What this election means to me...

I admit that until the last six years or so I was pretty much an uninformed voter. I didn’t care much about politics. I voted for my political party whichever it may be and accepted where the chips may fall. I have been both Republican and Democrat.

When my son came out as gay, things changed for me. I know my son did not choose to be gay. He was born that way yet because of his sexual orientation, he lives in a country that does not protect his rights as a human being. His two sisters who were born straight could legally marry the person they love. My son born and raised in the exact same household could not. Sure, he could live a lie, marry a woman and have children with her, with the probable outcome of making himself and numerous other people miserable. However, he chose to live his life authentically and I am extremely proud of him for that.

Not only was he not allowed the privilege of a legally protected relationship, he was also not protected from discrimination. In fact, he WAS discriminated against when one of his employers learned he was gay. She tried to prevent him from seeking employment in another part of the company. I was invited to be the first personal testimony to tell this story in front of the Oregon Senate when the anti-discrimination laws were being discussed. It was very difficult for me yet I am extremely proud of the role that I played in getting this important law passed in Oregon. However, we still do not have these protections at a federal level. People can still be kicked out of their apartment, a restaurant, or fired from their job in some states because they are gay. I’m sure most would agree that this is absolutely wrong yet most Republican politicians will not take a stand for Employment Non-Discrimination. So where do our Presidential candidates stand on these issues? Let’s look at John McCain first:

Opposed Ending Discrimination against Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Americans in the Workplace.
Senator John McCain cast a deciding vote against the
federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Opposed Protecting GLBT Americans from Hate
Crimes. Senator McCain voted three times against
expanding the federal hate crimes law to include sexual
orientation.

Proponent of a Discriminatory Military Policy.
Senator McCain supports “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and does
not believe that gays should serve in the U.S. military.

Opponent of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Couples.
Senator McCain voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which
prohibits same-sex couples from receiving over 1,100 federal
rights and benefits even if they are married in their state.

Actively Supported a State Ban on Domestic
Partnerships. Senator McCain campaigned for a ban
on same-sex relationship recognition in his home state
of Arizona and appeared in a campaign television ad on
the issue.

Supported the Confirmation of Anti-GLBT Equality
Judges. Senator McCain voted to confirm President
Bush’s judicial nominees who had taken anti-GLBT positions.
He has pointed to Justice Samuel Alito as a role
model for future Supreme Court appointments.

Supported a Discriminatory HIV/AIDS Policy. Senator
John McCain supported a Jesse Helms strategy to cut off
funding for prevention efforts aimed at the gay community
and voted to bar foreign nationals with HIV from immigrating
to the United States.

On top of this, he opposes adoptions by same-sex couples. Yes, John McCain would deny my son his right to fatherhood and he would deny a child in need of a good home simply because both his parents happen to be male or female while thousands of children are in foster homes waiting to be adopted into a good home.

OK, how about Sarah Palin?

Palin Opposed Supreme Court Ruling Giving Same-Sex Couples Benefits: Asked if she would support the Alaska Supreme Court’s ruling that spousal benefits for state employees should be given to same-sex couples, Palin responded, “No, I believe spousal benefits are reserved for married citizens as defined in our constitution.” [Eagle Forum questionnaire]

Palin Opposed Expanding Hate Crimes Laws: Asked if she would support an effort to expand hate crime laws, Palin responded, “No, as I believe all heinous crime is based on hate.” [Eagle Forum questionnaire]

Palin Said She Supported Ban on Gay Marriage and Denying Benefits to Gay Couples: “Palin said she’s not out to judge anyone and has good friends who are gay, but that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment [to ban gay marriage]. Elected officials can’t defy the court when it comes to how rights are applied, she said, but she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to homosexual couples. ‘I believe that honoring the family structure is that important,’ Palin said. She said she doesn’t know if people choose to be gay.” [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 8/6/06]

Palin Said She Supported a Constitutional Amendment Overturning Supreme Court Mandate of Benefits for Same-Sex Couples: Asked if she would support a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Alaska Supreme Court decision mandating public employers to provide benefits equivalent to same-sex couples, Sarah Palin responded “yes.” [Alaska Family Council Voter Guide, 8/22/06]

So what about Barack Obama? With the exception of full fledged marriage rights for same-sex couples, Barack Obama has supported every gay rights bill including employment non-discrimination, hate crimes legislation, and he opposes the highly discriminatory “don’t ask, don’t tell” that has dismissed 12,000 qualified men and women from our military simply because they chose to live their lives authentically.

