Civil Rights & Being "Different"

I didn't intend to do anymore post on political issues at SPT, but ....

In Arizona USA, a new law will permit racial profiling of people who "look un-American".

A few months ago, heterosexual Americans of color voted in massive numbers to deny gay people the legal right to marry each other - because gay people are "different" than the majority population.

I have been saying and saying and saying - that when one group is discriminated against, those who discriminate will eventually lose some of their civil rights.

You can't always tell when someone is gay so gay people don't need civil rights concerning their sexuality. Right?

Hmm, can you always tell when someone is not American born just by looking?

Well, if you look a certain way in Arizona you will need legal documentation stating that you are an American or have a legal right to be in America.

In my southern hometown, there are more and more people moving here who "look different" than the majority population here. Are they here legally? I was at a store one day and a "different looking" man moved as if he didn't want to block my way. He didn't have the arrogant attitude of an American. I don't care if he was born here or is here illegally, the space he occupies is his.

Now, I wonder if he is a heterosexual American who voted against me having the legal right to get married. I wonder if heterosexual Americans in Arizona, who "look" a certain way, who voted against equal rights for gay Americans, have for one moment thought about the comparison of "looking different" and being "sexually different" from the majority American population.

Do they get it? That the key word is -- American. No matter what you look like, how you dress, worship, love -- each American should have the same civil rights.

We all should have the civil right to not be stopped simply because a cop thinks we "look" un-American. We all should have the same civil rights and privileges but some Americans are denied certain rights simply because the majority population think we are not American enough or human enough or not enough like them.

Should I care that some heterosexual Americans in Arizona who don't "look American" but oppose homosexuality will be denied their civil rights to not be harassed and racially profiled?

Well, ummmm, actually -- I do care.

Which group will be the next to lose a civil right to be a free American -- because they don't look, worship, or behave like the majority American population?

Pretty soon Americans will be wearing uniforms and marching in straight lines chanting some stupid slogan praising a dictator.

Th/4/29/10: With probable cause the police already get to ask for I.D. So why another law? This new law will make it mandatory for cops to ask certain people for I.D. simply because they look a certain way. AND if a cop doesn't follow this new law, he will be in trouble?

So if someone saw a cop not ask someone who looked "un-American" for I.D. then the cop would be in trouble? And if a certain number of people who looked a certain way was not brought in as possible illegals, what action would be taken as an incentive to get more cops to ask more people for I.D.?

This sounded familiar to me. I didn't like history when I was in grade school because it mainly was about European looking people in America (black people were just slaves). But I remember reading something that was similar to what is happening now in Arizona.

Once upon a time in America, slaves were made fugitives if they ran away to be free. White people were made slave catchers even if they didn't want to be. If a black person was walking down the road, by law any white person was suppose to ask that black person for papers saying he had permission to be off the plantation. If the black person did not have papers saying he was "free" or had permission to be off the plantation then the white person was suppose to capture him. And if a black people made it north, white people were suppose to catch them and send them back to the south.

What oh what is America coming to? This country, my country is reverting back to the mean and hatefilled times of the past.

And there has to be a debate on this issue? Yes, something needs to be done but this law is not the way to do it.

A Minister Speaks Out

Many people don't like Reverend Al Sharpton but take the time to click the link below and read what he said about gays having the Constitutional Right to marry.

Sharpton: Church uses money and power to persecute gays but ...
PageOneQ.com - Jan 13, 2009
"Whatever my personal feelings may be about gay and lesbian marriages, unless you are prepared to say gays and lesbians are not human beings, they should have the same constitutional right of any other human being."

Black Heterosexuals (Part 2)

The haters and the heterosexuals scared of losing their homosexual spouses WON this round. But what did they really win? So homosexuals can't get a piece of paper that legally binds them to their lover -- so what? So homosexuals can't get health coverage for their children and all the other things that go with same-gender marriages being endorsed by the law. Until heterosexual haters grow hearts and find the true GOD, then let them think they have won something. If taking away our legal rights makes them happy -- then let them have this bit of happiness -- because they probably don't have much in their lives.

NOV 5: I've been thinking about Melissa & Tammy and Ellen & Portia today. I know there are others but they are the only California gay couples I know. Last night, as me and Mom watched the presidential election, I told Mom that tomorrow Melissa and Ellen might not be legally married. This afternoon, she told me that she thought they had won. But when I checked, I found that we all had lost. I have explained to Mom that when the Federal & State Constitutions can be changed so easily, and rights can be taken away so easily, then Black people had better wake up. Now being a Black senior citizen she can understand that better than anything else I could have explained to her.

