Can We Fix It? Yes, We Can!

The gay community has, and continues to, face overwhelming injustices. Some stem from denying the right to marriage to same sex couple, and others are laws made with the pure intention of completely discriminating against couples of the same sex. One in particular is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996. You can thank ole Bill Clinton for that. That's right Bill, be sad. This is only one of the many other mistakes Bill Clinton made during his 2 terms as president.

A brief overview of the Defense of Marriage Act:

• No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) need treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

• The Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

Yeah, that is the gist of it. But since then, a couple states have declared same sex marriage legal, but the discrimination from DOMA still lingers, and these couples that have been married feel it harder than anyone. This is why these same sex couples are suing the US government because the law denies gay couples access to more than 1,000 federal programs and legal protections in which marriage is a factor. Yeah, this is obviously not fair, especially when every citizen should be given the same rights.

Legal analysts think it'll be years before the suit even makes its way through the federal court system, but said they believed it had a good chance of eventually leading to the invalidation of the act's power to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. This would be a huge milestone if and when it does happen. Also, following behind the couples example, about 18,000 other couples who were married in California are expected to do the same. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this to finally reach the courts and take effect. Too bad I might be in my 30's by then. I'm 21 right now by the way.....

But yeah, Bill screwed us gay people pretty royally (no pun intended), but Obama proves to be a more hopeful choice. Barack Obama's stance on GLBT rights are as follow:

• Expand hate crimes statuses
  
• Fight workplace discrimination and Promote rights
• Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for GLBT Couples
• Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
• Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell
• Fight AIDS Worldwide

This laundry list of things he has vowed to do during his term has yet to be completely started yet, which is understandable in a way. One crisis at a time, really. Then again, I hope (notice how I used the word 'hope', which is one of Obama's many one word catchphrases] this all wasn't a bunch of talk so that he could get elected. I will borrow a line from Bob The Builder and go on record saying, "Can we fix it ('it' being this ass-backwards government policy that doesn't grant every citizen the same rights as other citizens)? Yes, we can!"