When it came across my Facebook page that Governor LePage has asked the Supreme Court to allow employers to discriminate based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, I heard the band Bright Eyes singing in my head,
“I’m not surprised, but I never feel quite prepared…”
I have this simultaneous urge to both scream and go take a nap.
I try to imagine what my brothers and sisters feel – those who don’t happen to be cis like me or straight like me. I’m a middle-aged, upper-middle-class, white guy and if I’m beyond f@cking fed up with hate and bigotry while undeservedly privileged in our society. I try to imagine the highly personalized attack and further undermining loss of safety my family feels.
I am sorry.
That’s such an empty platitude, but I am.
At some point in my youth, I came to grips with a lot of unsettling epiphanies and realizations. Here’s one:
All the liberal guilt in the world won’t help a single human being.
My privilege further propels me to take greater responsibility for helping to end hate – and that is all that this type of discrimination is – it’s socially sanctioned hate.
My responses to our Governor’s (latest) hateful actions will be many.
But just for today, I’m mailing a large check to Health Equity Alliance, because their agency serves EVERYONE our governor hates. I’m reaching out to HEAL’s amazing staff. I’m going to listen to Macklemore’s Wednesday Morning and I’m going to do everything in my power to say as loudly as I am able:
I will not stand by. I will not tolerate hate. I will not tolerate discrimination – legal or otherwise.
Not In My Back Yard. Not to my brothers and sisters. Not now. Not ever.