Lot's to cover - take a break and read....
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| Picture courtesy of my fellow otter, Oscar :) |
Marching towards Progress
Several weeks ago the Supreme Court ruled on two gay marriage cases - it was a pretty momentous day for the gay community's march towards equal rights in our country. I don't' know what your opinion on marriage for same-sex couples is, but I would hope that if you a reading this blog that you support it. Because when I get married, my love deserves the same respect from friends, family and my country as any heterosexual couple. I am a part of a vibrant community and I have so many friends that I know and love who are are not less than, they are incredible people and they deserve the same rights, freedoms and respect as anybody. There is still work to be done and I'm immensely proud to walk alongside these great people as we continue to move our country to be a more free and fair society.
Let's remember there is more work to do
As we celebrate the victories with the recognition of same-sex marriage in California and end of Section 3 of DOMA, I want us to not forget that we still have struggles to win. Yes, we have more battles for marriage rights across the country and yes we have to work to ensure that there is a universal end to employment discrimination, but there are other areas that we must also provide a unified voice. Violence against the LGBTQ community is all too frequent and as someone who does anti-violence work in D.C. there is usually not a week that goes by where my inbox doesn't have an email alerting me to a case of violence against a member of our community. And unfortunately, a significant portion of that violence comes from within, it comes from an intimate partner. The best statistics we have available tell us that about one in four people will be a victim of partner violence in their lifetime. Most of the time when you hear that statistic it states "one in four women," but I say people because we shouldn't forget that partner violence isn't something that occurs only within heterosexual couples and against women. Partner violence affects men and it affects our community.
I recently authored a fact sheet for Rainbow Response analyzing some preliminary data from our 2012 self-report survey on partner violence. What it tells us is that 33 percent of respondents in D.C. had reported being in an abusive relationship, that the majority of people didn't seek help and are unfamiliar with the domestic violence laws as they relate to the LGBTQ community. We still have work to do. We have to educate our community on healthy relationships and the warning signs of partner violence. We must educate first responders and service providers on how to appropriately work with survivors of LGBTQ partner violence. And lastly, we have to make sure our policymakers work to ensure that laws and available resources are made for ALL survivors of partner violence.
A thoughtful take on Independence Day
This summer the Justice Policy Institute is lucky enough to have some spectacular interns, one of whom, Walter, wrote a fantastic blog about the 4th of July. To give you a little background, the Justice Policy Institute (where I work) is a national research and communications non-profit dedicated to ending society's reliance on incarceration. At JPI, we work to change the dialogue around criminal justice reform with a focus on how smart investments in communities and people can help mitigate justice system involvement. For more on JPI here's the website: www.justicepolicy.org
Walter took some time to provide a unique perspective on the meaning of independence day for him. Please take a moment and check it out - it is well worth the read: Independence Day is Subject to Interpretation
One more thing....
Respecting judicial and political processes are important, but so are adhering to the ideals of democracy and equality that built our nation. Inspiration to motivate change can come in many forms - like Edith Windsor who refused to accept that the government would charge her an estate tax after the love of her life passed away only because she was married to a woman....or to my coworkers and friends who were tasked with explaining to their children the results of the Zimmerman trial and the ongoing struggle of being a black youth in America that they may ultimately face. I just want to end this blog by saying that there are still many injustices in our world today and we must all work to be voices of reason and change. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
One more thing....
Respecting judicial and political processes are important, but so are adhering to the ideals of democracy and equality that built our nation. Inspiration to motivate change can come in many forms - like Edith Windsor who refused to accept that the government would charge her an estate tax after the love of her life passed away only because she was married to a woman....or to my coworkers and friends who were tasked with explaining to their children the results of the Zimmerman trial and the ongoing struggle of being a black youth in America that they may ultimately face. I just want to end this blog by saying that there are still many injustices in our world today and we must all work to be voices of reason and change. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."