Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Tag: LGBT
Who won’t turn 40 this year?
Matthew Shepard won’t celebrate his 40th birthday on December 1, 2016. He hasn’t celebrated his birthday for 18 years.
Cause of death: Homicide
On October 6, 1998, Matthew, 21, was lured from a bar in Laramie, WY. He thought he was getting a ride home. Instead, he was driven to a rural area where he was beaten, tortured, tied to a fence, and left to die. A cyclist discovered him 18 hours later. What he thought was a scarecrow, was Matthew in a coma.
Matthew died on October 12, 1998, the way no human should. He passed away laying in a hospital bed in Fort Collins, CO.
Matthew was murdered because he was gay. Aaron McKinney, 22, and Russell Henderson, 21, are serving life terms. They deserve it.
What they didn’t deserve was growing up in a country whose government politicizes civil rights by planting deep seeds of discrimination and hate toward fellow Americans who are diverse in different ways.
Two administrations later, we spend money faster than technology evolves. Yet, our politics traveled back in time.
Both parties are guilty. The LGBT was ignored by one and attacked by the other. At least attacking acknowledges existence. Without the attacks, would we still be ignored? But, President Obama pushed a lot harder and made a little more progress.
I get it, it’s a process. A slow, slow process.
The Great American Hypocrisy: All lives will never matter.
As long as civil rights are politicized, America will remain a nation of enemies. Fear leads to discrimination. Discrimination leads to hate and so on.
Political parties don’t solve civil rights issues, they create them. Civil rights are platform poison.
To all the do nothing politicians.
Civil rights are constitutional and belong in the judicial system. Civil rights aren’t for you to repeal if you disagree with the outcome.
There are countless combinations of the civil rights menu and we have two options?
How many more sessions will you challenge Roe v. Wade? How much money do you have access to? Now you want to repeal gay marriage? Deny hospital visits to my partner…my family? You want to spend money on conversion therapy? Oh, now I can be fired?
Talk about setting a precedent – which is exactly why civil rights should not be political.
Being gay isn’t a choice! You know what is a choice? Taking bribes. Adultry. Lying. Living your life in the closet. Homophobia. Religion. Ruining your family. Ruining my family.
Go convert yourself.
Tell you what, fix our schools. Fix healthcare. Fix wages. Enable parents to be parents. Give Americans a real chance. Quit preaching fiscal responsibility while killing your citizens and flooding the world (and your basements) with taxpayer money.
I’ll tell you what we’re all.
We’re all sick of your bullshit politics.
And stop accepting bribes. Dig deep and find your merits – run on those. Actually do something for the people.
The establishments are in stalemate.
It’s simple. Either we’re all created equal or we’re not. Which is it? At least answer that. I know what you’re going to say. We all…what? Matter? Are equal? What? Spit it out.
*cricket*
You keep wasting our time and money playing tug o’ war with civil rights. If you want to argue civil rights, practice law. Otherwise, be the legislative, public-serving representative you signed up to be.
It wasn’t until 2009 when Congress passed The Matthew Shepard Act which President Obama signed into law. Matthew’s gruesome murder would finally be considered a hate crime. It took 11 years.
The Gone Old Parties
The 2016 GOP Platform is nothing short of horrifying. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, it’s right here.
There are no parties. The choice is conscience. Next month is not the time to leave America’s future to chance. Next time there will be more options.
Let’s land the plane, refuel, and continue the work that needs to be done.
Not voting is not an option. Take a stance!
A Note to Matthew
Matt, I was 24 when the world learned what happened to you. Your life inspired and motivated LGBT movements across the planet.
If you were born the day you died, you’d be casting your first vote in a historic election in November when the U.S. elects its next President.
Your sacrifice brought awareness of a hatred that makes anyone a vulnerable target.
We won’t let you down. Not anymore. We’ve evolved. We continue to evolve, albeit slowly.
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A Man Walks into a Restroom…
He used it and left. Nobody thought about whether he had a penis or vagina.
Nobody cared.
Restrooms are no less safe than they’ve always been.