It's November 9: I have been adding and deleting from the draft of this post since November 5. Mom is watching "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" with Sydney Poitier. Isabel Sanford, the Black housekeeper for the White family enters the kitchen and sees Poitier on the patio talking with her boss, the father of the woman Poitier is involved with romantically. The housekeeper says "civil rights is one thing but this is something else" or something like that. And that falls in with how many Black heterosexuals feel about gay marriage. They don't see gay marriage as a civil rights issue.

I read a Google alert about a Black lesbian who did door-to-door in Black neighborhoods to encourage people to vote in the presidential election. She didn't bring up anything about Prop 8 because her main focus was on the national election and not the state election. She didn't say so, but I know she didn't want to alienate the Black people she was trying to get to vote. I live in the Black community, so I know how the majority of Black heterosexuals feel about homosexuality. A Black 40-year old neighbor woman said Condoleezza Rice needs to get married and have some babies. Now Rice is a Black woman who is Secretary-of-State but her primary purpose should be to get married and have babies -- is how many many many Black women feel about the purpose of a woman. Rice is intelligent and her having a powerful position means nothing to women who think that all a woman is suppose to do is marry a man and have babies. And we certainly know that plenty of men feel the same way. So with that type of mentality in the Black community, is it any wonder that most heterosexual Black citizens do not support gay marriage. Add in the brainwashing of the church and you have most Blacks voting against gay marriage. The same as other heterosexuals who oppose gay marriage, they do not visit gay websites and read what our issues are really about. They listen to the negative propaganda and go with that.

There are Jewish American citizens and how do you suppose they voted as a majority on our issues? How did America's original people vote on our issues? At one time or another, every group of people in America, have been discriminated against. But things that don't affect us personally, the majority will not side with the minority. But as people become more informed, and see things from more than one side, people generally do the right thing. It's just going to take time.

Some of those who oppose us, hate us. But not all heterosexuals hate us, they need to look beyond false teachings and learn the truth.

This evening, I saw a young boy on TV who has leukemia. Think what advancements could have been made if those millions of dollars spent for and against gay marriage had been spent on research. Shame on Americans who wasted that money to stop people from having their civil rights. If their child or a love one comes down with a deadly affliction -- they can kick their own ass for wasting that money.

Black Heterosexuals (Part 1)

Once again a Google alert lead me to something that I have to comment on. And because I can get rather wordy, I replied here at SPT.

"Gays and Lesbians will now know that they can’t just go around thinking that a minority will care about the GLBT cause. The “minorities” will look out for their selfish religious beliefs first. It was sad to see so many blacks voting for Proposition 8 as if they forgot what being discriminated against was like and as if they forgot what it felt to be on this side of the fence."

There is more and it can be found at: http://www.dailydoseofqueer.com/2008/11/06/prop-8-wins-ca-fl/ Daily Dose of Queer

I, Salty, am a homosexual Black American woman. Being non-White and a homosexual I have had to deal with what homosexual White Americans have not had to endure. My Black heterosexual sisters and brothers have been indoctrinated into religions. It goes all the way back to slavery but Black American citizens have not broken from religion that was forced on them. Black American citizens in this country still have to deal with police brutality and other racist acts, so a problem they don't consider their's they side with the church. It was religion that gave enslaved Blacks the strength to endure believing that one day things would change. Living in a society that beats you down because of skin-tone, and treat you less than, Blacks as a whole are more concerned with being recognized as Americans. Black homosexuals voted on the side of equality for homosexuals. Black heterosexuals voted on the side of the church. There are White hetero family members who voted against members of their family having equality the same as hetero Blacks. So this is not a Black and White issue. That's what wrong with trying to accomplish anything -- placing blame at a failure. Our federal officials are really to blame because they did like the the rulers did who had Jesus killed. The Rulers passed it to the church leaders who passed it to the people. And the people played right into their hands and killed Jesus. So this is nothing new. The same was done with slavery in America. It was endorsed by the federal government and the church.

