To the members of the Illinois General Assembly:
For the next 2 days, you are faced with the opportunity not only to make an important decision, but an imperative one. You have the power to grant queer people and their supporters an opportunity for another step in the right direction towards equality with the passage of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act”
This decision should be an easy one, it should not take any pondering, not a sense of muse, but a simple answer as there is not one single logical argument that supports the denial and rejection of this bill just as there is not one single or logical argument that supports the discrimination and abuse that so many of us in the queer community face, many of whom face on daily bases.
For too long, we have sat on the sidelines, and waited patiently for you to do the work of the righteous and the justified, but our patience can only run so thin.
For too long, many have watched their partners die of diseases like AIDS, and have no legal standing to do anything about it.
For too long, many have been denied the same legal and economic rights and opportunities of those of their heterosexual counterparts.
For too long, many have been forced to hide, force to escape, force to lie to themselves about who they are and who they love. Not only does this contribute to the abuse of society, but the abuse of one’s self, the abuse of hating oneself for being different, for not being so-called “normal”, for not being the “perfect child” that their parents dreamed of.
However, no longer will we accept such abuse, no longer will we be forced to hide, to escape, to be ostracized by the law, society, our families, and by our own selves.
No longer will we allow people who have fallen in love and have remained in love for over 40 years be denied the right to not only marry their lover, but be denied the legal protection to take care of that person, to make decisions on behalf of that person, to provide that person with financial, legal, and health benefits.
This is more than a story of “right” vs. wrong”, “good vs. evil”, but rather a chapter towards justice, peace, acceptance, protection and equality.
Somewhere in Illinois, somewhere in the country, and somewhere in the world, there is a gay person, a gay parent, gay child, a gay elder, a gay teacher that is looking for any glance of a sense of belonging, a sense of pride, and a sense of hope for their future.
And I too have hope that the child who is afraid of coming out, the teacher who can’t provide benefits to his or her partner, the gay elder who’s partner is in the hospital and he or she can’t make the decision that’s best for their person they fell in love with so many years ago, and to the gay parent that fears for their child, not only for their safety, but what they will be legally and financially able to give that child, no longer has to worry or live in fear, and they too, have hope for a better life.
I hope that no longer the legal, the mental, the physical, and the economical abuse will continue on such a large amount of citizens or any citizens for that matter.
I know that marriage-equality won’t solve all of these abuses and problems, but marriage-equality is a major step towards solving a lot of the issues that so many queer people face today.
As I dream and hope of seeing the bill passed, I can for once begin to taste the freedom of truly being a true and equal citizen under the law. As humans, as any form of life, we beg to belong, we need to belong, it is imperative to our survival. And like any human or animal, we dream of freedom, and you have the opportunity to grant of that freedom because one day sooner or later, I know that we will be free; free from all the hatred and abuse in the world, free from our denials of who we really are, free from the ridicule, free from the suffering, free from all the doctrines that hold us back, free from laws and injustices that prevent innovation. Freedom belongs to all men, all women, humans of all creed, color, race, sexual orientation, gender identity. For once, all we want is to be free.
Got Hope? Harvey Milk from Causecast on Vimeo.