Annaleigh Newall

Op-Ed essay

Mackenzie Cole

Spring 2012, Writ 101

Why is it that as a culture, the thought of walking down the street and seeing two men holding hands sends chills down one’s spine? Why is it that with all the problems going on in the world; rape, murder, poverty, and more all we can think of is not allowing gay individuals the rights to basic living? We want to take away those rights and deny them what they deserve just because they are different? Montana is one of many states where gay marriage is not legal. I am originally from Washington and I am proud to say that gay marriage is now legalized. I couldn’t be happier for the state as a whole, but more importantly, my family members and friends that are gay and now can legally be recognized as a couple.

Since as long as I can remember, my aunts and uncles have been there for me every step of the way as I have gone through life. When I was 7, my aunt’s partner was diagnosed with lung cancer. As you can imagine, this was a long, slow, painful process for everyone involved. My aunt Carolyn was denied her partner’s life insurance because they were not recognized as a legal couple. The cost of a funeral was all on my aunt, to be paid out of pocket. When I broke my arm, I wanted Carolyn to be at my surgery the next day, and she was there. When I was a baby, the only person I would go to besides my parents was my uncle David. Since day one I had a special connection with him. My uncle Mark visits from Pittsburgh every year, and my brother, sister, and I wait anxiously for the week he spends with us. We get to go to dinner and catch up on about half a year of happenings, and hear what’s new with him, never being ashamed or embarrassed to be with any of our family. This being said, having gay couples around me was something that I have been grown up around. I understand that my family has gay members in it, and I am proud to say it. I wouldn’t want our family to be constructed any other way. I have been taught that although somebody may be different from the standard cookie cutter mold of a person that society accepts, it doesn’t make them any less of a person. And in my case, I couldn’t ask for any better aunts and uncles who I know will always be there for me when I need them most, as they have for the past 18 years. Being different isn’t a bad thing, and I am glad I have been taught to realize this.

Montana is a state that has not yet legalized gay marriage. That means, when a man or woman loves somebody of the same sex, they have to break the law to be able to have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Love is an emotion, why should the law prohibit emotions? In a survey published in December 2011, it was found that even in a state that is against gay marriage, 51% are okay with civil unions. 62% want same-sex couples to have legal equality. In the same survey, 37% of people polled said same-sex marriage should be legal, 51% voted that same-sex marriage should be illegal and 12% said they were unsure. In 1979 in Bozeman, my uncle David and a group of his friends were trying to make a gay night at a local bar and grill. As they were enjoying their meals, they were attacked with knives. Luckily, everybody was safe. They were attacked for being different. Many places have a singles night for heterosexual people, why should homosexual people be excluded?

In Livingston, Montana, the town theatre showed ‘Brokeback Mountain’ for a week in 2006. The reaction was shocking. Many people came to watch the movie about two cowboys who fall in love, despite everything they have going against them. When the theatre owner would go down to close up after showing the film, everyone thanked her. Word of mouth started spreading and more and more people started coming to see the movie. Owner Margaret Warner stated that she found the movie to be “very touching, very sad”. Warner said the town was very accepting of the film, as “they should be because it’s life. Anybody has a right to love whoever they want.”

So I admit, I originally started writing this paper because I had to, and was definitely far from excited about it. I don’t like writing papers that require me to go against general public opinion. But I felt a connection with this topic. I felt that I owed it to my family that has gone through heartache about discrimination about being homosexual and other family’s that have homosexual members in them and my homosexual friends. As I was reading articles about homosexuals I started to cry realizing everything people have gone through. I can’t grasp how somebody can hate somebody so much because they are different from the cookie cutter mold. Who likes conformity anyways? I don’t think that it’s fair for people to be discriminated against for being in love. The biggest thing we can do to prevent this awful discrimination is to be educated and accepting of everybody, no matter their orientation, race, or religion. It’s important to accept everyone, don’t hate somebody because they are different. Don’t judge a book by its cover. All lessons that we have been taught since kindergarten, right? So how come as a society we aren’t able to implement these basic life lessons that we have been taught since we were 5 years old?

Bibliography

·         Public Policy Polling. Schweitzer Could Win Sen. Nom in ’14 but Maybe Not MT in ‘16. Rep. Public Policy Polling, 07 Dec. 2011. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_MT_1207424.pdf

·         Anderson, David. "The Bozeman Daily Chronicle." The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Empowering the Community. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 25 Feb. 2006. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/article_54199fc1-93d8-571d-b5fe-67adb546686b.html

·         Schontzler, Gail. "The Bozeman Daily Chronicle." The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Empowering the Community. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2006. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_1b86172a-ebb3-592f-a91c-21cd596cafa8.html