Here We Come, Grown-up World

Sooo, this is the last blog post of the year and I don't really think I'll keep up with this once I graduate. But I know that I'll keep it and look at it occasionally. This is really the first place that I was able to express my feelings about gay marriage and anything that has to do with the fact that gay men and women don't have the same rights as straight men and women. This blog has also made me realize how much I really care about this issue. Before, I would talk about it and discuss it with my parents, but now I actually want to do something about it. If a man feels the same way I feel about Hunter about another man, I want him to be able to express that. To me, it's almost inhumane that they are not given these rights. It's the close-minded people that are ignorant about it.

Romney to the Rescue

As the political race for presidency gets more and more heated and closer to voting day, it's harder for either party to keep silent about gay rights. When Mitt Romney's "openly gay foreign policy spokesman" resigned from his position with his statement of reason being that "the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues" was too much, the Republican party is being attacked hardcore about being anti-gay. Neither party wants to be known as anti-gay, but by playing safe and keeping quiet, they are seeming to be what the rumors say.

I think it's really important that both parties address these issues, because the American people are more aware now than ever that their friends and families are really being mistreated.

This is a Mind Opener

We Run by the Constitution, not the Bible

It's funny that most people in this country, not everyone, seem to think that because gay marriage is a sin in the Bible then we should have to put the idea to the test with the American people. But I think that this is crap. Yes, to some people the Bible means a lot, but we run our country based on the Constitution, not the Bible. We make laws based on the Constitution, we decide court cases based on the Constitution. You don't see politicians sitting on their high horses reading the Bible and deciding how they would run the United States, if they were ever able to.

Sure, we've come up with the right to privacy based on the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and some other amendment, but that doesn't mean that there is a hidden meaning that gay marriage should be completely illegal. It's sad that people from different countries come here for jobs, equal values and rights, but we vote on whether or not gay men and women can get married and start a family. How sad is that? We built our country on freedom, and we're taking that from people who are different.

Mormons. Who knew?

Last year, a former Mormon bishop, Kevin Kloosterman, came out and in November spoke out and apologized to gays and lesbians for anything they had been through.

In an interview with a CNN he said, "I came out and basically made a personal apology (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) folks for not really understanding their issues, not really taking the time to understand their lives and really not doing my homework."

I think this really goes to show that something is beginning to change in our society. Who thought that Mormons would be one of the first ones to just sit back and think about it.

Even the church spokesman, Michael Purdy, says that this will be a positive development for everyone.

Get Real.

A huge problem with our society today, I think, is that many people look to gays and lesbians like they are the devil. I realize that in many passages of the bible, gay people are referred to as an abominiation and some people actually think that in our society. But also, I think God would want people to be accepted and to not be judged. He loves everyone, so people say, so why would he hate someone just because of who they love? In my perspective, I think at this day in age, God would want us to think differently. Times are different than in the Stone Age.

YES God looks down on gays and lesbians. But we shouldn't catorigize them as the devil. They are people. We are people. No one wants to be judged and put down. You don't. I don't. So use your noggin before you open your mouth.

We all deserve the same rights. I think taking the rights from only gays and lesbians is a way of our goverment saying they aren't human beings. Read the Consitution and Declaration of Independence that our founding father's wrote.

Republicans on Track w/o Gay Marriage Talk

As Republicans are stepping up again in the political world, they are completely ignorning the touchy subject of gay marriage. Which is unusual for this party since that is one of their big no-no's. Representative Allen West even said that he would rather concentrate on bigger issues than "who's sleeping with who."

Even during the first hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act, few Republicans attended it and those who did didn't use it as a place to go haywire about same sex marriage.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions all participated in fundraisers in 2010 with the national gay and lesbian GOP grass-roots organization.

Maybe Republicans are coming to their senses, IT ISN'T THAT BIG OF A DEAL. There are plenty of other things that should be taken care of before they begin harping on same sex marriage again.

Hunger Games Premiere!

So I remembered I needed to post this week and completely forgot, what with the two soccer games I had and the Hunger Games PREMIERE. Tonight. Right now. Libby can barely contain herself. We had originally had tickets for the 12:01 showing but Alexis accidentally had a 12:10 ticket. So we all switched to 12:30. Which worked out because we're at the front of the line! So tomorrow.. Do not pick on me or Julie. We might hit you by accident and not remember doing it. Sonny, that goes for you too. We dare you to shove another desk into Julie's hip.

