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| Reaping the Spoils of War | ||||||
| I spent a considerable amount of my life fighting for my rights. Why? Because my country said I did not deserve them. Why? Because I am a lesbian. Now in 2023, at the ripe age of 39, I watch all of these youngsters enjoy their rights, rights they may not have had if I and my fellow citizens had not fought tooth and nail for them. Back in 1999, when I first realized I was attracted to women, I began researching what that would mean for my future. What did I come to learn? I learned that society would hate me and discriminate against me every opportunity they had simply because of my sexual orientation. Little did I know how much things would soon change. | ||||||
| The year 2003 was a great year for gay rights activists. First, the Texas laws against sodomy were struck down; one up for gays and lesbians! A few short months later, something even more incredible happened. After a long awaited ruling, the Superior Court of Massachusetts granted seven gay couples the right to marry which made same-sex marriage legal in that state. Same-sex couples from all around the United States traveled to Massachusetts and married. Once they arrived back to their home states and their states refused to recognize their marriages, they filed law suits. Eventually, every state had several of these cases to deal with. What was the end result of this legal struggle? The United States Supreme Court ruled in our favor and every same-sex couple was granted the right to marry. | ||||||
| Ideally, that would have been the end of that, but the hatred and ignorance that many of our fellow Americans harbored in their hearts towards us would not be silenced. There were violent rallies and demonstrations all over the U.S., particularly violent were the ones in South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and other states that make up the "Bible Belt." Many were Christian fundamentalists who were angry with the court?s decision. Several deaths resulted from the violence that proceeded the courts ruling. Five people were killed, two in South Carolina, two in Texas, and one in Tennessee. | ||||||
| Fortunately, we have come very far in recent years. After the anger subsided and people realized that homosexuals were not out to destroy the institution of marriage, life pretty much returned to normal. There are still issues that gay activists are fighting for. Adoption has become a bit easier now as well, though in some states, such as Florida, there are still bans against gay adoption on the books. We hope to have those removed soon. There are still people who refuse to acknowledge us as equals, luckily their opinions were not enough to keep us from attaining our rights. I must thank our Founding Fathers for writing the Constitution, for making this a free country, and for calling us equals. If it were not for them and their efforts to found this great nation, we never would have made it this far. | ||||||
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