My Gay Life

Every year Independence Day comes around and I find myself debating whether to celebrate or not. Some may call me unpatriotic, some may call me pissed off at the world, but I believe the questioning of whether the beliefs stated in Declaration of Independence are actually used in practice today is the only patriotic thing to do.

Everyone knows the famous lines from the Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

• It was 193 years before gay people were able to congregate without fear of losing their liberty.
• It took 226 years before gay people were allowed liberty to have sex in their own bedroom.
• It took 227 years before the first state allowed gay people to pursue happiness in marriage.
• It was 233 years before gay people were ensured life and protection from hate crimes.
• It has been 235 years and all men are still NOT equal, relegating gay people to a separate class of relationship in Civil Unions.
• It has taken 235 years and gay people are still not allowed to serve their country.
• It has been 235 years and gay couples are still taxed unequally compared straight couples.
• It has been 235 years and 44 states still do not allow gay people to pursue happiness through marriage.
• It has been 235 years and in most states gay people still cannot obtain a job without fear of having their life taken away by being fired.

According to the Declaration of Independence our government should have been dissolved a long time ago, and certainly no later than the 1960s. It is for these reasons and more that I refuse to celebrate Independence Day.

If you choose to celebrate, I wish the happiest of celebrations to you. Just know that I will not be celebrating with you.