Why is everyone so concerned about labels? White or black, male or female, gay or straight; aren't we all at the core the same. People allow themselves to be defined by the labels society assigns to them and it is time to change that. However, politicians like Representative Phil Gingrey, a Republican from Georgia wants to go back in time. He feels that children should be taught at a very young age what the traditional gender roles are and adhere to them. Gingrey: "...maybe at the grade school level, and have a class for the young girls and have a class for the young boys and say, you know this what's important. The is what a father does that is maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents that a mom as in a certain area. And the same thing for the young girls, that you know, this is what a mom does, and this is what is important from the standpoint of that union we call marriage."
Now is is true parents each parent plays a specific role in the development but whoever said that a male and female had to fill those roles. There have been several studies done to show that children of homosexual studies thrive just as well if not better than children of heterosexual couples. 2 females or 2 males can fill the roles needed for healthy childhood development because we do not all fall into the gender stereotypes of the past. I personally can not stand stereotypes, just because I act or dress a certain way doesn't define me. People would rather judge each other on the basis of stereotypes than actually get to know each other. People like Rep. Gingrey are why in some areas our country is still not made progress to complete gender equality; why women still on average make a third less than men and why children who don't meet stereotypes are bullied.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/19/2182311/gingrey-teach-gender-roles/
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/05/2106751/same-sex-parenting-study/
Monday, June 24, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Politics
The 2012 Presidential election was the start of the most recent push for equality. During the election, 3 states; Maine, Maryland, and Washington passed laws for marriage equality. Bringing the total at the time to 9. In the last month, 3 new states have brought that total to 12. Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota are the most recent states to step up on the right side of history. There are now laws for marriage equality in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, The District of Colombia, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Iowa, and Washington. The next state to add laws for marriage equality could be Illinois, where they are in the last 15 days of their legislative session.
Not only was the victory won with the passage of new state laws but it was also won with the election of several pro-equality politicians. 10 out of 12 anti-LGBT candidates lost in major elections and the first openly gay senator was elected. These past few months have seen great victories for the LGBT community and its allies but it has also seen its struggles. The Supreme Court has yet to make a final ruling on the unconstitutional California Proposition 8, and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. With the victories thus far this year, it looks like equality is winning!
Brittney Griner
Recently all the talk about professional athletes coming out have come from the men's side however the women have also been making great strides. Brittney Griner #1 draft pick to the Phoenix Mercury has been making history in her own right becoming the first openly gay athlete to sign with Nike. BG is breaking down barriers by just being herself. She is who she is and I think that is a lesson we can all learn. It helps young women who don't fit the traditional female stereotype to see someone like Brittney Griner stand up and say yes I'm a lesbian and I'm comfortable with who I am. Thought Griner is not the first professional female athlete to come out she is the first whose coming out has made major press. ESPN is running a new article and interview on Brittney Griner and personally I feel it is one that everyone should read and watch. Keep up the good work BG and keep working those bow ties. Go Mercury!!
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9316697/owning-middle
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9316697/owning-middle
Robbie Rogers
Another professional male athlete has come out and decided not to
retire. A few weeks ago professional American soccer player Robbie Rogers came
out. At the time it was not decided if Robbie would return to the MLS or any
other professional soccer league. However, on Saturday it was released that
Robbie had signed with the LA Galaxy, making him only the 2nd professional male
athlete to come out publicly and continue to play in the United States.
Tolerance and acceptance is beginning to
show in the soccer world. In 2012, 2 female soccer players for the United
States Women's National Soccer Team (Megan Rapinoe and Lori Lindsey) and 1
member of the Australian Women's National Soccer Team (Sarah Walsh) publicly
announced their sexuality and have seen enormous amounts of support. With
Rogers' now signed with LA all 3 American athletes are playing professional
soccer. Though many LGBT athletes have been coming out and continuing to play
in several European countries, Robbie Rogers is making history in the United States.
First Jason Collins and now Robbie Rogers,
the progress towards acceptance in men's professional sports is beginning to
pick up, following in the footsteps of its female counterpart.
Music
Music has always acted as a voice and as a means of communication.
Ideas spread more easily through songs than perhaps anywhere else. Recently one
of the most outspoken songs for equality was released by Macklemore and Ryan
Lewis, the song is called Same Love. The song was released in the summer
of 2012 during the campaign of Washington Referendum 74, which allows same-sex
marriage in the state of Washington. Though the song only reached 72 on
Billboard Hot 100, it still made the list which shows the progress made in this
country.
Since the gay rights movement began musicians have tried to set an
example of being out and proud. Melissa Etheridge, Elton John, Tracy
Chapman, Adam Lambert and up and coming duo Tegan and Sara are all out
musicians they are just a few. Speaking from experience these artists do put
their careers on the line when they come out. My father used to love Melissa
Etheridge, had all of her albums but when he found out she was a lesbian he
destroyed them. He refuses to listen to her music and hates that I like to
listen to her songs.
The influence musicians have over our thoughts and ideas make
their craft very special. They have the ability to mainstream an issue with
just a few notes. We should all step up to help support these artists gay and
ally alike!
