I have to make an apology to the GLBT community.

[walldude]

I seriously owe you guys an apology. Let me explain. My family has no health insurance, hasn't for 10 years. (those damn pre-existing conditions). So obviously this is my pet cause. What I realized when this bill came to a head this week and it became a gift to the insurance industry, and that the best I was going to get was some crappy mandated insurance, from a company that is going to do everything in their power to profit off of my families illnesses, I got pissed off. Really pissed off, kind of the straw that broke the camels back.

As I have been posting and looking back on all the things I just let slide because I was so desperate for a decent health care bill, I realized that your pet cause, equal rights for all, was just slightly more important than my family having to continue on the way we have been for 10 years. We are managing. You however are being regulated to second class citizens, your causes are being ignored, and in some cases we are actually going backwards in the fight for gay rights.

So, my sincerest apologies, and a promise that in the future I will not let any political ideology or pet cause get in the way of my standing with you in your struggle to be treated with respect and to achieve your goals of equal rights for all. This isn't about being the member of the right party, it's about being righteous.

[Political_Junkie]

Welcome Aboard

Glad to have you. My hopes for the best for you and your family. :hi:

[Political Heretic]

1. You rock.

It doesn't need to be either/or. But asking people to take a seat and wait for equal status as persons under the law is simply too much to ask. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[Skittles]

2. you're getting there, walldude

try to remember that these "pet causes" you allude to are actually human issues for all - the GLBT folk want and need decent healthcare, and any denial of rights to gay folk hurts us as as human beings - yes

[Berry Cool]

4. Exactly. They're not just "ponies" or personal oxen that are being gored.

Ultimately, we don't all win until everybody wins.

[Skittles]

10. CORRECT

it's something I try to get across to people - a group denied civil rights hurts us ALL. If we fight for ALL that is right we ALL win. :thumbsup:

[jonnyblitz]

3. I pretty much remember the screennames of the DUers that

were trashing us but I don't recall you doing it. and, even though i am gay, I tend to get more involved in anti-war activism because i am also a Navy Vet. i have more than one "pet issue". I appreciate your post. :hi:

[bigwillq]

5. Thank you

K and R.

I hope your situation improves. :hi:

[David Zephyr]

6. Our families suffer in ways you don't even want to imagine.

Imagine not being able to ride with your wife or child in the ambulance they were in dying: that is the status quo of our GLBT families and worse. We learn to suck it up and not "shove it down people's throats" too much.

That said, I really want to say that I'm truly sorry you don't have healthcare and I value your humility to write what you posted. You are a stand up person.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones. :hi:

K&R

[Neecy]

7. K&R

It's been a rough year for a lot of people who thought that, in big ways and small, our lives would improve after 8 long years of Bush.

It hasn't quite worked out that way, but your post reminds us of a shared humanity and a shared fight ahead. Nice sentiment for the holiday week, and thank you for the gracious post. Best to you and your family.

[NMMNG]

8. Thank you

I still get frustrated when I see the "pet issues" meme. These aren't "pet issues", these are our lives. And we care about all those "other issues" that people throw in our faces every time we bring up marriage equality, DADT, DOMA, etc. People need to realize that we have the "other issues" and our status as second-class citizens to deal with.

[tbyg52]

9. Thank you. nt

[KG]

11. to me, issues like gay rights, health care, militarism, racism, etc are intertwined and carry equal

weight. the causes seem to all have the same enemy on the other side.

[walldude]

13. As well they should, but sometimes

people get wrapped up in their world and forget about others... As I did, until I realized that what I was feeling was probably a drop in the bucket compared to how the GLBT community felt every time one of their rights issues was either dropped or put on some stupid back burner...

[KG]

15. a broad, united front will eventually wear the bastards down.

[lunatica]

12. Health care rights and equal human rights for all are one and the same

Just another side of the coin. We are fundamentally all equals and the more we wake up to that fact the better life will be for everyone.

[glitch]

20. All Means ALL.

Include ecologic and economic justice as critical categories within health care rights and equal human rights.

Once you get the interconnectedness of our individual fights, you never go back to "pet" causes. They are all the same.

[ruggerson]

14. Thanks

this entire response to the healthcare bill has been interesting, to say the least.

[eridani]

16. LGBT--canaries in the coal mine n/t

[Hydra]

17. IMO, it's all equally important

And we don't have to "sacrifice" other important things to get something else done. That's the pet theme of The Powers That Be- "sacrifice."

What are they sacrificing?

We need healthcare reform. We need equal rights for all. We need Constitutional protections returned. We need the wars to stop. We need to stop using oil and other dirty fuels.

We need all of these things, and they're all interrelated and important...and doable.

[lies and propaganda]

18. Lets just join forces babe! n/t

[Thickasabrick]

19. K&R - awesome post. nt