Thursday, December 11, 2008

Let's Just Legalize Happiness


By Allen Bacon, Editor, The Daily Bosco

Yesterday was the "Day Without A Gay" Day. I'm not sure how successful this was. For one thing, the organizers didn't have enough time...in my opinion..to gain enough momentum to have the ultimate success.

I know this because most of the people I come into contact with didn't even realize that it was "Day Without A Gay" Day.

But I'll tell you one thing...it did provoke some dialogue. I for instance learned that there are still a lot of people...people I thought were tolerant...who don't care for the gay community. One guy told me when I brought up the event to him..."Day Without A Gay? How about a month without a gay or a lifetime without a Gay?" Needless to say, somebody just got dropped off my Christmas card list.

This whole event was of course in response to California voters overturning same-sex marriage in the state.

As much as we pat ourselves on the back for being "progressive" enough to elect an African-American President, we still have a long ways to go when it comes to basic human rights. We still have a long way to go to becoming a tolerant society.

That's what it boils down to. Really.

Even if you don't agree with the right to same-sex marriage, next time when there is a similar initiative on a ballot...try substituting something that's near and dear to you. Are you in an inter-racial marriage? Try subbing that in and ask yourself is it right? Are you a single parent? Try subbing in your rights as a single parent and imagine somebody taking away those rights. Try subbing in your rights to practice religion the way you want. Well, you get the point.

The reality is, we need to protect everybody's human rights. The next initiative could be aimed at you.

And, I have a proposal for a day. I'll call it "Day without a Decent Human Being Day". We need to be reminded how important everybody is to each other.

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