Blogging for LGBT families day, eh?
Well, I’m from an LGBT family. Most of you who know me know this, but I spent my summers with my Grandma and Lois.
Lois was, for me, my grandfather figure. She’d take me out to her workshop and I’d watch her work while drinking her pepsi from the glass bottle. She’d take me out back and I’d help her mow the lawn or rake the seaweed from the dock. She built a go-kart for me and my cousins and would drive her truck around the parking lot of the nearby park with us in tow.
Grandma and Lois also built a tree-house for us, and Lois took us hiking into the forest on a fairly frequent basis. According to Jenny, she once took us a few miles out and told us to find our own way back home, heh… which we did. We went camping every year, and she’s make us egg muffin sandwiches with fried Spam.
But when Lois had lung cancer, there wasn’t much my grandmother could do for her. They’d moved to Florida by then, and despite living together for about 20 years at that point, she had no automatic power of attorney. She also received no benefits when Lois died, which is a damned shame, since they had supported each other for so long by then.
Anyway, when you are talking about “those people”, you are talking about my grandmother and her partners – my family for my entire life. When you say that they don’t have a right to the same benefits as straight couples (and pass a law to that effect, like they have in Michigan), you’re saying that the person I most respect and care for in this entire world must suffer and be alone simply because she prefers women to men.
And if it is your religion that tells you it is fair to treat people this way, I will tell you that it is for God to judge, not you. It is for YOU to love your neighbor, no matter their sin, and if you love someone, you will not stand to see them suffer.
On that note, people who want to marry someone of the same sex don’t need your acceptance – they need durable power of attorney. They need to share insurance. They need the right to be taxed as a single living unit. Athiests get married. Jewish people get married. Even those gosh-darned pagans get married, and you wouldn’t believe what they do.
Gay people don’t want to change your way of life, they just want to be left alone to live theirs with the same freedom, safety and dignity.
What a wonderful post.
Fucking Amen!
*thumbs up and promotions all around*
Well said.
But wasn’t it Lois who made you eat the broccoli? Or tried to, at least.
After meeting your grandma, sick as a dog, but still sassy… and hearing your many many stories, many many times, I can see how she helped you become the man I love and respect.
It’s amazing that, if she and Lo had been inclined, they probably would not have been able to adopt. They raised four children, practically, and OO, LOOK, none of them are gay! Maybe it’s not contagious after all!
I get angry and frustrated thinking about it. Let’s move to the Netherlands. And eat lots of cheese.
That’s Carol. :)
Mmmmm, cheese …
Cheese!
I made a cheese icon because of your last cheese post!
Awesome post. Thank you for sharing.
Gay people don’t want to change your way of life, they just want to be left alone to live theirs with the same freedom, safety and dignity.
AMEN.
*icon love*
Seriously.
TYRANNOSAURUS WORD!!!
Is it her fault that you can’t drive stick shift?
;)
Coming from a fairly homophobic family, I am glad to agree with you wholeheartedly on that whole people just wanna live thing. All people.
Thank you for this post, it was really great, and is one of the reasons you are my friend.
You’re amazing. :)
You made me all teary. Thank you.