opinion@dailylobo.com
I’d like to congratulate not only my homosexual friends, but also those with whom I’m not acquainted, for the successful defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act.
This historic Supreme Court ruling has paved the way for a brighter tomorrow for millions who were, until June 28, unable to enjoy the freedoms everybody should be entitled to.
I read, for example, that the deportation of a gay man who was married to an American has been halted due to the ruling.
Fortuitous timing indeed, and I imagine that many more such cases will be getting attention now that the door is open and people are riding high on their victory.
But I would also like to remind everyone that the fight is not over. The Supreme Court ruling means New Mexico must uphold same-sex marriages formed in other states, however the state does not itself grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
So, don’t give up. The history of civil rights in the United States has been one of struggle and hardship, but also one where perseverance thrives, goals are met, hatred is overcome, walls are broken down and societies are mended.
But these are not easy goals and there is stiff opposition every step of the way. This is a fight, make no mistake about it, and the opposition will always be there.
Don’t let them grind you down. For every insult find a compliment, for every bully find a friend, for every injustice seek justice, and you will triumph in the end.
There’s a great quote from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” which I am completely taking out of context: “The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.”
I don’t want to demonize the opposition too much, but I will note that this encapsulates what I think the general attitude should be when it comes to intolerance toward any minority group. In other words, don’t despair: When you encounter intolerance, remember that it is just the last attempt for people to try to get their way, because they’re losing badly.
It used to be easy to hate other people. Nobody had met a gay person, nobody knew anybody who was gay. Of course, this was mostly because of social stigma. Nobody knew any gay people because no gay person in their right mind would admit to being so.
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From my parent’s generation to my own this has changed radically.
When you have gay friends, gay co-workers and gay family it becomes a lot harder to bare an irrational hatred toward gays in general. In my generation, homosexual students were a feature of high school life.
But I went to a fairly progressive high school. There are high schools out there with bullies, and there are communities where it is still not permissible to one to admit that they’re gay.
Kids who get outed, or who come out, often are the targets of attacks and merciless bullying, and this is unacceptable. How many people now live in fear of their friends, family and classmates?
How many now live in fear for their lives?
People die from bullying. And in some places in America, the torture of young gay children is not only ignored, but actively encouraged by adults who do not care about who is hurt so long as it is somebody they don’t like and haven’t met.
The defeat of DOMA will one day perhaps solve the plight of young students, but it won’t do it alone. Nor will New Mexico change its laws overnight.
Work has to be done, but it will be done because you can’t keep good people down. They get back up.
Since Wednesday, the Gay Pride movement has been riding a wave of victory. I say ride it all the way to Santa Fe and get marriage legalized for everybody. The sad truth is that nobody is willing to give anybody anything if they don’t have to, and it isn’t worth waiting around for the state to grant equality. It has to be taken, it has to be fought for, and now is the time to do it.
