1979).

[mollymac]

excuse me - younger generation of straight teens are having unsafe sex by the gazillions! Teen pregnancy is out of control, STD's are rampant leaving a signif. number of young women with the risk of sterility. Oral sex among teens is not even considered having sex! HPV, chlymidia is skyrocketing. And you made the most hateful comment I've seen in a while. "They brought it upon themselves" why should WE have to pay for it! Go back to the 19th century where you found your value system.

[scottsbigmouth]

What's even worse, in my opinion, is that they marginalize the gay folks in their midst. It tears me up that so many of my brothers and sisters across the entire spectrum of ethnicity have the outright hypocrisy in their hearts and minds to discriminate against the GLBTQ sons and daughters in their own families, churches, and communities. I mean, it makes growing up white and gay look like a tea party, by comparison.

The bottom line is that ALL discrimination is wrong, and ALL AMERICANS DESERVE EQUALITY. NOW!

Thanks for your note, TryToBeFlexible. I appreciate your thoughts!

SF
--
Scott Foval
www.scottsbigmouth.com
www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-foval
[e-mail] Email/IM

[TryToBeFlexible]

The saddest thing is when other minorities hold on to their prejudices against LGBT people. Nothing is more pathetic than some African Americans who get all insulted by comparisons between the struggles of blacks folks and gay folks.