And Senator Joe Biden? His unwavering support for gay rights has been prevalent throughout his career. He is truly a candidate for equality.

So you all know my passion for gay rights. I have come to know and love my gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender friends. However, we can’t vote on just one issue, can we?

So let’s look at some more reasons why I’m supporting Barack Obama. Recently, I sat with four other child care providers in a hottub. We were discussing health care. I was the only one of us there that had health insurance. There is something really wrong in this country when it is considered a privilege to be covered by health care insurance. In my own personal opinion, I have not seen any improvement from the George Bush administration on this issue. In fact, those of us that are insured have probably seen a significant decrease in the amount of benefits we are receiving. Am I right? I listened to one of my child care provider friends talk about the worry they had when their child had a broken bone and required surgery. It has taken them five years and they have still not paid off this one accident. Considering that John MCCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time, I do not trust another Republican to effectively make change within our health care systems. I don’t know what the answer is but I do know that what we have now is not working.

I am very strongly opposed to the war in Iraq being drug out for several more years. McCain was quoted as saying that he didn’t care if it lasted another 100 years. What? Over 4000 soldiers have died so far. How many more are we going to lose before we put this war to an end. George Bush found no “weapons of mass destruction” . I actually remember an argument I had with a friend from Palestine who told me that Bush would find no weapons. I argued adamantly in opposition to him. (Yes, I voted for Bush the first time around!) He was right and later I apologized to him! Bush has never offered any apologies and McCain has supported this war since its inception. How many more people are going to die? Republicans are all about “winning”. I have yet to understand what exactly we “win”. A place in the history book? How many lives is that going to cost us? Oh yes, and where is Osama Bin Laden, the real culprit of September 11th?

Then there is abortion rights. I am not “for” abortion. What am I for is the right for a woman to make that decision for herself. It is not MY decision to decide whether a 13 year old who was raped and impregnanted by her step-father should have an abortion. It is not my right to decide for a 34 year old un-wed professional. I love babies but not everyone is cut out to have one. I would love for everyone considering an abortion to choose adoption but sometimes that is just not an option. I would rather abortion be legal and safe and that we put more federal money into promoting safe sexual practices. Abstinence only education does not work. (Example: Bristol Palin) Kids have sex, let’s face the fact. Talk to them about abstinence but also talk to them about safe sex and how to prevent teenage pregnancies! (Yes you, Sarah Palin!!!) Let’s put money into that!

I am also a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. Religious beliefs do not belong in our federal government. Religion has been used to oppress women, blacks, and now gays. That is not acceptable. Even Christians have varying beliefs that no one could ever possibly agree upon. It is better to have religion completely out of our government. John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate because of her appeal to the religious right. Those people who think religion ought to be in government and it worked. Sarah Palin believes in teaching creationism schools. If you want the Bible taught to your child, then send them to Christian schools. I want my grandchildren to learn what science has taught us about the evolution of man in school. They can learn about the Bible in church and then use their God-given brains to decipher what they believe for themselves!

I am voting for Barack Obama not only for his support for the glbt community but also because I think he is a person who can truly implement change in our government. He is someone who can bring positive change worldwide by creating better relations with other countries. He will end the war in Iraq in a timely manner. John McCain has criticized Obama’s plan saying that he will raise taxes. According to Politifact (www.politifact.com) the difference between Obama’s tax plan and McCains is a mere 2%. I can afford 2% for a more efficient well-run country, can you? Barack Obama cares about the poor working class. John McCain owns 7 houses and his wife wears $300,000 earrings. Barack Obama cares about healthcare and knows that significant changes need to be made to our healthcare system so that everyone has affordable healthcare coverage! I am ready for change. I believe Barack Obama can create that change for us!

That my friends is the end of my rant! :icon_bigg