via The Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
Article: Obama: ‘I Will End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ – The Daily Beast
Approve Referendum 71 in Washington State
President Obama addressed the largest gay-rights group Saturday night, raising huge applause when he promised to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and to tell Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act……Obama highlighted the soon-to-be-passed hate-crime legislation that will redefine a hate crime to include attacks based on gender and sexual orientation, but raised the
most applause when he said he will end the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy and when he said he would call on Congress to end the Defense of Marriage Act.
You know, I have never been a person who was really comfortable being around gay men. I suppose it is because I have experienced being hit on by gay men as a young man, then couple that with the atrociously racist and biased household I grew up in and you actually have the makings of a homophobe.
But now, I still have those feelings of unease but I overrule them with a clear understanding of just how wrong it is to deny this group of people, or anybody for that matter, the right to the pursuit of happiness.
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine that you are young and you’ve just met the person of your dreams. You get lucky. Against all odds you wind up in each other’s arms and begin an affair. You fall in love and you get married. That is life’s simple progression. You are aware that sometimes the love doesn’t last, but you both work at it and make it as fresh as you can. You grow old and comfort each other through sickness adn other trying times. Then the cold hand of death touches one or both of you, but you are neither afraid nor sad because you have lived your dream.
Don’t open your eyes yet, there is one more thing. Now imagine the life I have described as being between two men.
Everyone knows about the struggle to keep same-sex marriage alive in Maine, but I wonder if anyone is aware that Washington State is also going to the poles in November to decide on Referendum 71, a decision to accept or reject the newly expanded civil union laws. Referendum 71 would amend “references in numerous state statutes so that rights, responsibilities, and obligations granted by or imposed by state law on married couples and their families would apply equally to state registered domestic partners”.
If you live in Washington State, please vote to approve Referendum 71. Support this expansion of civil rights. Let these people live their lives as happily and securely as they can.
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