So the Cosby game tonight went rather well. We didn't get slaughtered for the first time in some years. Quite a big step for the girls soccer team. Sonny, if we hear crap about it tomorrow, you might get hit.

Also, today in the parking lot, Megan totally OWNED Rahul with mine and Julie's help. It was the best kill in the entire game. But then he got hit in the eye which was a sad event. Goodnight.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Well, I'm Going To Tell You.

The Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) was the official policy in the United States Army from 1993 to 2011.  Yet, men were being kicked out of the army since the Revolutionary War because of who they were.  It wasn't until 2008, during Obama's State of the Union Address he addressed that he would appeal this policy.  He worked with Congress and the military to allow gay to openly serve their country.

On the evening of the repeal, US Air Force 1st Lt. Josh Seefried finally came out and said he was gay after having to hide it for 2 years.  After the repeal of this law, there were so many people that re-enlisted into the army that they were banned from.  They showed everyone up.

Before the policy was put into effect in 1993, the military thought that gay men and women wouldn't be able to concentrate on what they need to because of their sexuality. How ridiculous does this sound? They are in the middle of a war, and the military thought they would be able to think about anything else besides the fact that they might be killed at any given moment. The military had discharged over 13,000 troops because of this policy.

I think everyone has this sick and twisted idea that every gay man and woman are constantly thinking about sex.  They are humans also, they aren't any different than every straight man or woman. They don't function differently or speak differently.  They have thoughts and feelings like everyone else.  They shouldn't be treated like aliens because of who they are.

Gay and Lesbians Want Kids Too, People

On Wednesday, Virginia's Board of Social Services finalized the regulations of adoptions which will be in effect on May 1, 2012.  The board voted 5 to 1, and Chairwoman Bela Sood was the single nay vote. There were gay-rights advocates saying that adoption agencies should not be allowed to discriminate based on anything, whether it be the parents sexual orientation or their religion.  Even a few conservative Christians were advocating that it takes away their rights of adoption also.  

This bill, all around, makes it virtually impossible for most any Americans to adopt a child.  Except Angelina Jolie, she seems to have that stuff on lock.  I bet you, gay and lesbian parents teach their kids to be WAY more accepting than married mothers and fathers.  I bet they teach their kids that if it's what they want, how they feel or what they love then it's okay with them.

What if everything was reversed? What if it were the straight couples that were discriminated against or that were put down daily? Think about that for a second. What if it were the straight couples that were stripped of their rights like gays and lesbians are today?  THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN. Gays and lesbians are the most accepting of people; it would be a lot different if it were reversed.

True dat.

"It Gets Better"

Today I was watching some television and I happened to turn on MTV. And what was on made me hesitate and watch. The show is called It Gets Better and it's about how teens that come out to their families have to try really hard to find acceptance. Teenagers are looking for acceptance from their PARENTS. In my perspective, I think parents should love their kids unconditionally.

Throughout the show, it showed various statistics pertaining to gay teens. These numbers really shocked me.

30% of teen suicides are committed by gay and lesbian teenagers.
50% of all gay and lesbian teens say their parents reject them because of their sexual orientation.
26% of these teens are forced to leave their home.
Gay students hear anti-gay slurs at an average of 27 times a day and teachers intervene in about 3% of those cases.
27% of gay or lesbian teens have been physically hurt by another student.
Atleast 75% of crimes against gay or lesbian teens are never reported.

These numbers lead me to the fact that bullying should absolutely be illegal; any form of bullying whether it be in person, in the form of a rumor or on the computer. Also, whoever thinks being gay is a choice is utterly wrong. You see these numbers, why would someone chose this? It's who they are and it's what you need to look past.

Maryland Moves Forward

On Friday, February 17, 2012, Maryland barely passed a bill that allows gay nuptials in their district.  It is said that Governor O'Malley has a promising signature to sign but won't be put into effect in 2013.  There are seven gay members in the House and Delegate Maggie McIntosh gives her story of coming out as a lesbian when the bill was being discussed.

26 Democrats and 41 Republicans voted against the bill.

“Same-sex marriage is wrong,” Delegate Emmett Burns (D-Baltimore County), told the chamber before the vote. “I believe that people who are gay have a right to be that, but the word ‘marriage’ should not be attached.”

Just because a person has a different opinion or likes something different or thinks differently than you, doesn't mean that they should be stripped of their right to a legal marriage.  The government should focus on bettering our economy, not the personal lives of the American people.

Full Article Here

Reality Check