Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Celebrate DC, Speak Out Against Virginia

Last Friday, the Attorney General of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli, sent a letter to every college and university in the state to rescind their policies banning discrimination on sexual orientation. He says only he can approve such policies.

He seems to forget that he doesn't get to rewrite the Constitution. Equality Virginia has ways for you to get involved. The Governor of Virginia has yet to rein him in.

And two politicians made national news this week: Democrat Congressman Eric Massa resigned, at least in part because of an ethics panel investigation that he groped male staffers in this office, and California State Senator Roy Ashburn, one of the most anti-gay voting members, came out as gay after photos of him were taken leaving a gay bar.

These three news items stand in sharp contrast to the glorious celebrations in Washington, D.C. yesterday as the first same-sex couples were legally wed there. Check out HRC for some moving videos.

D.C. is the harbinger of what will be. Cuccinelli's action stands out as a desperate grasping to hold on to a world where discrimination is allowed. Massa and Ashburn remind us how far we have to go to help people live their sexual lives with integrity.

For this minister, they are reminders that the work for equality and for affirming everyone's sexual orientation and gender identity is not over...but that with God's grace and all of our actions, one day it will be.

Want to get involved? Take a minute today and sign the Faithful Voices pledge.

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