Equal Acceptance of Gays in America: Long past due.

[Ed Ziomek]

Folks, in my humble opinion there are so many pivotal cities in the world, which include...

Rome. Paris. Athens. London. Jerusalem. Tokyo. Berlin. ...to name a few.

And certainly New York.

These locations to me are a few of the most known, enlightened cities of the world, though there must be 10,000 others.

Last Wednesday, the State government of New York apparently voted 38 to 24 to reject same-sex partners from marrying each other in a legal ceremony.

Associated Press and the Boston Globe, Boston.com
New York state lawmakers reject (same-sex) marriage bill
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/12/03/new_york_state_lawmakers_reject_gay_marriage_bill/

I am tremendously stunned by this decision, living next to one of the most enlightened cities in the world, with such open-minded people, so progressive, so tolerant to all nations, and all beliefs, to be so short sighted against two human beings expressing partnership and marriage vows to each other.

Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely content with my own heterosexuality, with three adult sons, with three beautiful grand children, but so many of my friends are of bisexual and homosexual persuasions. I am not sure, even at 57 years old, if sexual orientation is a choice, or is it biology, our bodies are so complex. And yes, some of my dearest couple friends were under one of those labels, so tremendously loving to each other, so wonderful to my wife and the neighborhood around us.

But to treat a huge, significant portion of our New York and American and world societies as different, and separated from the majority norm, and not able to share in our freedoms, I think this is horrendous, and I am ashamed.

And I was equally shocked a few years ago, when government employees with military responsibilities were fired from their jobs, over their sexual orientation!

How ignorant are we?

The good news for today, though, as the Huffington Post reports, Vermont joins Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts in legalizing same-sex marriages.
Vermont Legalizes spam Marriage, Overrides Governor’s Veto

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/vermont-legalizes-spam-mar_n_184034.html

Don’t we need more understanding in this world? Don’t we understand Love is all that we need more of? People caring about each other. Harmony. Why are we so judgemental of others?

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me…
George Michaels and Elton John, in Chicago….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbyUzyd_STQ&feature=email

[Ed Ziomek]

I just realize my error. Vermont over-rode the Governor's veto on April 7, 2009. I mis-read the Huffington Post date.

[Richard Haut]

Ed

there seems to be a steady rise in what I can only call the "New Hatred" - after decades of mainly slow progress in tolerance (certainly in a country like Britain) the pure virulence of hatreds has regressed by forty years or more - gays, jews, anybody with a different culture .... it is alarming and weird.

the anti-muslim shrieking is just bizarre.

I have been surprised (alarmed) to find that much of the British disagreement with some actions of Israel/Zionists that I have come across personally has indeed been a cover for real and deep-seated antisemitism. This is from people who turn out not to give a damn about Israel or what it does, and this is just from people I have met.

this is a tiny example from here in Nice:

http://archiblog.over-blog.com/article-burberry-bardot-burgers-40094013.html