This is a letter I wrote today to Pres. Obama. This is also my first submission to Kos.
Dear President Obama,
I am writing to you to raise a concern that I have. Before I begin, let me say that this is not a case of 'it's never enough'.
I am a 49-year-old man who grew up in the foothills of the Appalachians in Northeast Georgia. I lived through extreme poverty, alcoholism, and abuse. The only bright spot to many of my days growing up was school and my teachers. They encouraged me to believe in myself.
I took it upon myself to apply to the University of Georgia, was accepted, and drove there in a beat up '69 Chevy Nova. I graduated with both a Bachelor's and a Master's and, except for a stint in journalism, I have since dedicated myself to teaching high school children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. My school is a Title I rural school and is equal parts Black, White, and Hispanic.
I am gay and have been in a relationship with my partner, a Vietnamese immigrant who is a nurse, for 12 years. The Supreme Court decision has made it possible for us to get married, which is all we have ever wanted. Our state, Georgia, allows us to share benefits since I am a state employee.
Here is my concern: after teaching for 17 years in Georgia, I can still be fired by my local school board for 'moral turpitude' for being gay, but I can have my spouse on my insurance and can file a joint state and federal tax return.
The reasoning is that school boards have long had the prerogative to determine the definition of moral turpitude vis-a-vis perceived 'community standards'. I would argue that since gay couples have already gotten married in our county, the standard has shifted, but fear the repercussions if we do get married and get both of us on my insurance. In theory, this is all done at the state level, but I know for a fact that the personnel department at my school system office has full access to such information.
I realize that the EEOC has recently declared sexual orientation as falling under the umbrella of sexual discrimination and I thank you from my soul for your personal willingness to accept us fully into the American Family. What I am asking you in all humility is that you look into the issue I have described.
Just because it is a federal law and now a state law for employees does not mean that it is working at the local level. I am not the only gay teacher I know who will not be getting married for fear of reprisals. Once a school administration decides that you will go, they will stop at nothing to make you go away by creating a hostile work environment. This is a real 'where the rubber meets the road' problem.
All I want to do is help others out of poverty, be respected, and live my life in peace with the one I love.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope that you will actually get to read my letter.