Since the topic for this year's Blog Action Day is Human Rights, I've decided to "talk" about the Human Rights Campaign. For over 30 years, this organization has been focusing on the rights of persons who are lesbian, gay, Bi- or trans-sexual. It is now the largest LGBT advocacy group in the United States with over 1.5 million members and supporters.
Why do I think it’s important to spot-light this group, and this issue, when there are so many other human rights issues? Issues like asylum seeking, human trafficking, and others? Because I know many people personally who have experienced prejudice and hatred because of their sexuality. People who have had to pretend to be someone else, people who couldn't share in the rights that I have, people who have suffered emotionally and mentally because of who they are. And because of those people, young and old, who continue to suffer.
A number of years ago, my daughter Mica Scalin, worked on a documentary, Same Sex America, about the laws in Massachusetts changing to permit marriage between same sex partners. This film was so heart warming and wrenching, at the same time. Why? Why? What is the problem here with not permitting people who love and care about each other to have the same equal protection, under the law, as I have. Why haven’t they been permitted to have hospital visiting rights, decision making rights, shared legal power, and on and on.
We all need to support this basic Human Right because we all know a person who is lesbian, gay, bi or trans-sexual. Even if we don’t KNOW it, we do know them, they are our friends, relatives, and neighbors. They are our teachers, police officers, bank tellers, postal workers, students, doctors, etc.; they are us. And we all need to be equal under the law. I do believe this.
Support equal rights, support HUMAN RIGHTS.
