Op-ed piece for school newspaper

Hey, I recently wrote an op-ed for one of my school's publications concerning gay rights. I thought you might like to read it. As background, my school recently had Judy Shepard speak to us and she was received quite well. There isn't much prejudice in my school, so this essay would not be considered controversial. Depending where you live, however, it might very well be considered controversial.

Gay Rights are the Future

After the passage of California’s Proposition 8 back on Election Day 2008, I felt miserable. That night, I stayed up and watched our country as it elected its first black president, thinking, “The progress we’ve made is incredible.” The next morning, however, I woke up and found out that voters in California had passed a measure banning same-sex marriage in their state once again. It had been legal for only four months and already it was extinguished. I could have cried. This was not the progress that I witnessed the night before.

The very idea of voting on people’s marriages appalled me (we didn’t vote on your marriage!). A group of Californians had created a law hurtful to other people because they themselves didn’t need to live under that law. Shouldn’t we know better by know? Hasn’t the black civil rights movement, woman’s suffrage, and countless other civil rights battles shown us that denying rights to a minority, just because the majority feels they are superior, is inexcusable? Must each successive generation be retaught the same lesson?

After much thought, it seems to me that yes, each generation, in some way or another, must and will be retaught acceptance.

If you are reading this and you are against same-sex marriage, you should know that sometime in the not-so-distant future, you too will be retaught acceptance. I say this with no bitterness or animosity; I am simply letting you know this as a matter of fact. You will come around. Thirty years from now, we will look back on today and regard Proposition 8 with shame, much the way we look upon separate water fountains for blacks and feel embarrassed, wondering how anybody could be so near-sighted. This, I guess, is my point: Proposition 8 was disappointing but it is irrelevant. Same-sex marriage and all other forms of gender equality are inevitable. Just recently, we saw hard proof of this; Iowa legalized same-sex marriage, followed by Vermont five days later. The tide of history is turning, and all of us are very privileged because we are experiencing the turning point as we speak. The question is not if anymore, but when.

So, how can you help bring about this change as quickly as possible?

First, if you are gay, bisexual, or transgendered, come out of the closet. Who you are should be no secret. Of course, this is much easier said than done— depending on to whom you come out, you may face bigotry, and you may lose friends. These are very good reasons not to come out, and you shouldn’t do so before you think about it a considerate amount. However, coming out usually does more good than bad, because it puts a face to the name, and it changes people’s minds. Imagine: when a person at the ballot box is faced with the issue of gay rights, they no longer have the mental picture of the Village People when they think of gays. Instead, their mental picture is you. Realizing that he is hurting an actual person that he knows, the person abandons their prejudices. After all, why do you think Dick Cheney is pro-same-sex marriage? It’s because his daughter is a lesbian. What do you want to bet he was against same-sex marriage before he knew?

Coming out has the potential to change many minds. However, there are some situations in which I would never advise it. For instance, if you think that your parents are liable to kick you out of the house if because you are gay, don’t come out (and if you think this warning is ridiculous, it’s not; hundreds of minors are forced out of their homes for their sexuality).

Secondly, no matter your sexuality, don’t be passive when faced with prejudice. When someone uses the term “faggot” or the phrase “that’s so gay,” correct them. Tell them that they are insulting you or someone you know. Likewise, when someone disparages gay people or argues that they don’t deserve equal rights, speak out. Let them know how you think. Often times, just knowing that someone else thinks differently is enough to make somebody research your point of view, and this is only ever a good thing.
And lastly, while gay rights are eventually inevitable, our opposition will do everything it can to prolong this as much as possible. How will this do this? Put simply, they will lie. In fact, the main reason Proposition 8 passed was that its supporters lied to the public about the potential effects of same-sex marriage. They claimed that if Prop 8 wasn’t passed, churches would be forced to perform same-sex marriages. A new series of television ads in New Jersey is claiming that, if same-sex marriage were legal, doctors would be forced to perform surgeries against their religion. These claims and all of the other ones are lies, and it is on you to know the truth.

Therefore, the final thing you can do is educate yourself about the issue. I’ve told you many things in this essay, but don’t just take my word for it. Go out there yourself and know the issues. We are the generation that is going to bring full equality to gay people, and together, nothing can stop us.

Thanks for reading. :icon_bigg