Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Simple Matter Of Equality

Here is a story for those people who still think that Civil Unions or Domestic Partnerships are "just the same as"  or "as good as" real legal same sex marriage. It is something that all Americans with any sense of fairness should think hard about.

Tammy VanDam, 42 was one of the people killed in the stage collapse at the recent Indiana Sugarland Concert Ms. VanDam was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Ms VanDam was legally married to Janeen Urschel who attended the concert with her. When Ms. Urchel went to the hospital to claim the body for burial, she was denied. The reason? Their out of State marriage was not recognized by the State of Indiana! As far as Indiana was concerned, she was not "next of kin" even though they had been together for ten years.

This just goes to prove that we must continue to fight for full and equal marriage rights for everyone and that we can allow no "compromise". The discrimination shown to Ms. Urschel and her partner must not be allowed to continue.

People ask me why I care about this. Why am I so passionate about something that does not affect me? It is simply because someone has to take a stand and I think it is very important that straight people join this fight for marriage equality. I do it because it is the right thing to do. I have always believed that "an injury to one is an injury to all" and if I can change just one person's mind on this issue, then all this effort will be well spent.

It is a simple matter of equality.

7 comments:

  1. Discrimination is discrimination no matter what way you look at it..and it is terrible ..how sad that our world has come to this...we need to live and let live...we are all God's children ~sadly we see it every day in some shape or form...
    take care
    Elaine

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  2. You are an inspiration Croft! Just another reason we love you guys.

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  3. It just sucks, that's the simple truth. What ever happened to separation of church and state? Gotta keep working on it I guess.

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  4. Well said Croft and a perfect example of the archaic laws in this country based on religious reasoning, albeit unfair. When states usurp individual rights and liberties it is time for the federal government to step in, just like LBJ did in 1964. Unfortunately, our federal government has done little for the civil rights of these folks. Like Don said, it just sucks!

    Bill in Nebr.

    P.S. I'm still waiting for John McCain to apologize for his comments about "illegals" starting the big fire in Arizona now that two locals have been charged. Another example of casting aspersions for political gain. That too sucks.

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  5. Good for you for taking a stand.

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  6. Thank you, Croft!! The civil right to same-sex marriage is precisely the kind of freedom I was fighting for during my 25 years in the US Navy. As a Commanding Officer I was pro-active in protecting gay sailors from prosecution under the homophobic UCMJ. The spineless leaders of the USA persist in denying gays so many of the civil rights that the US constitution says they have. It makes me weep when I see the hypocrisy of so-called "religious" Americans who make a big show of standing up for human rights even as they support organized hate against America's gay and lesbian citizens. I felt like throwing up when Obama referred to New York's marriage equality law as "appropriately" a matter of states rights! Yeah, like the way southern states exercised their states rights in passing all the Jim Crow laws! Commander Robert McNamara, USN, Retired

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