Murder in NYC
On Monday, May 20th, a rally against LGBT violence was held in New
York City. Many supporters of gay and lesbian rights were present. It was an
awesome event with a great turnout of people. However, only hours after the
rally, multiple tragedies began to take place. One of 6 attacks that night, was
the one on Dan Contarino. Contarino had worked at a nightclub in Philly He was
in NYC to attend the rally. Witnesses say that the suspect was allegedly
kicking Contarino while screaming anti-gay slurs. If there just so happened to
be a bystander who was willing to step in and help, maybe Dan Contarino would
not have had to suffer a brutal beating and undergo many life-changing
surgeries. This brings the number of gay bashings in NYC in just 30 days, to 7.
This is absolutely outrageous. Many people
disagree with me when I say that gays and lesbians should have the same rights
as any other couples. While they may disagree, things such as beatings, and
even MURDER, are highly unnecessary. That's about as crazy as killing
someone for being a different religion than you. I want you, my fellow readers,
to make me a promise. Please, promise me that if you ever see someone being
badgered, not only for being gay or lesbian, but for anything, that you will
step in and do your part. It is our responsibility as activists and supporters
of what's right to make this world a better place.
Going Rogue
When you think of the south, what
comes to mind? Humid weather? Religion? Immigrants? Well, many small, close
knit southern communities seem to have something against gay marriage.
Okay, no that's a lie- they don't have something against it; in retrospect,
they seem to have a huge problem
with it. Not just the south either. Take, for example, the previous blog entry
about a man in New York who was shot and killed for the treacherously
unforgivable crime of being gay (yes, that was sarcasm, gay is okay); to sum it
all up, lets just say that some people are nuts- absolute wackos. But that's
not what this post is about. Today, I am going to talk you about a small town
in Arizona; a town that went against the odds to do the right thing.
This past April, the town of Bisbee, Arizona, a close knit community of about 5,600 residents, decided to adopt an ordinance establishing civil unions for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples; therefore giving them the same legal rights as if they were married. Now, to be honest I don't exactly know the difference between a civil union and a marriage; but hey, progress is progress, isn't it?
Unfortunately, no matter where you go, you're bound to find someone who disagrees, which is exactly what happened recently in the fine state of Arizona- state attorney general, Tom Horne (R), plans to file a lawsuit before the ordinance goes into effect later this month. Horne's claims are that the City of Bisbee violated Arizona's state constitution which limits marriage to opposite-sex couples; however, city attorney John MacKinnon has found the perfect loophole- the city is establishing civil unions, not marriages, and is therefore not violating any law.
The Shooting in Greenwich Village
On the night of May 17th, in the small burrough of Greenwich
Village in NYC, a man was shot and killed simply for being gay. Authorities say
that the victim, Marc Carson, and his partner were out that Friday night,
strolling the beautiful dim streets of New York City. It is said that the
suspect (who's name has not yet been retrieved) walked up to the men and began
making anti-gay remarks. The suspect finally went away, but soon after,
appeared a few streets over where the same two men were walking. He walked back
up to them, once again began making anti-gay taunts. This time, however, he did
not leave. He allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Carson in the face.
Reading this article brought tears to my
eyes. Such ignorance is absolutely ridiculous. You don't even need to believe
in gay rights. You can hate gays all you want, but my God, is it necessary to
go out and kill them simply because you hate the way they live? I am so
disgusted. One does not need to agree with the values of others in order to
respect them. When is the last time you heard a news story on a gay person
brutally murdering a straight person, for the sole reason of them being
different? More than likely, never. I am not in any way saying that there has
never been a scenario like that. There very well could have been. In which
case, I would look at them and say the same things I'm saying here. Because
this isn't about me having a biased opinion on gays. This is me saying that
EVERYONE should be treated equally, because we all know damn well what it feels
like to be bullied and discriminated against.
Jason Collins
Last Monday, NBA player Jason Collins announced that he was gay.
In doing so, he became the first openly gay NBA player, or even the first
openly gay player in any of the four American team sports organizations
for that matter (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). This is a huge step forward for the LGBT
community as it is a giant push towards tolerance. Tolerance which many don’t
have, and some people need.
Collins’ decision to come out recieved different reactions from
different groups. While many, such as NBA commissioner David Stern, his twin
brother Jarron, his teammates and coaches, and even corporate sponsor Nike
supported him all releasing several press statements, a select few,
particularly NFL players Mike Wallace and Alphonso Smith, along with former
Knick Larry Johnson, spoke about Collins in a rather condescending, and in my
opinion, extremely inappropriate manner. Especially Smith, who later tweeted
that “it's a shame I have to apologize for my TRUE feelings.” I don’t know
about you, but this kind of thing really bothers me.
Who’s seen Bambi? Most of us have. In Bambi, Thumper says “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” That’s a pretty nice quote, and I love it; but I also feel like some people should listen to little old Thumper. A lot of problems could be avoided this way, and people would be happier. To some, Jason Collins is an inspiration; so why do others feel the need to hate and criticize?
story from:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9223657/jason-collins-first-openly-gay-active-player
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