Wednesday, February 15, 2012

HomoQuotable - Armistead Maupin - To Those I Love in Ohio

From joemygod.com

"I’m outraged that there are currently major candidates for President of the United States who are using homophobia to rally their base. I’m pissed off at my Republican family back in North Carolina, several of whom came to my wedding, but who went right back and are voting for homophobes and acting like it doesn’t matter. It does matter and it’s time for the queers in this country to start saying so to their families. I think we’ve all cut them too much slack for far too long." - Armistead Maupin, speaking to Britain's Pink News.


This goes out to my family in Ohio. The ones who bother to vote or care about politics are Republicans. We try to stay away from politics when we get together because we are from opposite ends of the political spectrum.
We do give our families alot of slack. We are so grateful we are not kicked out, ignored, or hated for being who we are that we often let things slide to keep the peace. We don't talk about our friends or what we did over the weekend if it has anything to do with "gay" stuff. We bite our lips or go out for a smoke when the conversation gets sticky because we don't want to make waves. It is easy to say "We're here, We're queer, get used to it" during the parade but NEVER at a family gathering.
It makes me sick to know that they are voting in a religious, homophobic, health care is a privilege not a right, lets go back to the 50's kind of candidate. It is hard to know that they think my "commitment" in 2006 was ok and they came to celebrate but my legal marriage  in 2010 is not.
I love my family and would do what I could to make sure they are treated with respect and dignity for who they are. I wish they would do the same for me.
Ohio is not gay friendly and this is part of the reason.
 

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