Larry Benjamin's Blog: Larry Benjamin's blog - This Writer's Life - Posts Tagged "equality"
Let’s make this The Year of the People, The Year of Equality.
I don’t know how many of my readers live in Philadelphia but Lisa Scottoline, the author, writes a weekly column for the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer. I read it each week and usually move on with my week but this week’s column—Year of the Women Who Are Fed Up—gave me pause. (http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-02...) Actually it incensed me. This blog post explains why.
Lisa writes, “They say this is the Year of the Woman…To prove that the Year of the Woman is here, they point out that the Augusta National Golf Club just allowed two women to join its membership, after 80 years of admitting only men.”
So women couldn’t join a golf club? WahWah. Frankly, I don’t give a crap; I can’t give blood or join the Boy Scouts of America. I did wonder, though, who these male members of the past 80 years were. What planet are they from? Do they not have mothers? Wives? Daughters? Female friends? I cannot imagine Stanley joining a club that wouldn’t allow black members. His sense of fairness is too strong, his respect for me as a human being, too great.
She also highlights the fact that the NFL just hired its first female referee—a job that said female has been doing for seventeen years. Big deal. In 29 states I can be fired from my job for simply being who I am.
Of course all of this led me to the battle over gay marriage in America, which Ms. Scottoline doesn’t address but I will.
When you tell me you’re against gay marriage what I hear is that you are for discrimination. And don’t defend your position by telling me you’re against gay marriage but support domestic partnerships or civil unions. That is the 21st century equivalent of telling me you support separate drinking fountains, separate bathrooms. We already know “separate but equal” isn’t. And don’t talk to me about the Bible and your “moral compass.” I don’t eat shellfish but I’m not attempting to make it illegal for you to do so. Also, please note, I have not accused you of inviting the judgment of God for tossing a living creature—one of His creatures—into boiling water so you can eat something the Bible says you should not. I have not called you an abomination.
I am sick of hearing how we are the greatest nation on earth—we’ll be a great nation when everyone—every one of us has equal rights. I don’t mean just the right to marry but also the right to equal pay for equal work, equal access to health care, equal opportunity to work and earn a living, equal rights to decide what happens to our bodies.
And while Ms. Scottoline is talking about women’s rights, I think the conversation actually needs to be about human rights, civil rights.
Like Lisa, like thousands of women, I want what I want when I want it. I want equality. And I want it now. As a citizen of the world, as a human being, I deserve nothing less.
Let’s make this The Year of the People, The Year of Equality.
Read Ms. Scottoline’s column here: http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-02...
Lisa writes, “They say this is the Year of the Woman…To prove that the Year of the Woman is here, they point out that the Augusta National Golf Club just allowed two women to join its membership, after 80 years of admitting only men.”
So women couldn’t join a golf club? WahWah. Frankly, I don’t give a crap; I can’t give blood or join the Boy Scouts of America. I did wonder, though, who these male members of the past 80 years were. What planet are they from? Do they not have mothers? Wives? Daughters? Female friends? I cannot imagine Stanley joining a club that wouldn’t allow black members. His sense of fairness is too strong, his respect for me as a human being, too great.
She also highlights the fact that the NFL just hired its first female referee—a job that said female has been doing for seventeen years. Big deal. In 29 states I can be fired from my job for simply being who I am.
Of course all of this led me to the battle over gay marriage in America, which Ms. Scottoline doesn’t address but I will.
When you tell me you’re against gay marriage what I hear is that you are for discrimination. And don’t defend your position by telling me you’re against gay marriage but support domestic partnerships or civil unions. That is the 21st century equivalent of telling me you support separate drinking fountains, separate bathrooms. We already know “separate but equal” isn’t. And don’t talk to me about the Bible and your “moral compass.” I don’t eat shellfish but I’m not attempting to make it illegal for you to do so. Also, please note, I have not accused you of inviting the judgment of God for tossing a living creature—one of His creatures—into boiling water so you can eat something the Bible says you should not. I have not called you an abomination.
I am sick of hearing how we are the greatest nation on earth—we’ll be a great nation when everyone—every one of us has equal rights. I don’t mean just the right to marry but also the right to equal pay for equal work, equal access to health care, equal opportunity to work and earn a living, equal rights to decide what happens to our bodies.
And while Ms. Scottoline is talking about women’s rights, I think the conversation actually needs to be about human rights, civil rights.
Like Lisa, like thousands of women, I want what I want when I want it. I want equality. And I want it now. As a citizen of the world, as a human being, I deserve nothing less.
Let’s make this The Year of the People, The Year of Equality.
Read Ms. Scottoline’s column here: http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-02...
Larry Benjamin's blog - This Writer's Life
The writer's life is as individual and strange as each writer. I'll document my journey as a writer here.
...more
- Larry Benjamin's profile
- 126 followers
