Current mood:	bitchy
Entry tags:	gay rights, politics, rants

The day they started my FBI file
Mark it down in your diary, kids. I've probably got a file going on me right now.



Mr. Bush,

I am writing to you regarding your October 3, 2003 endorsement of the so-called "Marriage Protection Week", which can be found on The White House's website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031003-12.html.

With all due respect, sir, did you read the Bible and/or our country's Constitution for content or were they both simply skimmed by the same people who allowed you to say that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa in your State of the Union speech?

For you, as the leader of the United States, to lend your public support to a mission as disgustingly anti-compassion as "Marriage Protection Week" cheerfully claims itself to be is so beyond comprehension that I'm still waiting for someone to tell me that Halloween pranks came early this year.

How could you?

How could you, as one who claims to follow the teachings of Christ, look upon a movement like http://www.marriageprotectionweek.com and think that this in ANY way represented an extension of those teachings?

Moreover, how could you, as President, endorse ANYTHING which has a religious backing?

Separation of Church and State, sir. The phrase - as I am quoting from your own endorsement - "Marriage is a sacred institution" should have never been issued by you as our President. That is a religious belief, sir, and not a political one. As an American I am guaranteed the right of freedom of religion. My religion is not your religion, sir. You are not my priest. What is sacred to me is between me and God and is no business of yours to interfere with.

Moving religion aside for a moment, let's also talk the issues.

I am something that you don't like, sir. I am a single, educated woman who is both bisexual and registered to vote. You don't know me, sir. You've never met me. Yet you see fit to make judgments about me based on no information whatsoever about me. Please allow me to clear that up for you.

I, and my gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual counterparts, are no threat to you, your marriage, or anyone else's marriage. We are not out to get you. We don't want to do anything which will harm you. You have NOTHING that must be "protected" from us. We are human beings, sir, the same as you and your friends.

I am a person, sir. I donate to charity. I work with the sick. For years I worked as an instructor for the homeless, youth at risk, and battered women. I taught them how to have skills so that they could get off welfare, stay away from crime, and find independence for themselves. I would still be doing this, sir, if not for the economy which YOU created which dried up funds for the school. You may wish to take this time to ask me why I never understood how you were able to talk about the tax cuts that you created which supposedly "helped" these people while keeping a - no pun intended - straight face.

I am single, as I said. I notice from your "Marriage Protection Week" proclamation that that means to you that I am, my sexuality aside, a blight upon society. I'm apparently not allowed to have those so-called helpful tax cuts, and if I were unfortunate enough to need welfare, apparently I wouldn't be worthy enough in your eyes to qualify for extra assistance. I guess I somehow missed the part of the Constitution which said I am only a true US citizen if I enter into a marriage and have children I'm not yet ready to care for. I'm terribly sorry, sir. I was too busy holding down a job and spending time with my family - which includes my parents, by the way. Two Christian people who have been married for going on 40 years now and who are also proud members of PFLAG.

I am one of many, sir. And in spite of your blatant hatred and disregard for who I am and all that I stand for, I'm not out to get you. Unlike you, I believe in a loving God. And I believe that when the end comes, it's His job to judge you, not mine. So please stop treating me as though I am a monster, and stop enacting laws and so-called weeks of ceremonies designed for the sole purpose of teaching people that they need to hate me.

Finally, sir, how dare you? How DARE you endorse a week of blatant, horrifying homophobia which not only begins the day after National Coming Out Day but on the very ANNIVERSARY of Matthew Shepherd's death? Have you no shame?

If actions like this are part and parcel of what you think it means to be a "compassionate conservative" then I'll take my compassion from Fred Phelps, thanks all the same. At least he doesn't make the pretense of trying to be nice to me.

2004 is coming soon, sir. I look forward to voting you out of office.

Sincerely,
[TBQ]