Throw Something Back

Maya Angelou was quoted as saying recently on Oprah Winfrey: “I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”

An article in The Tennessean today states that there are two opposing groups fighting the gay marriage amendment making its way through the legislature so Tennessee’s citizens can vote on everyone’s rights. One is the Tennessee Equality Project, a gay right’s group, and the other is the Family Policy Network of Tennessee, a conservative group.

http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/05/03/66999996.shtml?Element_ID=66999996

A gay Nashvillian, Greg Gardner, who may or may not be associated with TEP (I don’t know), was quoted as saying, “We're not asking for special privileges.”

I guess this would be fine and true if the “special privileges” didn’t already belong to heterosexuals. Maybe it would be more true to say we are asking to get on a level playing field with heterosexuals. They have the advantage in every aspect of society and we are asking to take part. We are asking to take responsibility for our families. This should be respected, not scoffed at.

The representative from FPN, Ron Shank (what a name!), thinks the legislation currently going forward is not harsh enough. He wants to close up the opportunity for loopholes for “legal recognition” of other forms of “same-gender contracts.”

Shank is not just out to “protect marriage.” He wants to stop legal, contractual recognition of our relationships. Does anyone realize that it costs a couple anywhere between $1000 and $2500 to set up legal documentation (living revocable trusts, medical and financial durable powers of attorney, wills, guardianship agreements, etc.)? We pay for the things that many heterosexuals take for granted or that courts respect through the marriage contract. This is something Shank, the FPN, and other “Christians” like him want to “pray” for the defeat of the current bill so they can develop something more hateful, demeaning, and constraining to couples and families trying to care for each other.

This is shameful!