The fight for Gay Rights seems to be a never ending roller-coaster ride. Its been going up, down, backwards,and forwards for quite some time now. This past June, when New York legalized gay marriage, the height of equality was breath taking to witness. However, the fight continues in El Paso, Texas as the Pastor Tom Brown causes havoc for Gay Partners to receive receive health benefits.
Brown, described as the "charismatic leader" of Word of Life Church, is making a vigorous attempt to banish the Mayor of El Paso, John Cook, along with council members for approving domestic partners to have benefits. This is causing quite some tension between church and state in this Texas city. The issue started in 2009 when the council stretched the budget to cover unwed domestic partners for city employees. Shortly after, El Pasoans and Brown threatned to launch a voter referendum. Presently, the battle between local government and church leaders is still in action.
The fortunate thing in this case is that local government is taking action so justice is met for gay couples. At the end of the day, what matters most is the law. Because El Paso is relatively gay- friendly, what homophobes think and do, doesn't matter. Domestic partners should have every right to obtain benefits for their loved ones. For the judgmental Christians in El Paso, living wrongfully through the bible, they can continue to live in the dark ages. Steve Ortega, a city council member as the fitting perspective.." When you look at cities that are thriving...those cities promote a culture of inclusiveness and openness." Having family and friends who identify as gay, lesbian, and bisexual, allows me to understand the importance for equality for their evolving community. I hope one day, all 52 states recognize them as equal.In El Paso, a Storm Over Benefits for Gay Partners
No comments:
Post a Comment