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NO DOGS OR QUEERS ALLOWED --------- 5th Annual Pride Write-offMay 24 '04 (Updated Jun 25 '04) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Discrimination never changes. Only the target does.
This is my 250th review for Epinions. I’ve been wondering for days what I could write that would be funny, yet memorable. I wanted to write something with meaning. After reading my e-mail this morning, I know that witty, concise, fun editorial will have to wait. It may wait for a while because right now, there is no humor in my world, only shadows casting dark images that seem to lengthen and strengthen on a daily basis. I can only wonder how long it will take for the shadows to reach me. And what will happen when they finally do. The e-mail I read today wasn’t a death threat (and I do get those on occasion). It wasn’t from a religious person who felt compelled to point out my sins--even though they’ve never met me personally. It wasn’t the usual conjecture on my family tree never forking, possible canine ancestry, and the illegitimacy of my conception and/or birth. I’m a liberal lesbian on the AOL political boards. I’ve grown accustomed to hate mail. But this e-mail was different. It was forwarded by a friend and it concerns a recent law currently in Michigan legislation--the “Conscientious Objector Policy Act” or COPA for short. “Conscientious Objector”… what an odd term to use in a time of war. But this doesn’t refer to “The War on Terror” or “The Iraqi War”. It refers to “The War on Homosexuality”. Simply put, this law would allow health care providers to assert their objection within 24 hours of when they receive notice of a patient or procedure with which they don't agree--this law gives physicians the right to refuse to treat a gay or lesbian patient. They can be turned away without referral to a doctor who would be willing to treat them. There is a stipulation that if it is a true emergency, then they must treat the patient--even if that patient is a gay or lesbian. Makes you wonder what type of treatment they’ll receive, doesn’t it? And wonder who decides what constitutes an emergency? The insidiousness of this law bothers me greatly. It gives health care professionals the right to make moral judgments on their patients. It supports the right to discriminate based on sexual orientation or “lifestyle” choices. What “lifestyle” choices will be next? My favorite signature line for my e-mails is a quote from Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran minister who spent seven years in the Nazi death camps. He states: “First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist - so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat - so I did nothing. Then they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew - so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left who could stand up for me.”. To me, this quote is a wake-up call for everyone, especially in this country. When one group is being denied rights, being persecuted and discriminated against, then everyone’s rights are in jeopardy. Who will be next? Will the doctors decide that single mothers aren’t fit to raise children? Should a pregnancy be unchecked because the doctor disapproves of the lack of a wedding band? Will teens be denied treatment for sexually transmitted disease because “they should just say no!”? Should their medical care be denied because promiscuity and pre-marital sex is a sin? Then alcoholics, drug abusers and the obese become the next groups to be denied medical care? Where does it end? And what about the homosexual men and women who are being denied services from the doctors they may have had for years? Was their quality of care less because the doctor thought their “lifestyle“ to be a sin? Was this medical professional less caring, less attentive because he believes they deserve to be ill as punishment? You might think this is impossible, but I know of one local doctor who has protested adding sexual orientation to the lists of anti-discrimination laws. He stated on more than one occasion that he didn’t hire homosexuals, he didn’t want to hire homosexuals, and he didn’t want them as patients. These doctors who ignore the Hippocratic Oath are out there. If medical care and insurance can be denied for sexual orientation or lifestyle, what will be next? In many places, it is legal to refuse to rent to a homosexual (single or in a couple). It is legal to refuse to serve someone you think is a lesbian or gay man. It is legal to fire an employee not on his/her record or performance but because you suspect they are gay. Pitifully few communities state one may not discriminate for sexual orientation for jobs, housing, public accommodations. So if a community can decide to withdraw medical care, insurance, job, housing, and public access… what else is next? In Nazi Germany, before the Holocaust officially began, merchants and businesses hung signs that stated: “NO DOGS OR JEWS ALLOWED“. Are the signs of tomorrow going to read “NO DOGS OR QUEERS ALLOWED“? And what will happen after that? If a class of people is so despised that discrimination is made legal, then will persecution become more overt? I have seen the bumper stickers in the past that proudly proclaim: “Kill a Queer for Christ”. It has happened before and I strongly suspect it will happen again. Let’s also consider what