What Do We Do When a Group of People Have Their Rights Taken Away??
[First published on Doing Things Differently blog (www.doingthingsdifferently.blogspot.com) as post #62 – Light Up The Night]
Something happened in 2008 which I continue to cry about. Even writing this blog post this morning, I’m sat here sobbing.
The issue is the passing of Proposition 8, an amendment to the Californian State Constitution to eliminate the rights of same-sex couples who want to marry. It’s covered beautifully in an article by Brian Normoyle who informs us that this is the first time in America that an existing civil right has been taken away from a group of citizens and asks the (frightening) question: whose rights are next?
I’ve spent hours on YouTube watching footage relating to this issue, reading discussion boards, talking with my friends about this. What strikes me strongest is the immense outpouring of love which surrounds the Vote No To 8 campaign. Candlelit vigils, families protesting peacefully in the streets, posters which read: Love is the way. In this movement, I see people uniting together in love, regardless of sexual orientation, to stand up for the basic human right of being accepted for who we are.
I remember trying to find a Valentine’s Day card the first year I was with Sam. I scanned the shelves and all I could see were men and women, male bears and female bears. Having spent the rest of my young adult life in relationships with men, I suddenly realised that it was different now – that there was a huge gap in how your love was received by the world, dependent purely on the gender of the person you fall in love with.
A few months later, I started working for a Cambridge organisation which provided support for young people who are