Welcome to the right place and the right time.
Today we are here, celebrating the birth of Harvey Milk and his holiday.
We are social justice activists.
We are human rights activists.
We are civil rights activists.
We are the well, the brave, capable.
We are the ones who can come out and live openly in the light of day.
We are the Change-makers who are advancing the river of human consciousness.
It is 2010 And game on.
We are standing at the edge of change because we are visionaries.
We are standing here to say no one is equal until everyone is equal.
We are standing strong to expand the diversity of humanity.
We are standing to say we are not broken and our love is not criminal.
Most of us want to pair.
Humans, by majority, all over the world, want to pair.
Denying our right to pair is abnormal.
We are human beings and we demonstrate the normal human response to loneliness which is love.
Some people tell us we are not capable of committed love and parenting.
We will not let it go.
Some of us want to serve in the military, protect the country, even die for the country.
Those of us who want to serve deserve to live in truth.
Our widows have no soldiers at the door, no pension, no folded flag graveside.
We will not let it go.
We are not confused; this is not about tuxedos and bridal registries,
This is about the isolated & lonely who wish they were in love & being loved.
This is about the women in the military who have to submit sexually to stay in uniform.
This is about jobs, insurance, broken families & religious persecution.
This is about queer youth, hiding, lost, homeless, bullied, unloved, suicidal.
This is about trans-people asking for nothing more than their liberty.
This is about seniors with no shared property or family network.
This is about labeling a component of humanity as non-normal, as sinners, as condemned.
We will not let it go
Mr. Obama, we are demanding the right to marry, not so we can have a chicken dance and eat layer cake, but to qualify for family insurance policies, to inherit the property we mutually create, to raise our kids without harassment. We want to be able to adopt and raise kids who are adrift in the foster systems. We want to be recognized, legally enabled caretakers for one another in old age.
Mr. Obama, we are demanding the right to openly serve in the military, AND do not get confused, we are talking about protecting the safety of our families too. There are women and men who want to serve to protect their loved ones AND their country. From interpreters to gunners, we want to assume responsibility for the freedom and equality we are asking for.
Mr. Obama, we are demanding equality under the law with all the rights and responsibilities that come with it.
And we will no let it go
I am in love with equality and you are too.
It is just that simple.
Because, in fact, there is just no place else to be.
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