Common ground."The Black Divide" by David Ehrenstein David Ehrenstein (born February 18, 1947, in New York City) is an American critic who focuses primarily on issues of homosexuality in cinema. His father was a secular Jew with Polish ancestors, and his mother was of African American and white Irish descenthttp://www.laweekly. [April 27] was by far one of the best articles I have read in your publication. As an African-American gay man, I have to say thank you. I only wish and hope that African-Americans who are not gay will have the opportunity to read this article. John Edmonds, via the Internet The Reverend Jeffrey Brown is correct--and terribly wrong. Marriage is not a civil right. It is a legally recognized union of two people. However, it is a civil right that all citizens of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. must be treated equally in the eyes of the law. If heterosexuals have the right to the pursuit of happiness Noun 1. right to the pursuit of happiness - the right to try to find happiness human right - (law) any basic right or freedom to which all human beings are entitled and in whose exercise a government may not interfere (including rights to life and liberty as well by forming a contractual bond that the laws of this country honor and uphold, namely marriage, then homosexuals must be granted that same right. True, I have never been enslaved Enslaved may refer to:
tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- for what they do in the privacy of their own homes. I have never been beaten because of who I am, although many gays have died at the hands of others who hated them simply for loving in a way they did not approve of I have never been called three fifths of a person, although gays are barred from defending their own country in the armed forces, and so their contribution to society is marginalized because of their orientation. So for those who cry out that there is no comparison between the duration and severity of my personal struggle and that of the ancestors of African-Americans, I concede without reservation. But I have lived with the fear of what could happen to me socially, physically, and financially if someone decided to treat me as less than equal because I am gay. And now I've learned the full impact of how it feels to know that my own government has decided I am less deserving of the rights, benefits, and protections freely granted to heterosexuals, based on their moral judgment of me. So, yes, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson Jesse Lee Peterson is the president and founder of The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND), a group dedicated to promoting responsible fatherhood amongst African Americans. , you are correct as well. Civil rights are "not about sex." My struggle is about being treated absolutely equally by the government and by the law. And on those grounds our struggles are exactly the same. Richard Neumar, Deer Park Deer Park. 1 Uninc. village (1990 pop. 28,840), Babylon town, Suffolk co., SE N.Y., a primarily residential suburb on Long Island. 2 City (1990 pop. 27,652), Harris co., SE Tex. , N.Y. |
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