Only You Can Be The Change

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of the constant assault on our community as it attempts to attain equal status in regards to family and probate law in this country. Seems for every Martinez story there is a Maggie Brooks counterattack or an ignorant rant from the likes of Sally Kern.

Here in California, we have it a little better than most of la familia who reside in other states. We have some family and probate law tied to our domestic partnerships, but we still do not hold all rights and responsibilities.

I lived in Europe for several years. There, all people who want to marry must first be civilly joined – then they can do whatever the hell the want – have a church wedding or don’t. It’s a legal, secular, institution, so this makes sense. So, why is it that the religious right seems to forget this fact? Why isn’t this the model we go for in this country – seems to me this would cut the theological discourse right down to size. I don’t want to impinge on their religious beliefs, yet they do not, by the light of our Constitution, have the right to impede me from sharing the same legal rights as they do.

So, most of us agree, right? Without necessarily wanting to enter into such an institution as marriage (and I have come to believe I should be institutionalized should I ever wander down that path again), we should have the right to do so.

What do we then do? We write and write and call and call our representatives and get our friends who agree with us to call and write. Strength lies in numbers. And, no one is going to do it for us. The only power we have is through our vote and our activism. Supporting causes that advance our agenda and making a stand for positive change.

Go forth and write or call and let your Federal representatives in Washington know you mean business – don’t rely on the other guy or gal to do it for you, k?

How to reach them: Congress.Org