New York, you are breaking my heart. How can it be that the state that hosts one of the most progressive cities on the planet, reject a bill to allow gay marriage?
It used to be that we were taught love is love. Love thy neighbor as thy self, love is a very many splendid thing, how do I love thee? Just as quickly as we were fed bits and pieces of what love should be we were asked to assign an acceptable gender to it, make sure it's the same race, nationality and religion. While we were at it we were asked to make sure similar social classes and educational levels were adhered to. Yet, love is love right?
Love is out of the box. Love is unconventional. Love is layered. As someone who has been married for 16 years, I think I have earned the right to a little insight on this particular institution. From my experience, the focus needs to be put not on the gender of the couple, but on the intent, the understanding, the respect, the profound commitment involved in wanting to share your life with someone, despite the unexpected turns, the difficulties, the celebrations, the moments of reflection or discord....the focus needs to be put on the work it takes to keep a relationship honest and tended to, and the faith it needs to raise above ego, insecurities, vanity, misplaced pride, weakness.....the focus needs to be put on the love between 2 people who want more than anything to belong to each other in a way that feels natural, familiar, complete. Marriage is more than a just a certificate, or a union, it is above all a legal validation that a family with rights now exists. There is a responsibility that transcends the moral calling, and resides in a world of law and order.
Equal rights. We really have to start thinking about what that means. We still live in a place where prejudice still interferes with basic human rights. As a mother of a child with disabilities, I see it first hand in the most frustrating and infuriating of ways. As a Latina, I have had to struggle to rise above preconceived stereotypes, but that is nothing next to what people with disabilities face. And when it comes down to the Gay community, the violence against them, the stereotypes, the fight to be considered a family, the fight for a right to marry....just who are we as a society, as a country, as people to deny others their basic human rights? If we are to believe in a Loving God, then I just cannot see that God coming in between love, but rather blessing it.
When there are too many restrictions on love, how to love, who to love, exactly what does that love become? And when we place restrictions on a group of people and expect them to follow the same laws and be quiet, what does that make us? Funny how segregation finds different ways to reinvent itself.......
"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere, it's up to you, New York, New York".......
We need to make this right..............
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