After reading the chapter this past week on Gay and Lesbian Rights Movements, it made me think about how unfair it is for these young men and women who still don’t get treated equally. The article that I came across today was from CNN.com named “Aging issues can be tougher on gays” by author Tom Watkins. In this article Watkins discusses that when Kelly Glossip’s partner Dennis Engelhard was killed in a road accident due to snow in Missouri, and that after his partner died the state wouldn’t give him money. The state would have given money to a wife but not to a gay couple. This put big problem on Dennis Engelhard who was supporting his 17-year-old son. Since Dennis and Tom were domestic partners the state wouldn’t recognize them, which is truly sad and unfair to this couple. In the chapter in class it mentioned Bill Moyer’s movement action plans, the MAP. The MAP is a framework in understanding the dynamics of social movements. So the steps that social movement goes through. One that I will put a focus on for this article is the majority public opinion.
I feel this related to the CNN article because so many people have this bad wrap on gay and lesbians, when they don’t have any idea that they’re all like regular people. The values that many of these gay couples exhibit in their daily lives are impossible to tell apart from those of their straight neighbors. Just like partners Kelly and Dennis were, they both valued and participated in family life, and were committed to making their neighborhoods and communities better. When Dennis’s partner Kelly passed, he was just as upset as a regular husband and wife coupled. Dennis should be able to participate in the state giving him money and shouldn’t be left behind due to his sexual being. I thought this weeks chapter on rights movements, brought up interesting points, and I thought the article from CNN was very good to relate to the majority public opinion.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/03/17/gays.aging.problems/index.html
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I agree, because people shouldn't be judged on their sexuality. I just feel that if a person choose to be gay or a lesbian that is one's choose. Everyone should be treated equal, and not differently just because one choose to live a different type of life style. I just hope that in the near future to come that gays and lesbians will be able to be treated the same as a straight couple, because love is love and it shouldn't matter! People should be able to live the type of life they want to, and not be judged or treated differently.
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