A little under the weather, and some weather. But spent the better part of today at the hospital with a dear friend who was brought there in an ambulance. She was there for me all through my brain surgery and beyond, she did so much there's no way I could ever repay her. But I could at least show up in her hour of need. Turned out not to be anything insurmountable and it will pass and she'll recover.
But what struck me throughout the day as I came and went, was the love and affection—and care and concern, devotion and understanding and more—expressed between my friend and her "partner"—another woman.
The hospital personnel didn't seemed phased for a second when they asked the relationship and one of them would refer to the other one as "my partner"—no one skipped a beat. Which shows how far we've come, at least in this Jersey hospital.
But the fact that these two people so involved with each other's lives, sharing a life and the union their love brought them to, cannot legally marry and reap all the benefits I and other "straight" couples can, is so unacceptable, it seems deliberately spiteful and mean.
I can't believe there is anyone out there who still feels that couples and families that are made up of same-sex persons somehow don't deserve or warrant the same legal status as everyone else. It's primitive and backward and hopefully some day will be seen that way by a majority of the world's population.
But for now we'll have to be grateful for most of Europe, and other advanced democracies, being more tolerant and worry about the rise of fundamentalist religions that are so obviously afraid of what in the end is simply love.
But isn't that the classic struggle throughout history, love versus fear? Seems like it to me.
[PS: Speaking of the forms love can take, did anyone see the story about the Christians forming s human wall around the demonstrating Muslims in Liberty Square when it was time for them to pray, so that the Muslims wouldn't be unexpectedly attacked while they were face down on their knees yesterday, and today the Muslims returned the favor by surrounding and protecting the Coptic Christians as they celebrated Mass. So much for Muslim intolerance as part of what's motivating the demonstrators!]
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4 comments:
I see that Sarah has come out in support of GOProud, the conservative Republican gay group. I assume you have a more positive view of Sarah now.
Fundamentalism of all sorts is such a worry, Michael.
Sometimes fear of the unknown or of the unfamiliar makes tolerance difficult but as you say love often overcomes it.
I've noticed people can be extraodrinarily prejudiced against certain people in general but then when they meet indiviuduals against whose group they are prejudiced they can suddenly become good friends.
As you say love conmquers fear.
Thanks for a beautiful and poignant post, Michael. I hope your friend is okay.
I totally agree Elisabeth. When I was a boy and racism was still pretty prevalent, I noticed some of those who made the most racist generalities about others, also had individual friends who belonged to that "race" and when I'd question that they'd say, "That's different, that's"—and then they'd name their friend, as if being their friend exempted them from the racist generalities. Quite an obvious opposite of rational thinking but nonetheless too common still.
GOProud is the perfect match for Sarah Palin! Another beautiful example of the crap people accept for politics today. You have to check out the GOProud website. http://www.goproud.org/about/
Of course they can attend CPAC. They have no position on gay marriage, make no statement about deserving equal rights, no position on hate crimes. You wouldn't even know the organization had anything to do with homosexuals if weren't for the name. I guess their position is that just because you're gay you don't have to fight for gay rights.
And just to be fair and balanced, GOProud will probably accomplish just as much as the pathetic HRC. Those guys claim to care about the issues, but they never come through.
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