A woman walks into a restroom. Only the middle stall was available. She ate Taco Bell for lunch. She offered a courtesy flush as she let go. A bashful gal, she waited until everyone left before exiting the stall.
The “bathroom bills” are distractions intended to cause fear and division to support broader LGBT discrimination.
A man walks into a restroom. He has to piss, but there aren’t dividers between urinals. Self conscious, he uses a stall. He didn’t wash his hands before leaving.
This isn’t about restrooms. Trans men are men. Trans women are women. These laws, if followed, will create the problem that didn’t exist in the first place – co-ed restrooms.
Three girlfriends walk into a restroom. One fixes her hair. One freshens her face. One takes a selfie for Instagram. They criticize themselves and compliment each other until everyone believes they look cute. The restroom selfie had 15 ‘likes’ before rejoining their group.
Lawmakers claim it’s a ‘safety issue’ and, without these laws, restrooms – especially for women and young girls – are dangerous places where anyone can enter regardless of gender.
As if laws don’t exist for public misconduct, lewd behavior, and sex crimes – even in restrooms.
A father carries his toddler daughter into a restaurant restroom. She’s sipping water like a bottomless margarita. Simultaneously, another man enters. It’s a small restroom with two toilets. He tells the father he’ll wait outside until they finish.
It’s an election year and it’s time to divide voters. Certain lawmakers add fuel to a smoldering fire by attaching a non-issue to anti-LGBT legislation in order to stoke emotions, cause confusion, and manipulate voters.
A restroom attendant walks into a nightclub men’s room to prepare for his shift. He organizes the gum, mints, cologne, candy, cigarettes, tissues, and towels. He works for tips and remembers who takes care of him. He ignores the fact they don’t use the toilets after locking their stall.
Restroom scandals aren’t new. In the news, they usually involve the men’s room and undercover cops.
A homeless veteran walks into a restroom. He’s looking for a sink with running water. As he washes his face, he’s unaware people are more concerned he’s dangerous than he doesn’t have a home.
Restrooms are no less safe than they’ve always been.
A mother escorts her son, age 10, to a restroom. He enters on his own and she waits outside. Three men exit as she waits. He emerges unscathed. He always has. Even still, she accompanies him to public restrooms without exception.
Unabashed Hypocrisy
Throughout history, anti-LGBT supporters have ruined their careers and families when their dirty little secrets involving their own sexuality emerge publicly.
Are their actions overcompensating self-hatred and their personal affinity for same-sex shenanigans?
Personally, I don’t care. It takes a big man to hurt others because they’re secretly miserable.
Here are names of some anti-gay hypocrites. Feel free to look them up if you’re interested in the extent of their hypocrisy and, in some cases, crime(s).
Dennis Hassert – Former U.S. Speaker of the House
Larry Craig – Former Idaho State Senator
Troy King – Former Alabama Attorney General
George Rekers – Co-Founder of the Family Research Council
Richard Curtis – Former Washington State Representative
Glenn Murphy Jr. – Former President of the Young Republican National Federation
David Dreider – Former California Congressman
Bruce Barclay – Former County Commissioner, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Roy Ashburn – Former California State Senator
Ed Schrock – Former Virginia Congressman
Bob Allen – Former Florida State Representative
Phillip Hinkle – Former Indiana State Representative
Roberto Arango – Former Puerto Rico Senator
Randy Boehning – Former North Dakota State Representative
Matthew Makela – Pastor in Michigan
Ted Haggard – Evangelical Pastor in Colorado
Steve Wiles – Candidate for State Senator of North Carolina
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 The County Worker on the Soapbox and What I Thank God For
Just when I thought her 15 minutes were up, BAM! There she was again, occupying headlines like a child crying for attention.
Who uses a once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the pope to get attention and airtime? An opportunist, that’s who.
I don’t know what kind of soap she believes cleansed her soul and is trying to sell, but the box is empty and upside down. Someone told her she smells good and now she’s standing on it. It won’t be long before that poor box busts into bits under the weight of all of God’s work she thinks she needs to do.
Lady, please step down. God can do His own work.
I won’t type her name. Her name doesn’t matter. She doesn’t matter to me.
