Marriage for One and All

Everyone be quiet for just a second.  Shhhh....shhhh....you hear that?  That very distant, stifled crying.  You hear that, right?  That's the sound of 'traditional marriage' supporters huddled in their bigotry bunkers.  The Supreme Court today (26 June 2015 [mark it in your calendars]) legalized same sex marriage throughout the country.  This is a monumental event in the history of our country and within the LGBT community.  

No longer will a couple have to travel to another state to marry their partner.  No longer will a civil union be good enough.  No longer will a same sex couple have to introduce their partner as their partner.  They can introduce them as their husband or wife.  

Let's not pretend that this will magically solve everything.  Of course there are still hateful, sad, unsatisfied in their own life so they have to act out against others, people that think that this moment in our history is just the worst thing in the world.  Of course the LGBT community will face ridicule because it's 'not normal' (even though it is).  And of course the sad scared little politicians will try their best to find loopholes. 

I don't want to end on a negative note like that, so let's all take a moment to celebrate this. If you are part of the LGBT community or if you are an ally.  Take a moment to remember this day.  Surely we all have friends or family or both that this directly impacts.  Celebrate today.  For today and forever more, marriage is for one and all.  Regardless of who you love.  

Celebrate.  

Coming Out Matters

Just recently, Michael Sam came out as a homosexual man.  People come out all the time, so why is this a big deal?  Because Michael Sam is going to be drafted into the NFL.  And when he is drafted, he will be the first openly gay male athlete in the four professional sports (MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA) to be actively playing.  Now, some might say, what about Jason Collins?  For those of you who do not remember, Jason Collins came out last April, but has yet to play a game in the NBA.  Not because of his sexuality (although that can be debated), but because of his ability to contribute to a team.  It is well known that Collins is nearing the end of his career and is a role player at best.  He has recently drawn some interest from a couple of teams, but nothing much.  So, yes, Jason Collins is the first active player because he has not retired, but Sam could be the first active player to play.  Unless Collins gets picked up by a team.

So, why is this such a big deal?  Why should we care about this?  Why should we remember the names of Jason Collins and Michael Sam?  Because professional sports are something we care about in this country.  We, as a country, spend so much time fixated with sports and players.  We idolize these players (but we shouldn't) because they are in the limelight.  This is such a big deal and is important because these two athletes can be true idols.  Two men that stepped out of their comfort zone and could become legends.  Not for their play on the field/court, but for what they have done off it.  Sports are the ultimate man's man forum.  Because this is history.  These men are our generation's Jackie Robinson.  This is another barrier broken down.  These two men have the mental strength and poise to not hide who they are anymore.  They have the support system whether it is family, friends, teammates, partner to stand up and let the world know who they are.  They are two gay men who have put themselves out there in a world that is not fully excepting of their lifestyle.  I stand up and salute them for their bravery.  They both have to know they will not be fully accept by their peers. 

In a world where same sex couples are slowly gaining the right to marry (by the way, why isn't same sex marriage a federal law?  Come on now, 21st century and whatnot), these statements by athletes should not be a big deal.  I know I am living in my little progressive bubble, but I would hope this would not be a big deal other than someone being the first of their sport to come out.  We, unfortunately, live in a world full of hatred and bigots who cannot accept that not everyone is the same as them.  And unfortunately, these bigots are at times the loudest and heard by too many.  

On Valentine's Day, at the Human Rights Campaign Time to Thrive Conference, Ellen Page (that lovely little Canadian) came out.  People didn't blink an eye at this statement.  I shouldn't say that.  You hear a lot of 'good for her' and the usual sentiment.  There isn't a lot of shock or surprise because actor or actress to come out.  It has happened over and over again.  It's not a big deal.  Hopefully, years down the road (or sooner), if a gay athlete comes out it won't be a big deal anymore.  You also hear homophobic statements.  Ignore those because people can be just fucking awful.  Spend eight minutes of your life listening to her speech.  It is beautiful and heartfelt.  So it's apparently not a big deal (Yes. It is.) for an actor to come out because...Because...Because why?  They are just the same as an athlete.  They are human.  They have feelings.  They love.  They hurt.  They hide.  They lie.

Everyone deserves the right to be open about who they are.  Everyone deserves the right to be seen as an equal.  Unfortunately, everyone does not get that right because they are different.  And in a world where we try to be progressive and supportive, that makes me sad to think about.  

16/120

Erick Erickson: Worst Person in the World?

