 |
| Courtesy www.slapupsidethehead.com |
Safe in Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle or
San Diego, one could easily forget the plight of our gay brothers and sisters who do not live in historic, safe, urban gayborhoods. While we focus
on same-sex marriage rights and piercing the pink corporate ceiling, too many
of our gay brothers and sisters still struggle for basic civil rights, social recognition
and the ability to live and work in peace, without humiliation or
discrimination.
As the nation’s urban gay-centers gain more
rights and protections, gays elsewhere are often being increasingly isolated
and attacked, possibly in quiet retaliation by those who feel threatened by recognition of these civil rights, or perhaps fear change in general.
In 29 states, a gay person still loses many or
most of his or her native civil rights as soon he or she “comes out
of the closet,” only to find themselves potentially evicted from their
apartments, kicked out their homes, losing their jobs, denied business services
and loans and even verbally and physically assaulted with impunity by
others. (How often are urban gays told
by cops that being victimized “sounds like a personal matter”?) 25 states
still ban same-sex marriage. 24 states still lack basic protection for the LGBTQ workers in
the private sector. 20 states still lack basic anti-hate crimes protection. And it is still
legal to discriminate in housing in 29 states.
Urban gays often seem blinded to the plight
of their brothers and sisters. HRC
(Human Rights Campaign) understandably fundraises also in rural and
conservative areas while focusing spending and attention almost exclusively on
expanding rights where campaigns are most likely to succeed. But, this often feels like a theory of trickle-down
civil liberties – as ineffective as Reagan’s infamous trickle-down
economics.
