Researching

I have just spent the last couple of hours doing research for my speech.
I picked this subject because it has meaning to me, and my family. Yes, I complain about my brother being a pompous ass, a real snob, but he is my brother and I love him. I also love his partner, whom I generally refer to as my brother-in-law. Mark is a member of the family in every aspect except legal aspects. And that is a shame.

After researching the opponents' point of view tonight (so that I may refute their arguments) I am left feeling... angry? Dissatisfied? Disgruntled? Definitely disappointed in the closed-mindedness of people.

We are talking about a civil right here gang. Years ago, the African-American population was treated like second class citizens. We learned from our mistakes, and have (and still are) making strides for equality of race. Why then, would some feel that homosexuals are any different? Do they not also deserve to be treated as equals? Do they not also deserve every civil right and liberty of other Americans?

Examples of rights denied that I checked into tonight (and need to look into more):

My brother and his partner each pay premiums for their health insurance, as a single person. My friends Cora and her husband (no children, so a good comparison to Steve and Mark) get their health insurance from Rob's job, and pay a rate that covers both he and Cora, and the cost of theirs is LESS THAN HALF that which Steven and Mark pay.

And (this is on my list of research, tomorrow in Income Tax class... I will get exact numbers to use in the speech) then you consider the tax rates of single people versus the rate paid by "married filing jointly" Holy Crap!

If Steven or Mark were to be hospitalized, it would be up to the families of each whether or not their partner would even be allowed in the room. Now, Steven and Mark are lucky, they have the love and support of their families. Not all gay men have that. In fact, many have distant and even hostile families. There are several instances where a gay man, dying in a hospital bed, is having his decisions made not by the person with whom he has shared a life, a partner who knows him well, loves him and knows what he would want, but by a family who does not approve of his life and is alienated from him because of it.

I could go on and on, I'm on such a "IT'S NOT FAIR" high right now... I have been printing pages and highlighting text and taking frantic notes before a thought leaves my head for the past few hours, I am exhausted but fired up here!!