Social media is a great thing.  It allows instant access to people's thoughts and feelings on subjects they, and presumably you, are interested in.  It can also get you in a ton of trouble.  There are many sports teams that prevent athletes from going on websites such as Twitter during or directly after games or practices.  It gets written into contracts.  This is a good idea.  There have been plenty that have put their foot in their mouths and have either deleted the tweet or issued a bullshit apology.  Saying that 'your Twitter got hacked' is a horrible excuse for not thinking before tweeting.

At the end of last week, Texas passed House Bill 2 putting harsh restrictions on abortions.  It is since heading to Rick Perry's desk to be signed into law.  If anyone is curious, there was a Supreme Court decision in 1973 which made abortion legal in this country.  It goes by the name of Roe v. Wade.  Anyway, a Right Wing talking head by the name of Erick Erickson tweeted this out not long after the bill passed:

this is the tweet of a sociopath. RT @EWErickson: Dear Liberals, go bookmark this site now: http://t.co/4lpNThqhLI
— Lauren Rankin (@laurenarankin) July 13, 2013

Now let that link sink in for just a second.  Horrible right?  Erick Erickson contributes to Fox News and runs his own website (Redstate.com).  It is one thing to be very excited about something that you believe in getting passed in a state.  I know a ton of people that were happy when DOMA was struck down and when gay marriage was legalized in the state of Minnesota.  It is another thing to taunt those who oppose what you believe in.  And to do so in such a manner is unbecoming.  This guy is a douchebag, straight up.  He revels in his controversial statements and makes fake apologies.

Not long after he tweeted this, it was deleted, but not before people got a hold of it and went ranting and raving against him.  Listen, whether you are pro-choice or pro-life you have to look at this and think 'who the fuck does this?'  Who thinks that it is funny to link a site for hangers after an anti-abortion bill is passed?  Someone that is completely disconnected with not only reality but humanity as well.  

Minnesota: 12th Coolest Place in America

It feels really weird to be proud of my state.  Living in Kansas for six years, every time the politicians voted on something that had to do with rights (rights for women, gays, etc.) you knew how it was going to go.  And it was shameful.  Now that we are living in somewhat of a progressive state, it is nice to see them moving forward.  Yesterday, the state passed a same-sex marriage bill and it will be signed into law today.  So very, very proud.  Before getting too far into this post, I am linking this article from the Daily Currant.  The Daily Currant is political satire, so unfortunately this isn't true.  If it were, Minnesota would be better off for it.  Because she is an awful, awful person.  Just awful.  

Minnesota is the twelfth state in the country to pass a same sex marriage bill.  Nine in the Northeast (basically all of New England), Washington, and Iowa.  Iowa is a bit surprising to me based on where it is geographically.  Washington D.C. also recognizes same sex marriage.  Along with these states, the Coquille Indian Tribe (Oregon), the Suquamish Tribe (Washington State), and the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (Michigan) have recognized same sex marriage.  Go us Natives!  There are some states (New Jersey, Illinois) that recognize civil unions.  Basically they are okay with gay people staying together and having rights, but not comfortable enough to use the phrase 'married'.  That's just too weird I guess.  I feel that civil unions being recognized by states were the stepping stones to the same sex marriage movement we are now witnessing in this country today.  Without these civil union states, we may not have as much progress as we have now.  

When you think about these twelve states passing this law, you think that this is great progress, and it is!  However, in the world we live in now, you would think that there would be more.  The population is becoming more accepting of alternative lifestyles, but there are the holdovers that yearn for the good ol' days.  Days of women staying in the kitchen, men being sexists assholes all the time, and gays staying in the closet.  Looking at states that have constitutional bans on same sex marriage, there are twenty five (TWENTY FIVE!).  To no one's surprise, every state south and east of Kentucky has banned same sex marriage.  Also the Midwest from Texas north to North Dakota.  The Bible Belt and the Grain Belt.  Sadly, my home state of Michigan falls into this category (shame on you Michigan!). Half of our country has told people that they are not allowed to marry those that they love.  Is this as bad as Jim Crow Laws?  No.  But it's damn close.  In the ratings of oppressive laws Jim Crow comes in at number 1 and banning gay marriage is 1A. 