She’s a figurehead, by default, holding a megaphone. The minute she stepped out of prison, her puppeteers gave her a hug and attached the harness. They are pulling her strings and keeping her in the headlines while trying to capitalize on the business of hate and business is good.
All that nonsense about her meeting the pope was thrown out there this week without one good intention. It was selfish, vindictive, and divisive. Her team are master manipulators and they love hate. Hating her only fuels the fire, extending her reach, and keeps them paid. She’s so busy basking in the spotlight that she doesn’t feel their fangs in her neck.
I refuse to click on headlines with her name anymore. I won’t engage with those stories. I won’t be part of encouraging them. I have no interest in either the lost battle, or the minority she represents. If nobody clicked, her voice would be gone.
I don’t hate her, but I think she is dangerous. She twists and bends her religion, like Play-Doh, into a mold where she’s above the law, right, and a victim, all while carrying a personal list of sins a mile long. Sound familiar? That’s because she’s not the first and she won’t be the last.
She’s not worth my time. She’s not worth yours either. She is in my rearview mirror where she looks good right next to other garbage I need to forget about.
She and Huckabee can go be righteous together and discuss their vengeful God ad nauseam. That is, until they stop talking to one another once neither of them have anything left to gain from each other. She has already met the pope and Mike won’t be inviting anyone to the White House for dinner, so that love affair could already be over.
Anyway, enough about her. She can go on living by or breaking the law in her own world. Kentucky can deal with her and I don’t need the play-by-play.
As for the pope? I don’t know. It’s like when I lived in Wisconsin and I rooted for the Green Bay Packers. I did that because that’s what you do when you live in Wisconsin. When they won, life was good. People were happy. However, when they lost, especially a playoff or Super Bowl game, the level of upset in their true fans was something I just didn’t feel. It was a reminder that I was never fully vested in the sport to begin with and I was glad.
For the record, I am not anti-religion. This isn’t about religion, it’s about common decency. However, the county worker’s lawyer dragged the pope into the discussion so I wanted to tell you a little bit about the Christians that I know and what I thank God for in my life.
Catholicism was a presence in my upbringing and is a big part in the lives of many of my immediate and extended family members and friends.
I thank God that I have a diverse sample of Christians in my life hailing from different denominations as well as non-denominational evangelical Christians. The Christians I know are nothing like the county worker. They are kind and loving and I’m fortunate to have them in my life. Granted, we might not see eye-to-eye on certain issues, but they don’t treat me like a lesser human. I’m pretty sure that’s quite the opposite of what Jesus taught and a true Christian knows this.
They hold strong to their convictions, but they don’t assert their views or beliefs on others. They are open to discussions and I’ve had my share. What I appreciate most about the Christians I know is that they live their life by their faith.
I thank God that my family supports me in who I love which I didn’t think was possible 25 years ago. It wouldn’t be fair to say it was always easy, but the process was a journey and an incredible learning experience, albeit work. I currently benefit from closer family bonds with open lines of communication.
I was able to witness my grandparents on my father’s side evolve their views after learning I wouldn’t be making them great grandparents. Despite any thoughts they had prior, they accepted me for who I am.
Our visits during my trips ‘back home’ were something special and my partner was always welcome. They began addressing Christmas cards to both me and my partner. I’m so thankful for this simple act, especially now that they both have passed. These were the two people I thought would be most disappointed in me, but that was not the case.
I thank God that, in some small way, I have been able to impact opinions and/or behaviors within the microcosm I reside. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the individual level.
On a greater scale, we aren’t where I thought we would be when I left home for college in 1992. I live in a state where people can be denied work or be terminated based on sexual orientation. When company policies put more parameters on the company’s behavior than state laws, it’s time to take a step forward. We are, as Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada would say, moving at a glacial pace.
To pretend that the county worker was within her right to not sign those documents is absolutely ridiculous. She found God and scrubbed her sins and is claiming to protect her rights as she infringes on the rights of others. It’s a real shame that the Christians who make headlines have as much impact causing a divide as they do. However, there’s money to be made in controversy. As long as we can be pitted against one another, we will continue to be.
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