When the beating of your heart, echoes the beating of the drum...

[msparker16]

Tonight I went to my first “political” related gathering. It was a meeting for the GLBT Democrats of Suffolk County. Rose was interested in going because the topic at hand was a proposed Domestic Partnership Registry. So, excitedly, I tagged along. I always have the feeling that I want to be more political minded, that I want to stand up for

Comments

[shane27]

Wow, this is amazing writing!

I can see where you are coming from in regards to wanting a bigger piece of the pie ... frustration to be groveling for crumbs is not something fun to feel, but in this world, crumbs are indeed all you can get at times.

I'm proud of you for what you said. I will try to formulate a better opinion for later ... what really makes me well up, though, is your praise of Rose at the end of this entry. So wonderful to watch her grow, and I feel you have been a big part of that.

love ya!

I'm not bi, but I'll have it both ways...

[mrbenchly7]

I think in today's society, bread crumbs are sadly the smart way to go. We have too many stuffy, I've-been-wearing-the-same-pair-of-socks-since-'79-cause-I-don't-like-change conservatives out there who will fight until their death to ensure that marriage stays "traditional." So our government and our laws have reached a point when you can only succeed with compromise.

But with that said, lately, due to the current regime, even compromise has been failing and progress has been taking a few steps backwards. So I also think that if you've been denied equal rights for your entire life, it's expected for good reason that you should do everything in your power to demand the entire loaf of the equal rights bread. Because if you don't, you may lose even more civil rights in the mean time.

So, regardless of how lame it is, I'm siding with both sides.

[anonymous]

Hey there Parker Lady

[beauty_bandit]

msparker, I am so happy that you've taken the step to get involved! Don't ever feel like just because your opinion isn't the majority that it's not worth going....it is, and it's important

Give Vermont Some Credit Please!

[mrbenchly7]

I don't understand how it can be said that Vermont has stopped caring about equal rights. Not only did we break down the wall of inequality to come up with civil unions, which are equal to marriages except in name and in the federal government's lack of recognition of them (a HUGE step forward, albeit not the equal-without-separate desired end result) but we did so in a state that has more conservatives than Connecticut and not a liberal human bone outside of Chittenden County. Consequently, many of the people who voted for this law lost their reelection campaigns because of it. Considering the backlash the state received from 50% of its population, I think it's a tribute to our courage and dedication that the law remains in our books today

Re: Give Vermont Some Credit Please!

[beauty_bandit]

Despite my understanding for your patriotism toward your home state, it has remained rather stagnant - perhaps not in discussion, but in action. While Civil Unions came on the scene there in 2000, nearly 6 years later, still - no marriage. While other states have made tremendous progress since civil unions (winning the title of marriage through both the courts (massachusetts) and the legislature (california - even though it was vetoed), and many countries have signed onto marriage for same-sex couples both well before and after vermont....vermont has remained...well...the same

Green (Mountain) Coattails

[mrbenchly7]

And Connecticut is also still the second state of civil unions, and not marriage. But at least Vermont was first. And like Connecticut, at least Vermont is still trying for marriage. And so as we hope that your conversations culminate in the desired end result, we'll sit up north knowing that you wish the same for us.

Riding on the surfing coasts of Hawaii?....not the mountain.

[beauty_bandit]

Benchly, while I find your state loyalty almost humorous, I thought we could have a frank discussion of the real evolution of rights...they certainly didn't start in VT.

you know, vermont was not the big initiator of same-sex rights...right? In case you don't, here are some highlights....feel free to add your own, I love hearing more about this type of history.

In 1993, for the first time and without any backing of a LGBT group, 3 same-sex couples sued Hawaii for marriage licenses...this resulted in the Hawaiian Legislature passing the Reciprical Beneficiaries Statute. The earliest of what has continued to evolve...that I know of in America.

Then, in 1999, California adopted the first state-wide domestic partner registry...and adopted a domestic partnership law. Check it out - it's pretty amazing.

I think it was in April of 2000 that VT officially began or won (can't remember) their Civil Unions.

So, as you can see...we're all riding on some coattails....