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While we're all getting (quite appropriately) angry over that nasty discriminatory shit in Virginia, and the ongoing fight over gay marriage, I think it might be worth backing up a little bit to understand where this country is really at. Same-sex marriage is a worthy goal indeed, but frankly, it's a pipe dream when you realize that:
Most states still don't even have anti-discrimination laws.
Only twelve states-- CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NV(!), NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT and WI-- have laws prohibiting discrimination in private employment. Additionally, several large or particularly liberal cities and counties in other states have those laws (for instance, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta...)
What this means on a practical level: I live in Snohomish county. Neither the county, nor any cities in it have anti-discrimination laws, nor does my state. If I were to get a job at, say, a small real-estate agency here, and I parked my car, festooned with rainbow stickers, in their parking lot, and my boss saw that, and decided that he'd rather not work with a queer, he could legally fire me. He wouldn't even have to come up with a fake reason. He could specifically tell me that he doesn't want to work with someone queer, and bang, I'm gone. And I would have absolutely no legal recourse.
Another angle: Public accomodations. Only 11 states-- CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, WI-- have laws against discrimination in public accomodations. Note the absence of NV on that list.
What this means on a practical level: If a same-sex couple wanted to go to Reno and get a single-bed hotel room, they could legally be turned down for that room. Now, in Reno, this isn't likely to happen, because gay money is just as good as straight money, but in other places, absolutely. Say you wanted to stay at a nice bed and breakfast in Taos, NM. You could be refused. Say you like the looks of a small boutique hotel in Boulder, CO. You could be refused. A roadside motel along I-5 near Albany, OR? You could be refused.
One more: Housing. An even smaller number: only 10 states. CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WI
What this means on a practical level: If a gay couple wanted to rent an apartment in Monterey, CA, they could legally be refused. If they wanted to buy a house in Medford, OR, they could be refused. Or a vacation home in Lake Tahoe.
And this doesn't even count other essential things in life that most gay people in most places can be denied, such as access to education and credit, or even the right to sit down and have a nice meal in a restaurant, or shop at a grocery store. In most places in the country outside of large cities and liberal college towns, a gay person can legally be denied most of the most basic needs in life. Michigan (and apparently a few other states) is now trying to make it so people can even discriminate against gay people for *health care.* Have a tooth that needs a filling in Lansing? Best not assume any given dentist will treat you, if you're gay.
People have been working to try to get statewide anti-discrimination laws going in most states. They continue to fail. Some places have even had anti-discrimination laws repealed (Such as Iowa and Cincinnatti)
Now, if we can't even guarantee the right to rent an apartment or have a job, how can we hope that the rest of the country is going to be nice enough to let people marry whomever they fall in love with? Remember that there are only 10% of us, and nearly 45% who belong to religions which actively encourage anti-gay discrimination. Our only hope is to try to encourage the other 45% of the country to side with us instead of them.
So what do we do? Well, there's one thing: Register. Vote. Get Bush the fuck out of office, and replace him with the imperfect but at least compassionate Kerry. Only then do we even have the smallest hope of having any freedom left at all.
Most states still don't even have anti-discrimination laws.
Only twelve states-- CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NV(!), NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT and WI-- have laws prohibiting discrimination in private employment. Additionally, several large or particularly liberal cities and counties in other states have those laws (for instance, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta...)
What this means on a practical level: I live in Snohomish county. Neither the county, nor any cities in it have anti-discrimination laws, nor does my state. If I were to get a job at, say, a small real-estate agency here, and I parked my car, festooned with rainbow stickers, in their parking lot, and my boss saw that, and decided that he'd rather not work with a queer, he could legally fire me. He wouldn't even have to come up with a fake reason. He could specifically tell me that he doesn't want to work with someone queer, and bang, I'm gone. And I would have absolutely no legal recourse.
Another angle: Public accomodations. Only 11 states-- CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, WI-- have laws against discrimination in public accomodations. Note the absence of NV on that list.
What this means on a practical level: If a same-sex couple wanted to go to Reno and get a single-bed hotel room, they could legally be turned down for that room. Now, in Reno, this isn't likely to happen, because gay money is just as good as straight money, but in other places, absolutely. Say you wanted to stay at a nice bed and breakfast in Taos, NM. You could be refused. Say you like the looks of a small boutique hotel in Boulder, CO. You could be refused. A roadside motel along I-5 near Albany, OR? You could be refused.
One more: Housing. An even smaller number: only 10 states. CT, HI, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WI
What this means on a practical level: If a gay couple wanted to rent an apartment in Monterey, CA, they could legally be refused. If they wanted to buy a house in Medford, OR, they could be refused. Or a vacation home in Lake Tahoe.
And this doesn't even count other essential things in life that most gay people in most places can be denied, such as access to education and credit, or even the right to sit down and have a nice meal in a restaurant, or shop at a grocery store. In most places in the country outside of large cities and liberal college towns, a gay person can legally be denied most of the most basic needs in life. Michigan (and apparently a few other states) is now trying to make it so people can even discriminate against gay people for *health care.* Have a tooth that needs a filling in Lansing? Best not assume any given dentist will treat you, if you're gay.
People have been working to try to get statewide anti-discrimination laws going in most states. They continue to fail. Some places have even had anti-discrimination laws repealed (Such as Iowa and Cincinnatti)
Now, if we can't even guarantee the right to rent an apartment or have a job, how can we hope that the rest of the country is going to be nice enough to let people marry whomever they fall in love with? Remember that there are only 10% of us, and nearly 45% who belong to religions which actively encourage anti-gay discrimination. Our only hope is to try to encourage the other 45% of the country to side with us instead of them.
So what do we do? Well, there's one thing: Register. Vote. Get Bush the fuck out of office, and replace him with the imperfect but at least compassionate Kerry. Only then do we even have the smallest hope of having any freedom left at all.
