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So like anyone with half a brain, I've noticed that gay people get just screwed. I don’t mean in the nice way either. Face it, if you’re homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, anything but straight normal heterosexual, well, guess what, the Constitution has a bit of an odd loophole.

Because, in this country, as long as the only reason you are discriminated against is because of sexual orientation, it’s legal. That’s right folks, if you’re gay, then you can be denied work, housing, and about any of the other necessities of living in our society as long as it is done solely because you are gay.

I agree that sucks. But that’s not all. Been in a monogamous relationship with someone for fourty years? Been with this person through good times, bad, for richer, for poorer? But you’re both the same sex? Well, with the exception of Vermont, in the eyes of the law, that relationship has the same validity as getting quickie from a hooker in an alley. In otherwords, none. In the eyes of the Federal government, that relationship has no validity, not even in Vermont.

So, the blood relatives can be with your partner in their last moments, but if they’re in intensive care, legally, you can be kept away from them. Insurance benefits are solely up to the company you work for. Even in a “right to work” state, you can be denied the right to earn a living, because you’re gay.

Now, I agree that this is wrong. Totally. Yes, I know that people are working day in and day out to correct this. But please, do you really think that protesting is going to work in this case. Face it, the straights don’t understand you, a good chunk of them fear you, and even gays in positions of power can’t really do much. Heck, we have openly gay members of Congress, and they are essentially powerless. Of course, knowing that if they are openly affectionate with someone that they are attracted to could get them put in jail, (Anti–Sodomy laws are such a pain), or beaten and killed may have something to do with that.

Don’t point at anti–hate crime laws as a sign of progress. It’s been illegal to kill people for hundreds of years, I don’t see any signs of it slowing down. Yeah, yeah, we all were upset about Matthew Shepard, protests, sappy TV movies, yadda, yadda. That’s a salve. It goes on smooth, covers the boo–boo, and even helps take away the pain. But it doesn’t cure anything. In the years since Matthew Shepard died, how much real change in the ways you can legally screw gay people have you seen? Go ahead, I’ll wait while you look………

Thought so, none. Which is a shame, because the answer is there, right in front of you.

It is legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

That is a knife, and as we all know, an knife is simply a tool. It cannot cut until someone picks it up and uses it. What amazes me is that only straight people seem to use it.

What if the homosexual community returned the favor? I mean, they’s gay people with money. Lots and lots of money. The kind of money that lets you buy things. Like companies. Apartment buildings. Condos. Hostpitals.

What do you think would happen if oh, say, a bunch of gay folk got together and bought a company, and commenced to firing people solely because THEY WERE NOT GAY? Downsize ten thousand straights, and then replace them with gay folk. Buy an apartment building, and refuse to rent to anyone who isn’t gay. Refuse to renew the leases of anyone who isn’t gay. Heck, if they don’t have a lease, evict them now. It's legal! That’s right folks, as long as you can prove you only are screwing someone over in a non–violent manner because they don’t have a sexual orientation that you approve of, you’re golden. Yes, yes I know, it’s not supposed to work that way, but if the people making the rules are going to be dumb, then the people who are not dumb have a near–holy requirement to take advantage of them.

Now, this will not go over well at first, and if you are going to do this, well, I recommend a good personal security team. But once the straights realize that legally, you can treat them like less than full citizens, there’s going to be only one sane reaction. They’ll have to support laws at the Federal level that specifically outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. Oh sure, a few of them will realize the irony, heaven knows, I’ll be laughing my behnd off at it. But the laws will get passed.

I know, it’s mean, it’s cruel, sneaky, underhanded, etc. But face it, the straights haven’t played nice yet. They’ve been as nasty as they want to be, and they don’t want to change. So, you have to sometimes force the change upon them.

Let me ask you this: What has being nice and fair about it gotten you so far?

john

Comments

Well, at least Canada is doing something about it. The courts ordered the provinces to issue marrige licenses to homosexual couples or something.

Posted by: steve | June 14, 2003 2:38 AM

Oh son of mine, check out http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/26jun20031200/www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/02pdf/02-102.pdf
aka Lawence v. Texas...
Then feel better.

Posted by: Karen Hitchcock | August 31, 2003 1:12 PM