I know that the biggest argument opponents of gay marriage have is 'one man and one woman is marriage'.  I know that traditionalist cannot see the present for they are blinded by the past.  I know that change scares people.  I also know that change can bring people together.  I also know that the best way to move forward is to look to the past and the mistakes that have been made.  I also know that love knows no gender.  Love is love and marriage is just a word and a piece of paper.  

Support and Move On

Jason Collins earlier this week became the first active male athlete in the four major sports to open up about his homosexuality.  In an article for Sports Illustrated, he put everything out in the open with the first line:

'I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.'

 Not only is this great for him, but it is great for the sports world.  He has received support from athletes in other sports, teammates, sports commissioners, even the President.  The media has covered it the right way, speaking to all the support he has received and ignoring any negative comments.  But honestly, what kind of moron would speak negatively about this?  Someone that wouldn't mind being labeled a villain the rest of their life, that's who.  Reading the article, you can tell that this is a huge relief to Collins, and he struggled with the decision to come out.  The thing is, he doesn't want this to be a big deal.  It is what it is and he just wants to play basketball next year.  He is not a star in the NBA nor is he a big contributor off the bench.  He is a guy that in a year or two probably will not have a job just because there are always better players out there and he is not one of them.  But who knows, he may have chosen this time in his life to come out to ensure that he does get a job next year.  What kind of positive publicity would a team get signing him?  It would be huge.  He could be an evil genius choosing this time to ensure he gets a paycheck next year.  Okay, not really.  

He has said he appreciates the support, but he just wants everyone to move on past his announcement.  So far, so good.  His team is out of the playoffs and the focus is on the teams still playing.  I truly hope that once the NBA season starts next year, sports commentators do not focus on him during games just because he is openly gay.  The last thing that I am sure anyone wants to hear is 'and in comes Jason Collins and everyone knows that name because he is the first openly gay male athlete...'  It is not meant to be disrespectful, but it kind of is.  Think of it in this context:  substitute 'openly gay' for 'black' or 'white'.  It just seems shallow and in poor taste.  Just be happy for the man and move on.  Continue to support his decision to come out and move on.  He does not need to be treated any differently because of who he is.

Coming out as an athlete must be difficult.  It is macho man, testosterone driven society.  Those societies are always the ones that are slow to adapt to change.  You are always going to have closed minded fuckheads like Chris Culliver.   You are always going to have people that are not comfortable with themselves and therefore are uncomfortable with things that are not the same as them.  To counter that, you have people like Chris Kluwe who absolutely decimated a Maryland state delegate last year in a letter laced with both profanity and sound reasoning because of the man's comments.  If a team is suppose to be a 'family' should they not support their 'brothers'?  Should they have their back every second of every day whether it is on the field or off? 

As our country slowly becomes more and more accepting this kind of story it will no longer be a headliner type story.  It will end up being a little blip on the five o'clock news.  People will look at it and think 'okay, but how is he going to contribute to my team this year?'  Every social movement starts with the action of one.  And that one action can cause an avalanche.  And what a great avalanche it can be.  

Basic Human Rights Protected

Baby steps were taken in Minnesota last night.  A proposed amendment that would define marriage as one man and one woman was defeated, 52% to 48%.  This does not legalize same sex marriage (sadly), but the first steps in the process have been taken.  The people have spoken and they seem to be fine with same sex marriage, so let's be cool and get on the bandwagon.  I just hope that Minnesota looks to the successes in Maine and Maryland as those two states voted on and passed same sex marriage laws last night.  It is more historic than electing a black President...twice.

This is an important movement that I hope one day will sweep through the country.  This is one of those movements that, looking back at it fifty years from now, I will talk about with children and grandchildren.  It'll be a 'back in my day....' type stories.  Something along the lines of this:

'Back in my day, closed minded douche nozzles wanted to prevent gay couples from getting married because they...well, it was a touchy subject because they would...well, there never was a good reason for the prevention of people getting married.  Maybe because it was something different and people cannot always handle change.  Yeah, I'll go with that.  Now go get me a beer.'  

And on another level, the voter I.D. law did not pass here.  This law is not as serious as the same sex amendment in my opinion.  Voter I.D. laws are weird.  If you register to vote, which requires a photo I.D. why would you need to bring your I.D. with you to vote?  There are arguments for the law that say it will prevent voter fraud.  There are arguments against the law the say it keeps the poor and minorities from voting because they don't always have a photo I.D.  I say voting places should have a security question chosen by the voter when they register, much like online sites have these days.  That way, when you go out and vote, it'll still feel like you are on the internet despite being out in public.