She said everything I would have to say.

I'm reblogging this. It was written here, by Kate Lieb. I can't say what she said better, so I'm passing this on to my readers...few as they may be.

"As Americans, we’re given the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL. So why is the LGBTQ community not given these supposedly inalienable rights. I mean aren’t they Americans too? Does whom they fall in love with make them Un-American? Since when was choosing something against the “norm” Un-American, after all wasn’t that the concept America was founded on? I’m now going to analyze how each of the aforementioned principles in the Declaration of Independence are not granted for this community.

Life:

Because gays and lesbians aren’t allowed to get married, they aren’t given the same rights that married couples get. One right they aren’t fully given yet because they don’t have the right to marriage is end of life visitation. It wasn’t until this August that they were even given this right at all, but they’re only given this right if the hospital is funded by medicare or medicaid. So if you’re gay/lesbian and your loved one is being cared for in a hospital not funded by these two government agencies, the hospital could likely reject your visitation rights AND they would have the right to do so. This subject really hits home for me because my uncle Arthur developed multiple myeloma and when he was in the hospital, his partner wasn’t allowed to see him. Until the end of his life, Arthur tried his best to avoid going to the hospital so he could spend his final moments with his life partner. Sure, what Obama passed makes the likelihood of what happened to my Uncle Arthur less likely, but it doesn’t eliminate the problem. Until ALL hospitals are forced to let partners be at their ailing partner’s side or gay marriage is legalized, the LGBTQ community will still experience the pain of what my uncles went through.

Liberty:

First off, they don’t have the freedom to serve in our nations military. For the members of the LGBTQ community to serve, they have to conceal their identities and live a lie throughout their tour of duty. If they’re caught or even accused of being gay or lesbian, they’re dishonorably discharged. Since when does sexual orientation affect your ability to serve? Last I checked, they can do anything us straight Americans can do.

Pursuit of Happiness:

Gays are still not allowed to marry. Now why is that? Because people who are against marriage believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Now where is that stated? The bible. This is a direct violation of separation of church and state. Senators are using the scriptures of the bible to figure out where they stand politically. Could it also be for other reasons? Obviously, but those opposed to it still use the bible as the reason why they won’t support it. Until someone steps up and says using that excuse is an invalid reason to continue the ban, gay marriage will continue to be a figment of imagination instead of a reality." 

I've been reblogging a lot lately (for me, anyway). I'm kind of in an inspiration-dry rut right now.

But yeah.

I agree with everything she said.

Ladies and gentlemen...

“Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.”