I have compared how homosexuals are treated in America to how slaves were treated, up to a point. Just as slave owners used the Bible to justify enslaving and denying Black people freedom then, christians are now using the Bible to deny equal rights to homosexuals. But homosexual caucasions need to realize that there is more at stake in being a "Black minority in America". Heterosexual Blacks watch tv and see mostly heterosexual couples who are White and if a person of color has a love interest, it's with someone White. So in a way, Black heterosexuals are more interested in being seen as heterosexuals. They view homosexuality as a weakness. There is such a stigma in the Black community that Blacks don't want to associate with someone who is or thought to be homosexual because then their sexuality would be questioned.

I was hurt to the point of tears when I read that Prop 8 had passed, which means that people can still hate so much. And even more flowed when I read that people of color voted in massive numbers against equality. I wasn't surprised by it, but it hurt. They voted to deny me my legal rights. It would have been better if they had not voted on this issue at all. But they don't know the ramifications of the Federal and State constitutions being changed so easily. (Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.) When ministers are preaching against homosexuality, the church-goers go with what the preacher tells them. It's the same as Blacks and Gays being in the military. They hope that if they serve their country that they will be included. Blacks have to still deal with not being equal. And even with a Black man being elected President, the bigotry, abuse and murders will not cease. And remember, there are plenty of homosexuals who live as heterosexuals, and I wonder how did they vote. Many Blacks are under the influence of the church the same as in other cultures. How does one fight against that type of mentality/brainwashing?

Me, I have few rights as a Black woman and none as a homosexual woman. Which battle do I focus on today? I'm so tired of fighting.

There will be a time when sexuality will be a non-issue in America. So what do you think will be the issue to divide us then? Perhaps people with blond hair and blue eyes will be the next to be discriminated against.

DENYING GAY MARRIAGE is more wasteful spending

I read that Ellen D had given $100,000 for ads in support of gay marriage in California. That's a week's salary for her. And I'm not even going to calculate how many years I would have to work to make that much money. I just think about how many wells could be dug so that people could have clean drinking water. One house could have been paid for in full. Millions of dollars are being raised to fight for and against gay marriage. That's a waste, and just goes to show why the economy is in the shape it is in now. Wasteful spending. People not really caring about other people enough to do the RIGHT thing. And the same goes for politicians raising campaign money. And who really benefits? The hotels, plane - bus - auto - companies, radio and tv companies. People have lost their homes and jobs and don't have electricity and all that money is just WASTED. Why couldn't at least one politician simply say he was going to make two or three videos to be aired on television and YouTube. I only watched one debate but that was enough for me to get a feel of what each man was about. After that, if I needed more, it should have been on a flyer sent to every citizen registered to vote. Politics equal wasteful spending. How much money did it cost to have the definition of marriage defined and to change state constitutions? Hmm, it sure was easy to change state and federal constitutions.

OBAMA - WHILE I STILL CAN

OBAMA. He looks like a President to me. He looks like the future. As I've stated before, I'm not much into politics. In the past I voted because people died for me to have the right to be counted. They still are not doing it right, but for now, we have to go with it as is, until a new generation changes how it is done. A politician makes promises "I can get it done." Yeah, right. I take that to mean, I will try to get it done. I realize that the President has power, however he is still only one man. So we need to not only vote for change but make sure to also vote for people who will assist him in trying to change things. It's encouraging to hear that so many people are looking past his skin-tone and seeing him as an American, as a man who is intelligent, and as a man who can be the President of our nation. I fear for the man's life because some have not advanced pass bigotry and outright nastiness. But if he and his family will take the risk, then I will do my part. While I still have the right to -- I will vote.

TWO WOMEN TALKING

Several days ago, two women were having a discussion about politics. They both said Obama would get the gay vote. One said, gays have to give an account, meaning on judgement day. Heterosexuals who are religious, or claim to be religious, still think of homosexuality as a sin. But if they were asked to show scripture they could not do it. They would just say, but it's in the Bible, and they couldn't really discuss it, except to repeat what they have heard someone else say. This kind of attitude is why I don't go to church anymore. I really don't want to be part of an organization that says I'm a sinner and will go to hell because of who I love. One woman said there are a lot of people who are gay. She knows three ministers who are gay. Then she names two or three female celebs. Those are the only celebrity names that she knows. One had not heard of the GLAAD Awards until someone was watching it, and she told whoever to turn from it, because she didn't want to see that. Hearing that reminded me of a web-article I read where a woman said she wasn't a lesbian but she liked the music of Melissa and kd. Should I, a lesbian, destroy my collection of music by heterosexuals and not purchase more? Should gay people stop watching tv and going to movies unless there are gay story lines? (Have I posted some of this before? I need to keep better records.)