It's so obvious when the right wing uses this term that they have never seen us in action. Suppose you get three lesbians and three gay men together with an agenda to take out the garbage:

One will want to label the garbage "queer garbage"

One will want to label it "equality garbage"

One will won't care as long as they use recyclable bags

One dyke will storm out in the middle of the meeting complaining that the men are taking over the process

One will want to hold a renewal ceremony over the garbage

One will want to call the garbage "unused resources"

Eight months later, they're still arguing over the garbage. Meanwhile, the religious right has produced a video showing the depravity of queer garbage, the mayor has made a statement that he doesn't believe that queers should have the "special right" of dumping garbage, and the town has passed a law forbidding queers from dumping their garbage at the local dump.
 
 

The right to marry someone you love.  The right to adopt or raise children.  The right to serve in the military.  The right to express oneself freely and honestly.  The right to hold one’s partner’s hand in public.  The right to equal protection at work, in public, and under the law.  The right to gather socially or, as guaranteed by the Constitution, to assemble peaceably.

What, if anything, is so unusual about any of these rights in American society? To the average heterosexual in this country, probably nothing.  Each of these rights is among the many enjoyed by all heterosexuals in the United States.  In fact, many actually take these rights for granted, knowing these rights and others exist, guaranteed for all American citizens.

Think again.  To the men and women in this country who are openly gay, these rights are not available.  They are, for gay men and lesbians, a goal that has not been reached.  At this time, not one of the fifty states recognizes same-sex marriages, and many have banned them.  The federal government itself has passed legislation banning same-sex marriages, reserving marriage as a right available only to heterosexual couples.  Adoption by same-sex couples is replete with additional obstacles not posed heterosexual applicants, regardless of the number of children forced to grow up in orphanages and state-run institutions, regardless of the resources and love a gay or lesbian couple could give to enrich the life of a child.  The military’s discrimination against gays and lesbians and its virulent drive to purge its ranks - despite  the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy - are well known.

And, then, there is the assault on gays and lesbians masked as a campaign to cure homosexuality.  No one questions whether or not heterosexuality is in need of a cure. Too often, gays and lesbians face risk losing jobs or housing simply because of sexual orientation.  To actually display love and affection for one’s gay or lesbian partner raises cries of moral indignation and condemnation, social branding, and discrimination.  Even worse, being openly gay or lesbian runs the risk of violent attacks, verbal or physical, with the ultimate “punishment” of death.  Heterosexuals face no such repercussions because of their sexual orientation.

These are the “equal rights” homosexuals have in this country.  They are, in fact, social penalties thrust upon gays and lesbians by a heterosexist and homophobic society.  Heterosexuals do not face such harsh realities.  And, yet, in seeking true equality and protection from these injustices, the gay community is told it already has equal status and that it is seeking special privileges. It is terribly ironic when it is asserted gays and lesbian are seeking special privileges.  Is equal protection a special privilege?  Is protection from discrimination at work or in public, in the legal system and in government a special privilege.  Is honest expression of one’s true self a special privilege?  Is raising a child a special privilege?

Of course not!  There is no sound legal basis in this country for denying anyone equal rights.  There is no logical reason for labeling as special privileges for gays and lesbians things already granted heterosexuals.  A double standard has become the social norm, supporting discrimination and inequality.

This nation touts itself as the champion of human rights throughout the world.  Whenever the oppression manifests elsewhere, the United States responds swiftly with indignant protests and demands for change.  American foreign policy and social sentiment demands other nations treat their citizens justly and fairly.  Yet, at home, discriminatory practices continue unabated and, in some instances, incorporated into the systems and institutions that govern this country.  In calling open other nations to observe human rights, while American domestic policies condone discrimination, the United States has revealed itself a world leader only in hypocrisy.

Gays and lesbians in American society are  not granted equality.  Any who would claim otherwise has a very inaccurate definition of equality.  Heterosexist values and homophobic legal posturing by intolerant conservatives have seen fit to relegate homosexuals to the ranks of second-class citizens.  To deny gays and lesbians the rights and freedoms granted others is a betrayal of the fundamental legacy given all Americans by those who forged this nation.  In a country where discrimination is allowed to flourish, even legalized, the words “. . . one nation . . . indivisible . . . with liberty and justice for all,” ring as a monumental lie and a collectively twisted view wherein equality exists only for those who are deemed worthy.

Just what are the obstacles gays and lesbian face in the struggle for equality in American society?  Does the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land and spine of the American legal system allow for inequality and second-class citizenship?  It most clearly does not.  No where within the entire text of the Constitution does it state that anyone is to be exempted from the rights and freedoms granted therein.  The Preamble itself states, “We, the People, in Order to form a more perfect Union . . .”  It does not say either “We, the Heterosexuals” or “We, the Moral Conservatives.”

Apparently, there is no true legal basis for inequality and discrimination.  The fact is, many of the discriminatory policies incorporated into the American legal system spring from individual beliefs.  The foundation of these beliefs are irrelevant, be they personal or religious, or anything else.  Just as they are, within the legal context outlined by the Constitution, irrelevant in governmental process.  Unfortunately, a few self-appointed “guardians of morality” have managed to force their views upon American society and have them incorporated into the legal and social fabric of our nation.

Gay men and lesbians in this country are not asking for much.  They ask only to be granted equality, to be allowed to lives their lives in peace.  To be able to live without having to fight for who and what they are and without having to live in fear.  Gays and lesbian are humans, too, thinking and feeling.  Is it too much to ask to be treated as such?  Or must gays and lesbians continue to be viewed and treated as less than human?  Any attempt to degrade or dehumanize on the basis of sexual orientation has that effect.  Ultimately, gays and lesbians want only to be themselves - not some image of what society dictates.

Equal rights or special privileges?  The struggle of gays and lesbians is for equal rights.  Nothing more.  The special privileges already belong to those who dictate social values and who have the rights denied gays and lesbians.  For homosexuals to achieve equal rights, those with the special privileges will have to surrender their special status. Remember, a special privilege is something given one group or individual that is not held by another.  Think again about the list of rights in the opening paragraph.  Heterosexuals in this country already have those rights.  Gays and lesbians do not.  It is a simple statement of the reality of American society.

For those who continue to protest, that gays and lesbians are demanding special privileges, there are two things you need to do.  First, open a dictionary and read the definition of equality.  Then, look around and see who really has the special privileges in this country.
 
 

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