Equal rights are overrated, right? They have to be, otherwise why would the House of Representatives and Senate have shot down bills that would have allowed domestic partnerships between same-sex couples and a bill that would have prevented discrimination based on sexual orientation?
Well, according to one representative, gays and lesbians have specific health issues that would have raised healthcare costs in the state by allowing them to marry.
Please sir, enlighten us on how gays and lesbians have greater health risks. Are you referring to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases? Oh yes, because all homosexuals have AIDS and not one straight person has AIDS or any other STDs.
I think I’d like a little more evidence than just giving “gays and lesbians have particular health issues” as a reason to not allow same-sex unions. However, even as angered as I am by the fact that the state of Wyoming refuses to legally recognize same-sex relationships, I am having an even harder time understanding how the Equality State can justify not passing a bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Now, you may wonder how as a straight woman I can even justify getting riled up over discrimination and same sex bills not getting passed. The answer is, you should not have to justify standing up for basic human rights. In 2013, should we really even have to propose a bill that would ban discrimination just to shut it down?
Think of the harm this could potentially cause to teenagers who are being bullied in school because of their sexual orientation.
Now, it almost seems as if the state is saying “It’s okay if you cause serious emotional trauma to gay students and it’s not a problem to exclude them.”
To quote “Same Love” by music artist Macklemore, “kids are walking around the hallway plagued by pain in their heart, a world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are.” With a statement like this, how can you say that homosexual discrimination is not a problem?
I’m not naïve enough to think that a bill would have ended discrimination, but it is incredibly disappointing to not even have the state recognize it.
I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and not everyone has acquired as many gay friends as I have over the years and therefore have not become as comfortable with gays as I have, but I still cannot understand why it would even matter to someone what someone else does in their personal life.
I guess for now, we will have to look for a brighter future where everyone can share the same basic human rights as the rest of us and marry the ones they love.
