Dear Potential Voter (I say "potential" because a lot of Americans don't care to vote):
Are you married? If you are, great. You have the right to marry the person you love.
Can you get fired from your job due to your race, ethnicity, sex, creed, color, disability? No? Good for you. Your employment is protected.
I, on the other hand, am not married, despite what my Facebook relationship status reads. Why am I not married even though I'm in love with my partner of 6 years? Because my right to marry has been denied. So all the benefits and protections that come with a marriage license will never be available to me...so long as such laws are in place.
Also, though I can't be fired for being Hispanic, male, white, disabled (I'm not) or a progressive Christian, I CAN be fired for being gay. So I'm *not* completely protected because most employment discrimination clauses do not include "sexual orientation or gender identity/expression"...6 words that offer invaluable protections.
Which is the party that opposes marriage equality and supports sexual orientation-based employment discrimination? REPUBLICANS more so than any other American political party.
If you're legally married, good for you. You probably had to pay a small fee and show proof of ID to get the license. Me? Since it's illegal for me to get married, my partner and I have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops, and pay a shitload of money for an attorney just to get the PROTECTIONS the marriage license gives you automatically. How is that fair in a country where "all men are created equal" as stated in our Declaration of Independence? How is that fair in a country where "no state shall . . . deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection under the law" as stated in the 14th Amendment of our US Constitution?
Being denied these rights make me and millions like me a 2nd-class citizen in my own country. And as long as you vote for Republican candidates, especially socially conservative candidates, YOU ARE CAUSING US PERSONAL HARM.
So.
If you are empathetic to equal rights for ALL citizens, please vote Democrat. If you refuse to vote Democrat because you support the Republican party on MOST issues, then contact your senator or representative and urge them to rethink their voting. They represent you. They're elected to SERVE their constituents. And if they don't represent you well, vote. them. out. Further, talk to fellow constituents and educate them about the issues.
If you're a heterosexual male or female, congratulations. You're in the majority, and none of this applies to you. But if you know someone who's gay or lesbian, then YOUR VOTE AFFECTS THEIR LIFE, not yours! Do you really want to support a candidate who will strip your friend or loved one of those rights? Would you be able to look us in the eye and say, "I'm better than you. We're NOT equals, and I will support candidates that will support or pass legislation that will oppress you."? If you can't bring yourself to look us in the eye and tell us that to our face, then vote Democrat or contact your representative. But make sure you VOTE.
When unjust laws are passed, a minority of people will be oppressed. Oppression and freedom are antonyms, and we learn about those in elementary school. That being said, I leave you with this quote:
"If anybody is oppressed, nobody is free." -Unknown
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