Adam Bernal (nomadangel) wrote, @ 2003-12-04 02:50:00

Current mood:

tired

The Rights All People Deserve.

When someone thinks of being an activist, the most predominant things that come to mind are those of being an environmental activist, an animal right?s activist, and a human rights activist. Which one of these is more important? Some people would say environmental activism because the environment was here before we were. But I would say that human rights are just as important, if not more, because it is our own species we?re fighting for. As Rosa Ehrenreich says in her article, I Hate Trees, ?After all, what have trees done for us? They don?t work on assembly lines. They don?t write poems. And when was the last time you saw a tree rush into a burning building to save a child, or drop food into a famine-ridden country??(358) the environment performs a passive role by providing air and food, but other than that, it is not active with mankind?s survival.
Human rights is an issue we all should be concerned with, not only that but also that of human equality. Every person on the earth deserves the same rights. But in America, there is one community of people who do not get all the rights that other people do. That is the homosexual community. Many people do not understand why they don?t, and others would like to keep it that way. The main reason people are opposed to a homosexual union is because of religious background. Many religions believe that it is an abomination to nature and the way God planned the world, while others view it quite differently.
First I must start out by quoting what President George W. Bush said in his address to the American public on October 03, 2003. ?Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration is working to support the institution of marriage by helping couples build successful marriages and be good parents.? Many people would view this as a false statement. There are many unmarried people, with successful families; and a mother and father do not have to be married to be successful parents. A friend of mine would be the perfect example. Her parents were never married, and yet, she was provided for and taken care of in a manner that had both parents cooperate with each other. Another example would be my uncle. He is a gay man who has two children. He ended up gaining custody of them in their late teens, and both of them were provided for as well. So for President Bush and other law makers to say that marriage is between a man and a woman to protect the traditional family sounds like a blatant lie to cover the leaders of our country?s homophobia.
The biggest problem people have with the issue is their religion. Most religions, including Christianity, frown upon homosexuality. Some religious people don?t; however, Pastor Bruce Lowe argues in his public letter, A Letter to Louise, (which was written to a friend of his after she told him that her brother hated God because he made him gay) that it is nothing but natural for a person to be homosexual, just like it is natural for a person to be heterosexual. Most churches do not agree with Lowe?s argument, because in the book Leviticus it states, ?If a man also lie with mankind, as he lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.? According to Lowe, this was referring to ?heterosexuals who had chosen to engage in perverted sex.? He said that basically, this passage was geared toward heterosexuals who went against their natures, and not those who are naturally homosexual.
Another author who challenges the religious standpoint of homosexuality is Reverend Peter Gomes. He believes that the above Leviticus passage is misinterpreted by many Christians. He says that the laws in Leviticus were basically just a ?Holiness Code? to be followed by the Hebrews. Not too far from this passage it also prohibits eating of raw meat, planting two different kinds of seed in the same field, and wearing garments of two different kinds of yarn. Today we see people wearing polyester with jeans, and even watermelon and carrots being planted in our home gardens. How is that for irony?
Many Christian organizations point to Sodom and Gomorrah?s demise as proof that God forbids homosexuality. Gomes states,

?? Recall that the story is not about sexual perversion and homosexual practice. It is about inhospitality, according to Luke 16:49-50: ?Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy.?? (413)

He also goes on to say that comparing Sodom and Gomorrah to homosexuality is like comparing the story of Jonah and the whale to the treatise of fish.
Lowe and Gomes also begin to argue that gays and lesbians should receive all the same rights as heterosexuals do, up to, and including, marriage. Without such rights, the homosexual youths see homosexuality as something that is not normal. And struggle with the fact that they are homosexual. Norah Vincent demonstrates how many of them tend to struggle and end their lives with the examples in her article, Listen, Hollywood:

Right now there is a teenager somewhere in this country standing in his parents? basement, holding a homemade noose. He?s already tied it to one of the rafters, and he?s working up the courage to hang himself. Somewhere else, a mile away, or maybe a thousand miles away, another kid is in a closed garage in the driver?s seat of her parents? SUV with the windows rolled down and the engine running, waiting to die. She like the boy with noose is just one of the thousands of American youth to take their life this year?because they think [homosexuality] condemns them to a lonely miserable life on the fringes of respectable society. (440)