happens when those in authority is allowed to make moral judgments on one group. When that group is properly subdued and subjugated, who will be next. “Communists… Social Democrats… Trade Unionists… Jews…”. There is always someone else that the shadows are reaching for… Always. Discrimination never changes, only the target does. How many of you would like an authority figure to make moral judgments on your life? Especially when that moral judgment is based on a word--"divorced”, “unwed”, “alcoholic”, “atheist” or “homosexual”? Nothing else will be considered--the divorce was due to abuse; the marriage fell apart; you’re attending AA regularly; you have a Constitutional right to your religious beliefs or your lack of them; and that you’re gay because you are, even when you tried and prayed and struggled not to be. After all, who would really choose to be persecuted, denied housing, fired from your job, possibly losing family and friends, and discriminated against in a thousand small and not-so-small ways? Sorry, I’m not a masochist, just a normal woman who happens to be a lesbian. I understand that some who read this are saying: “What’s the big problem here, Lisa? You don’t live in Michigan.”. But five other states have similar legislation pending--Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia--that will allow doctors to refuse to treat patients or procedures to which they object. What other states will consider this? And what will be the next step for those states that pass the legislation? The shadows are lengthening and strengthening, folks. I believe this editorial will affect my Web of Trust. People who have trusted me for quite a while will decided not to anymore, which is their right and I’ll back them on this. But is it this one Epinion I write that causes that… or is it the fact I identify myself as a lesbian? Did the “L” word strike out 249 other reviews? Does my sexuality really affect my opinion or my Epinion? Or does it affect the perceptions that other have of me? Where does it all start and where will it end? Every group seems to need a scapegoat, one you can blame all the problems of the people on. Currently, in this country it’s two groups. Globally, our country seems to blame most Muslims for the actions of a few radical, fundamentalist terrorists. Nationally, homosexuals are being blamed for everything. Rush Limbaugh, after stating he didn’t believe prisoners were abused in Iraq, now blames it on homosexuals in uniform. And the list of blame for gays and lesbians goes on. I’ve been told it’s our fault for the 50% divorce rate (because we all marry and then cheat on our spouses and cause them to divorce us) yet I’m also told that I should find a “good man and settle down”. I’m told it’s the lesbians who “abandon” their children to have a career are causing all the problems with today’s youth, yet to not work labels them as “Welfare mothers“ who are equally unfit. I’m told homosexuals are all alcoholics and drug abusers whose “AIDS-ridden lifestyle” is bankrupting the medical system. I’m told that homosexuals are all child molesters who practice bestiality in a polygamous fashion. The list grows and becomes more ridiculous in its stereotypes. Yet I can usually disregard these people as being unknowledgeable in their arguments and counting on rhetoric like “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” (whose author, Mel White, is gay) which requires little actual thought. Stereotypes are usually the forte of the uneducated. However, when politicians, doctors, and other figures of authority begin pandering to this thinking, my blood runs cold. Fear sells. And a lot of people in this country are buying. I’ve thought my time in political forums arguing for legal recognition of same-sex marriages was not only helping others like me (i.e. homosexual) but also an investment into my own future. True, I’m single now, but may not always be. However, to have my hypothetical spouse be entitled to just a few of the legal benefits a couple who are married by an Elvis impersonator while on a drunken visit to Las Vegas, we will have to hire a lawyer to create a Power of Attorney if incapacitated; a living will giving the other the right to make decisions; a patient advocacy to give the other the right to make decisions while temporarily unfit while medicated or in surgery; and a will to dispose of our worldly possessions. All this time I’ve been fighting for these rights, it never occurred to me that basic medical care might be a right for which I should be fighting. I’m always honest with my health care providers from the first moment they step into the cube. In a paper towel gown, it’s hard for me to be anything else but honest--I sweat when I lie. However, if I found out the best rheumatologist to treat fibromyalgia is homophobic, I might be tempted to lie. If the best oncologist was homophobic, I would definitely lie. It never dawned on me that I should be fighting for medical rights. And who is the next group to get the okay to discriminate against homosexuals? Will it be my hair stylist? The guy who fixed my air conditioner? My mechanic? My veterinarian? Who will next hang out the sign that says: “NO DOGS OR QUEERS ALLOWED” and why are we allowing them to do it? This is part of Pyschovant's 5th Annual Gay Pride Write-off. Show your pride! Show your support!  |
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