Today I find myself driven to action. Throughout time, there are tipping points that have lead to action in so many situations. Something happens that makes people decide to either take action against or for something that they believe in. For me, that moment came with the banning of gay marriage in Maine.
I believe in marriage as the union of two people in love, gender being irrelevant. I don't believe who someone can or can't marry. I don't believe that I have the right to judge what rights certain people are allowed to have. As a heterosexual person, I am so lucky that I am allowed to marry the man that I love. I'm not told that I don't have the same rights as my neighbor because of who I want to share my life with.
I am also a person of faith. I believe in God. But I believe in the God of love and of acceptance. The one that said "Love thy neighbor." The one that sent his son to live among us and embrace those less fortunate, the outcasts of society. God would not condone many of the actions that are performed in his name. Through his son, he preached forgiveness, love and acceptance. Hate was not acceptable, nor was it preached.
The world we live in is an ever changing thing. There was a time when black people could not marry white people. That was not accepted by our community as a whole. But people rose up, they fought the status quo because it was unfair. We are at another turning point in history. There will be a time, and it's not far away, that the gay community will be accepted and have the same rights as everyone else. The questions becomes, are we going to let this be a black mark in the history books? Do we want to be something for our children to be ashamed of, or proud of? I want my children to look back and know that their mother stood up for equality. That I stood up for what I know to be right. That every person in the world deserves the right to love who they want, no matter race, color or sex. That those same people have the rights of every other person. The gay community is not second class. They are our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, our friends. If I am to love my neighbor, I am to accept them.
As a person, you do not have to agree with someone else's choices. That is one of the fundamental basics of our country. But as a community, we do not have the right to tell someone that they are a lesser citizen. The day is coming when we will have to make a choice to move forward in the global community where we are one civilization united together. I know where I stand. I know the world I want to live in. Do you?
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