In this time of change, may this new decade be the one in which "sexual orientation" and "gender identity/expression" are added to the federal civil rights laws. Until that happens, LGBT people are not fully free in this country. While the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the addition of same sex marriages in some states are critically important, they do not represent the full range of civil rights for most of us. In fact, as of this writing, it remains legal in 29 states to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression (www.hrc.org). In 29 states, people may lose their jobs and their children because they are LGBT or even perceived to be LGBT
Remember the Equal Rights amendment? The text was: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. It was never passed. The website says: "As supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment between 1972 and 1982 lobbied, marched, rallied, petitioned, picketed, went on hunger strikes, and committed acts of civil disobedience, it is probable that many of them were not aware of their place in the long historical continuum of women’s struggle for constitutional equality in the United States. From the very beginning, the inequality of men and women under the Constitution has been an issue for advocacy." (http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era.htm).
May THIS be the decade that ALL people in the United States of America find equality and freedom, both in the law of the land and within our own hearts.
Happy New Year, friends....
Ronni
