The argument against gay marriage in Canada is over, done, kaput.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061208.wxsamesex08/BNStory/National/home
Hooray, and all that, but it begs the question: What the hell is wrong with us? If Canada can do it, why are we denying a basic civil right to our citizens?
I know what you’re going to say: “But, our wingnuts are crazier than their wingnuts!”
“Our progressive politicians have spines spongier than their progressive politicians!”
And while you’re at it, let’s not forget that our gay-hate apologists are more apologetic than their gay-hate apologists:
The number of times I’ve had to read variations of the following in liberal blog comments has been truly numbing, “Sure, those bigots are wrong, but It would be crazy for the Democratic party to support gay marriage” or “Just because I’m against gay marriage, doesn’t make me a bigot.”
(And let me say for the record, umm, yes, it does — by definition. Your actions — or lack thereof — speak louder than your words.
Try to translate your tortured logic to any other group and get away with it, “Just because I’m against blacks voting, doesn’t make me a bigot.” “Just because I’m against Jews in my country club, doesn’t make me a bigot.” Uh huh.)
I’m disgusted by all of the above who willingly and willfully deny gay people basic civil rights.
Perhaps because for me gays aren’t mere political pawns, to be moved about a chess board as best serves a particular politician or party.
As they say, I have some skin in the game: a gay brother who has been living with his boyfriend for over 30 years. And one of the very real problems they face — because our wingnuts, politicians without nuts, bigotry-denying-but-bigotry-acting citizens deny them that particular civil right — is with health insurance.
Larry has worked for the same company for over 30 years, but it’s a small (although prestigious) firm, and frankly, their health benefits suck.
Bill has worked for another company for over ten years, which was recently gobbled up by a large Canadian conglomerate, whose policy in Canada is to include same-sex partners in their benefits plan, and they offer their American employees a fairly generous health insurance plan.
But Bill and Larry have lived in Florida for 30 years, and despite three decades of taxes they’ve paid to that state, Jeb Bush and the other Florida Neanderthals have made it their business to deny them partnership status of any sort (with the collusion of the “I’m not a bigot, but …” set.)
Which gives Bill’s health plan the leeway to reject Larry, and Larry is nine years older than Bill.
You do the math: if the man my brother Bill has loved for over 30 years gets sick, Larry will get second-class (or worse) health care.
And if you’re one of the “I don’t believe in gay marriage/bad for Democratic Party” group — you helped!
Have a nice day.
(And yes, I know there are others suffering greater from the inequities of our broken health care system — as one for instance, next month the cost of my insurance plan will be raised 45%. Happy New Year!)
But before the thread below goes off on a health-care tangent rant, I’d rather bring us back to the point:
Two American citizens, living together for over thirty years, basic civil rights denied, because the idea that they love each other makes some people feel icky.
By the by, they call it “Equal marriage” in Canada. Hey, we’re supposed to be the big equality buffs, so let’s get cracking on acting like it.