On November 3, Maine repealed the same-sex marriage law. This is heartbreaking for a number of reasons, but mostly because it demonstrates how much hatred and ostracization still exists in the US, a country that claims to be progressive and open. Matt Cheuvront, the keeper of one of the blogs I follow quite closely, Life Without Pants, wrote a moving post in reaction to the unfortunate news, letting his readers get a better impression of who he is and what he believes in. For those that have never heard of his blog, he generally writes about generation Y, blogging, social media and business philosophy. What followed this emotional post were some very insightful comments from his readers. I really enjoyed it and wanted to share some excerpts with you.
Yesterday, Maine voted on and rejected the same-sex marriage law. Over 50% of Maine’s citizens rejected equal legal rights. Maine is telling me that if I want to marry a woman, I’m welcomed with open arms, but if I decide to sleep next to a man, I can’t even get on the same health care plan as my partner. More than half of the state represents the narrow-minded population of our country that can’t accept that there are people different from them.
This is a topic that really hits home with me, but I’ve refrained from writing about, until now. When I was six years old my mom and dad got a divorce. A couple years later, my Dad remarried a woman. Around the same time, my mom celebrated her “Civil Union” – also with a woman. Yes, my mom is gay. She’s proud of it, and so am I. It’s not something I’m ashamed of our afraid to talk about. In my eyes, my mother is married to an amazing woman – but in the eyes of the state of Tennessee, they are given no legal rights as a married couple. Can you seriously sit here and tell me that’s fair?
Believe me when I say I have witnessed and lived through both extreme sides of this issue – growing up with a gay liberal mother and an extremely conservative Catholic father – you can imagine the dichotomy and being pulled in opposite directions. I love both of my parents equally – their personal beliefs will never change that. However, not only am I proud of having a gay mother, I’m thankful for it – because since a very young age I was raised to accept and love everyone, something I wish could be said for the people who voted against equal rights in Maine on November 3, 2009.
To read the rest of the post, head on over to Life Without Pants.