This should not give the impression that they are going to live a lonely life. If homosexual marriage was legalized, it would be a big comfort zone for these teens, because it would show them, and those they care about, that there are other socially acceptable ways of life, and that they can still be successful.
Teens also struggle with peer discrimination and harassment. They may be left out from activities with their peers, or even shown disfavor by their teacher and ?mentors.? This is the worst part is harassment. Sometimes, the gay teen is shown somewhat hostile acts by the other party that they end up being called names which causes emotional harm. Most often the words faggot, dyke, lesbo, and queer are muttered in a negative manner. This causes the gay teen to think that something is wrong with him or her. The psychological damage this causes is very brutal and harmful to them. When was the last time you used the word ?gay? in a negative light? I am sure we all have. Instead of doing this, people should look to ways that support and encourage gay youth in being successful in life like they normally do for heterosexual youth.
The issue of violence that gay people face is unimaginable. There are thousands of people in the nation that are victim to hate crimes. Sometimes the suspects say they were ?doing an act of God.? Here again, we see how religion has shown its negative perspective on homosexuality. Sometimes, people are victims of ?gay bashing? and they aren?t even homosexual. This only happens when they fit the stereotypes. Carmen Vazquez writes a story about this issue in her essay ?Appearances?: ?Brian? boarded the 24 bus line (which runs through Castro Street in San Francisco, the ?gay? part of town) and endured many slurs from the other passengers. He then was subject to a gay bashing, because he boarded a bus in a stereotypically gay area. Although he is a heterosexual, the people committing this crime thought nothing of harming him because of the area he was in. Thankfully he was only hospitalized and lived to see another day. (Vazquez 425-6)
Although that story had a horrible incident with a happy ending, the story of Matthew Shepard is one that did not have such a great outcome. Because it was well covered by the media, this story hit the hearts of many people all over the country. In this instance, Matthew was actually a homosexual. On October 7, 1998, Matthew went to a bar, in which he made some supposed ?friends?. He asked them for a ride home and they told him that they would give him a ride. Shortly after they left, they pulled over and beat Matthew against a fence, then robbed him. This ultimately killed him. The hospital pronounced him dead at 12:53 AM on Monday, October 12, 1998. After a long trial that lasted 13 months, Shepard's father made a statement to the jury and Aaron McKinney (one of the men who participated in the beating of Matthew.):

Mr. McKinney ?this is the time to begin the healing process. To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. To use this as the first step in my own closure about losing Matt. Mr. McKinney, I am not doing this because of your family. I am definitely not doing this because of the crass and unwarranted pressures put on by the religious community. If anything, that hardens my resolve to see you die. Mr. McKinney, I?m going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn?t. Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it. (Shepard)

Not only did Aaron McKinney take something away from Matthew, he took Matthew away from those he cared about and they will be forever haunted with this. This goes to show that these kinds of hate crimes don?t just affect the gay community; they affect their families, friends, and ultimately the whole nation.
So where do I stand on this issue? I believe that it is natural for someone to be homosexual. It is not a choice to be made; it is a natural outcome of life. Homosexuals should be granted the same rights of heterosexual people. This would include marriage. To deny a person the rights that he or she would get simply because of their sexual orientation is inhuman. We are all people. Therefore no one should be treated differently, positively or negatively. The Christian aspect should also agree with this. They say that we are all sinners in God?s eyes, and doing one sin would damn us to hell. Why judge when it isn?t their place? According to them, Jesus came to die for humanity?s sin. Therefore, God still loves everyone.
Gays and lesbians are subject to a lot of discrimination that they do not deserve. Too many rights were taken away from them because of their sexual orientation. With the current gay rights campaign, people are becoming more accepting and sympathizing with the victims of ?gay bashing.? On the other hand, Right-wing extremists think that anything that is contrary to the traditional ways of the world is bad for the country. I would say, ?Stop holding your fear, and give these people the right to the benefits of marriage, and all other rights they do not have. The world would be a happier place.?"