Awesome words from Melissa Etheridge on Prop 8

[ctozrn]

You Can Forget My Taxes
by Melissa Etheridge

An Academy Award-winning and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter.

Singer Melissa Etheridge rails against the passage of the gay-
marriage ban in California - and she won't be paying the state a dime.

Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am
a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean,
roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help
me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and
I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any
other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay
my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would
just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same
rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation
thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don't mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I
can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping
instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am
sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that
she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a
few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash
this year. What recession? We're gay! I am sure there will be a
little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check
here if you are gay, yeah, that's not so bad. Of course all of the
waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such,
they won't have to pay their taxes either.

Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the
revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to
find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.

...Really?

When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision
someone reading that legislation "eliminates the right" and then
clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening
commercial where the little girl comes home and says, "Hi mom, we
learned about gays in class today" and then the mother gets that
awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone
who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say "I
believe you do not deserve the same rights as me"? Do they think that
their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they
will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and
working side by side with all the citizens of California?

I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask
you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will
never legislate that away.

I know when I grew up gay was a bad word. Homo, lezzie, faggot, dyke.
Ignorance and fear ruled the day. There were so many "thems" back
then. The blacks, the poor ... you know, "them". Then there was the
immigrants. "Them." Now the them is me.

I tell myself to take a breath, okay take another one, one of the
*thems* made it to the top. Obama has been elected president. This
crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great
country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is
no "them". We are one. We are united. What you do to someone else you
do to yourself. That "judge not, lest ye yourself be judged" are
truthful words and not Christian rhetoric.

Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and
dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years. We will
get back into it. We love this state, we love this country and we are
not going to leave it. Even though we could be married in Mass. or
Conn, Canada, Holland, Spain and a handful of other countries, this
is our home. This is where we work and play and raise our families.
We will not rest until we have the full rights of any other citizen.
It is that simple, no fearful vote will ever stop us, that is not the
American way.

Come to think of it, I should get a federal tax break too...

Melissa Etheridge is an Academy Award-winning and Grammy Award-
winning singer-songwriter.




If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Image Blocked
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1998)

[Alecto]

I've often thought that a large-scale withholding of taxes would be an awesome protest (but hard to organize, cause...who wants to be arrested for that?)

[keltic63]

Originally Posted by Alecto

I've often thought that a large-scale withholding of taxes would be an awesome protest (but hard to organize, cause...who wants to be arrested for that?)

I think it's time for a large scale withholding of everything! as I've seen on some of the signs: No More Mr. Nice Gay! I believe that it can be done non-violently, but it needs to be relentless!

I'm ready to take to the streets with the folks in CA!

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by Alecto

I've often thought that a large-scale withholding of taxes would be an awesome protest (but hard to organize, cause...who wants to be arrested for that?)

Keeping in mind that being gay has a noted negative impact on salary, I'm not sure how much impact that would make.

[Gennee]

Originally Posted by Alecto

I've often thought that a large-scale withholding of taxes would be an awesome protest (but hard to organize, cause...who wants to be arrested for that?)

Wouldn't that be something! People say we're not paying our taxes until you do the right thing by the citizenry of the country.

Gennee

[nervezapper]

I know a guy who lives at poverty level on purpose so he can direct any tax he does pay to places he approves of. Places like the city and county to pay police officers and maintain the public libraries and parks. Sounds like a good plan to me.

[ctozrn]

I think just a big boycott on the gifts that we bring to our communities.....

No more hair stylists, organists, music directors, PE teachers, music teachers, actors, singers, florists, interior decorators, nurses, doctors, the list goes on....

What if we all just said no more. For a week or more we all just did nothing. The world would miss what we bring to the community. I often wonder when I help a family through the death of a loved one as their hospice nurse, when the family is so religious and conservative...would they be falling all over me, telling me how wonderful I was if they knew I was gay?

[keltic63]

Originally Posted by ctozrn

I think just a big boycott on the gifts that we bring to our communities.....

No more hair stylists, organists, music directors, PE teachers, music teachers, actors, singers, florists, interior decorators, nurses, doctors, the list goes on....

What if we all just said no more. For a week or more we all just did nothing. The world would miss what we bring to the community. I often wonder when I help a family through the death of a loved one as their hospice nurse, when the family is so religious and conservative...would they be falling all over me, telling me how wonderful I was if they knew I was gay?

This is an idea that has been discussed before. I know that for some people, it wouldn't be an issue. There is a myth that gay people make more money than straight, but it really turns out to be that we make about the same, perhaps some in the community have more disposable income than straight people.
That said, a national "sick day" may work for some, but I suspect there would be many who just can't afford to participate.

but for those who can...... it would be an awesome thing!

[Alecto]

There was a movie like that. The ending pissed me off, though, because the guy who started the boycott just randomly went "But...I have straight friends! Ok, I'm done because I love my straight friends so much".

[tymejumper]

Originally Posted by ctozrn

when the family is so religious and conservative...would they be falling all over me, telling me how wonderful I was if they knew I was gay?

I had a client that was so against gays. He thought we are all crazy and should be shot. I went on his home evaluation with him and he was so full of praise about what a great therapist I was, how he could not have gotten home without me and how he thanked me for his life. I SO much wanted to say I was a lesbian, and should be shot according to his way of thinking. I didn't obviously. However, I learned a great deal about my co workers when he came for a visit and I was not there. I overheard them go on and on how he was a terrible abusive man and that they should kick him because I had to treat him and listen to his bullshit.

[pnggrad79]

What sickens me about the California thing is that 18,000 gay people got married. Now, with that number, do these people actually think that by declaring them not legally married that they are going to behave differently? Its like saying, "Now I pronounce you married" only to turn right around and say, "Just kidding" It really makes me angry. I am with keltic and whoever else wants to organize a protest of some kind. Whatever protest we decide to do needs to hurt a little. These ignorant fools need to know how much we do contribute to society. Without us, they would be lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tdogg]

Call me. I'll help plan. Meanwhile, it's time to get our our rainbows and be completely and utterly GAY. Be out and proud, and as our opponents say "in their face." Kiss at the grocery store, hold hands entering the restaurants. I will stop being too nice, and I will tell it like it is.

Seriously, I would love to organize something in the Sacramento area. To my knowledge, even our gay and lesbian center is out of the picture right now. If anyone is interested in helping to plan a protest/march, get in touch with me. You're all welcome to camp out at my house free of charge (it's not the Ritz!).
We need to march at the State's Capitol and then on Washington DC after Obama takes office.

[Unmasked]

If it were safe for me, I would be a lot louder than I am now. Sadly, I'm fairly certain that at least one of my classmates would have no qualms about trying to kill me, and I can be expelled if I get too loud. I can't speak too loudly about my beliefs, I've been threatened with disciplinary action for wearing "offensive" religious symbols, accused of Satanism, and demeaned almost on a daily basis.

They say you can't be Christian and gay...after the way I've been treated in the name of Christ, I'm not sure I want to try anymore.

I'll be praying for all who will be joining protests, as well as those for whom the cost is too high.

[tymejumper]

is anyone gettting something together as a sister protest anywhere else? I am looking for a way to be involved, but it's really difficult here in Michigan when it's all happening there hundreds of miles away.......

[nmwolfboy]

Check out Join the Impact for info on the planning of nationwide protests to occur on Saturday, November 15th.

[pnggrad79]

I checked out the site and emailed one of the people who listed themselves as contacts for Houston. I want to participate in this protest. If it is nationwide, these idiots who passed this crap have to listen. We won't stop! We won't go away!

I say we use a little civil disobedience and stop paying taxes to a country that denies us our rights.