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Out of our bedrooms
The U.S. Supreme Court made history today with its ruling that states do not have the right to criminalize sex between consenting adults -- whether they're gay or straight. -->sumber: gembira.com

The words of Michael Adams regarding the coming Supreme Court decision on sodomy laws in the April 11, 2003 "Open Forum" could not have more closely matched my own feelings. As he wrote, "This is the most important gay rights case in a generation, because we're asking the Supreme Court whether LGBT Americans are entitled to our Constitution's basic guarantees of equality and full citizenship." Could it be any clearer?

When I first heard about the Texas case, I was stunned. Of course, I knew about sodomy laws, but I never considered them to be more than a lifeless relic from a hateful past. My feeling changed, however, when I contemplated the fact that it was to be considered by the Supreme Court (not to mention the fact that the Court had already upheld Georgia's sodomy laws in 1986). I felt a mixture of excitement and dread: Would this be the beginning of equal rights, or just another move by the right to implement its moral agenda? When I mentioned the case to several gay friends, they hadn't heard about it. We need to spread the word.

In light of the current patriotism and the moving speeches about freedom that have dominated the media of late, I was forced to remember the thousands of African Americans who fought to make the world safe for democracy in WWII, but were denied the full expression of their rights under Jim Crow and de facto discrimination. I recognize that many do not feel that the gay struggle is of equal merit. I do not deny them their right to express such an opinion. I was reminded of the narrowness and hatefulness that even the victims of injustice -- who one would think would be more empathetic -- can inflict on others. Such is the condemnation of homosexuality by the Catholic church and by Orthodox Jews. Though both victims of endless discrimination at various times (most tragically under Nazism in Germany), many Jews would overlook or undervalue the lives of those thousands of homosexuals who were also sent to the camps and to death, because they do not recognize them asworthy of the same rights.

As I listen to my fellow citizens talk of freedom, and boast of the rights that we have (which some would claim do not exist elsewhere), I'm forced to conclude with obvious skepticism that few nations with a literate population could have a more uninformed populace. Can that nation be free which restricts -- even outlaws -- the choice of its adult citizens to share consensual love and its free expression? Can that nation be free which would restrict and outlaw the choice of a woman to control her own body, and thus her future? Can that nation be free which is allowed to search your home, or monitor your reading habits, or analyze your expenditures without your permission?

There is a threatening movement in our nation, led by the current administration -- which would have us relinquish our rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It springs from an ideology of moral righteousness that will go to any lengths tostifle, even outlaw, dissenting opinions. It has trampled international treaties, undermined the legitimacy of international laws and scorned the use of democratic dialogue as expressed by the United Nations. As we isolate ourselves in our homes (in many cases located in gated, guarded private communities), we try to escape the threats of violence that rule many of our nation's streets, schools and houses. When our president (the self-proclaimed "leader of the free world") and his administration play "might is right" and "you are either with me, or against," is it any wonder that we have one of the highest crime rates in the industrialized world -- or one of the highest rates of citizens incarcerated in prisons? Is that respect? Without respect, civilization falls into ruin.

What makes all of these issues even sadder (even diabolical) is that they are presented under the guise of an enthusiastic (even ecstatic) patriotism that purports to be the protector of "freedom" for the world. As we watch the slick advertising campaigns and move behind the images of Old Glory waving in the wind and into the silence beyond the patriotic hymns, we are forced to see (if we are honest) the blatant deceit and unexamined sacrifice of our nation's exploitation of justice and integrity for the furtherance of personal interests. How small the line of safety that will prevent us from becoming a nation ruled by theocracy? How long the time before our children are forced to study the Bible in school, or our women are forced to coverthemselves in public? Wake up!

I don't know about you, but I'm eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court decision regarding the Texas sodomy case. I hope the court will not betray my faith in our nation. Having already suffered a childhood of isolation and harassment at the hands of prejudiced classmates, the forced silence of family members who did not wish to hear of my sexual identity and the outright discrimination of a government that considers me a danger to the "preservation of order" in the military, I may just have to apply for refugee status in one of the "less free" nations of the world. Perhaps even in that most ungrateful recipient of American benevolence, France, who despite having helped our nation win its independence -- and having given us one of our most cherished national symbols, the Status of Liberty -- is now considered an "enemy" worthy of our punishment. At least France allows its gay citizens the right to publicly acknowledge their relationships and the same full protection under those laws that is accorded without question to heterosexuals.
Sincerely,
Mitchell R.
sumber : planetout.com

Gemok Hitam @ 8:04 AM

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