|
NO, virginia (NOTE: I am not involved in a romantic relationship with another man at this time, nor do I imagine I will be in such a situation in the foreseeable future, so the potential for the legislation discussed in the following paragraphs to have any direct effect on me is practically nil. Still, I feel I must speak my heart.) I guess Thomas Wolfe was right; you can't go home again. At Christmas in Virginia, and during my trip to New Orleans in early February, I made a lot of progress towards making peace with my upbringing and with the South, whence I come. Clearly, however, Virginia has no interest in making peace with me. (Call me childish, but henceforth, I will not capitalise the state's...Sorry, commonwealth's (whatEVER) name.) In late April, the virginia state legislature passed into law a bill, the entire odious substance of which is this: "Be it enacted by the [g]eneral [a]ssembly of [v]irginia: 1. � 20-45.3. Civil unions between persons of same sex. A civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage is prohibited. Any such civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement entered into by persons of the same sex in another state or jurisdiction shall be void in all respects in [v]irginia and any contractual rights created thereby shall be void and unenforceable." Notwithstanding the fact that this law is, by virtue of its incredibly general language, patently unconstitutional, as it attempts to nullify binding legal contracts voluntarily entered into by consenting parties, it will be in force as of 1 July 2004, unless someone with legal standing to do so raises suit swiftly in the courts. The truly frightening thing is that strong negative reaction to this legislation seems unlikely, as this action seems to have, in a catastrophic miracle, passed beneath the radar of practically everyone, despite the current prevalence of such issues in the headlines. Even more appalling is the fact that the bill passed into law with a greater than two-thirds majority vote in both the house and the senate, thus blocking a veto by the governor, whose rather limp suggestion that some of the most general (and oppressive) language be removed was rejected. The bill was authored by Robert G. Marshall of Manassas, who I can only conclude is possessed by similar demons to those which seem to drive our current president, and as much as I am inclined to call for an exorcism for both of these characters, I cannot overlook the fact that 103 other elected official bigots, between the house and the senate, voted in support of this discrimination. (Apparently, there are only 30 humans in the entire state legislature with functional spine and moral conscience strong enough to oppose it.) I recommend you visit www.virginiaisforhaters.org NOW (I was friendly in college with one of the guys who set up this site, a clever response to the state's long-standing "virginia is for lovers" tourism campaign.) for further details, stories from residents of virginia, lists of corporations which one ought to boycott, and people and agencies to contact to voice disapproval. A swift and unified response ("shock and awe", anyone?) is the only thing which will send the message to these cretins that we no longer live in a world which will tolerate this sort of baseless hatred, discrimination and fear-mongering. I am horrified at this display of hatred and at the utter gutlessness demonstrated by virginia legislators through this insidious action. My rage, hurt, and utter alienation at this situation renders me unable to further express myself with the eloquence to which I normally aspire, so I'll simply say this. I will not return to virginia until this gross injustice is rectified and the dignity of all persons is reaffirmed by my miserable, wretched, hateful home state, from which I am utterly mortified to confess I come, nor will I support any corporate entity which calls it home (and there are MANY). My regrets to my family...I may not see you again for a long, long time. r
|