Dear excess belly-fat of mine,

I'm just not that into you.  So please, at your earliest possible convenience, go away.

DOMA

This afternoon, I heard from my friend “Bob” who lives in Indiana. Earlier this week, his partner “Jeff” was rushed to the hospital because they though he was having a heart attack. Shortly after Jeff was admitted, the hospital staff tried to keep Bob out of the room. Why? Because Indiana is a DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) state. Because gay couples like Bob and Jeff are not able to marry, it clears the way for them to be treated callously and with discrimination.

 

Fortunately, Bob refused to leave, and eventually the hospital nurses backed down.

 

As it turns out, Jeff had a very serious condition and could have died. And if the hospital staff had had their way, Bob would have been banned from the room. And for what? For the sake of a law that masks blatant prejudice and bigotry in a colorful and flowery wrapping. 

 

Do not allow yourselves be fooled. Just as we cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war, we can not “defend marriage” by restricting it to just some people. 

 

My heart goes out to my friends Bob and Jeff, and to other gay couples everywhere across this country. I cannot help but imagine what could have happened if Jeff had died and Bob had been barred from being by his side. 

 

Picture a close family member of yours alone in a hospital room. Now imagine you arriving at the hospital, only to find yourself restricted from entering. Imagine your husband, or wife, or child slipping away, and you being physically held back by hospital security, helpless to be there when your loved one needed you the most. Sound unrealistic? It happens daily.

 

This is where we are today because of discriminatory laws that restrict marriage. 

 

Laws that trick you into thinking that they are “protecting” marriage do nothing of the sort. What DO they do? They tear families apart.