Liberal But Not Partisan

outoftheincrowd:

communismkills:

alexholzbach replied to your post: Students for Liberty is now saying Jesus would’ve supported gay government marriage.

To be fair, the author said Christ would have supported “gay rights,” not government-granted gay marriage.

Now, come on. What is “gay rights”? “Gay rights” always means government marriage. No one else uses that ridiculous language. There is no such thing as “gay rights” to an individualist.

Gay rights is the rights of LGBTQ people, especially ones of color as they receive the brunt of violent attacks, to be able to live without fear of being raped and killed by strangers and acquaintances alike, to not be singled out by police, to not be arrested if they decide to fight back when people attack them.

The ultimate dream of the LGBTQ community is not a fluffy white wedding, but rather safe spaces and recognition of their right to exist. And no, don’t point to famous examples of happy gay people in some effort to prove that they are indeed existing and thriving.

Yes, gay rights includes marriage — i.e., the government recognizing a couple’s union, in the sense of tax breaks and other societal advantages, that heterosexual marriages enjoy. This is not necessarily a gay couple’s desire to have a church ceremony.

However, gay rights — hell, LGBTQ rights in general — in their simplest form involve people in the LGBTQ community — both white and of color — to be treated like a human being.

The right to a job. The right to not be fired for being gay. The right to not be harrased by colleagues and superiors.

The right to health care. The right to see a loved one when an illness or injury results in a prolonged hospital stay. The right to consult with doctors when a loved one’s illness or injury leaves them incapable of making said decisions.

The right to adopt children. The right to build a loving family and happy home.

The right to education. The right to financial aid to pay for that education. The right to not be denied those opportunities.

The right to legal protection. The right to not be beaten — by police or by private citizens. The right to not be the victim of hate crimes. The right to not be raped or sexually assaulted. The right to be believed when accusing someone of such acts.

So yes, when people talk about LGBTQ rights, they’re talking about marriage, but all of the other above stuff as well. The LGBTQ community is comprised of people, with hopes and passions and dreams just like anyone else. To deny one person equal rights is to deny everyone equal rights.

(via think-im-justhappy)

This point can never be repeated often enough.

(via bespectaculared)

Or Jews. Or Muslims. Or atheists. Or pagans. Or women. Or black people. Or Hispanics. Anyone got any others?

(via truth-has-a-liberal-bias)

sarahlee310:

pantslessprogressive:

Washington state has legalized same-sex marriage. Washington’s legislature passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage Wednesday by a 55-43 vote, making Washington the 7th state to do so.

Gov. Chris Gregoire says she will sign the legislation into law next week.

Washington joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont (and Washington D.C.) in granting marriage licences to same-sex couples.

State Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), who is gay, spoke on behalf of the approved bill:

“I would like for our four children to grow up understanding that their daddy and their poppa have made that kind of a lifelong commitment to each other. Marriage is the word that we use in our society to convey that idea.”

Congratulations!

I long for the day when all 50 states (and D.C.) embrace marriage equality, almost as much as I long for the day where a same-sex couple’s marriage matters to society as a whole as much as a heterosexual marriage.

Honestly…

(via truth-has-a-liberal-bias)