Political and Social Thought to the Left of College Station

Today is Come Out day, and I am a straight ally.

I am a straight ally because a threat to anyone’s civil rights anywhere, is a threat to everyone’s civil rights everywhere.

I am a straight ally because when I served in the military some of my closest friends where homosexuals that had chosen to serve their country, but their country rewarded their services by forcing them to live a lie. There are thousands of gay and lesbian people that have been discharged from the United States military, not for any misconduct, but for the simple fact that they are not heterosexual.

I am a straight ally because while I have the freedom to marry whomever I chose, homosexuals in most states through the county are denied that right. Same-sex couples only want the same rights that I have, and they should have those same rights. Same-sex couples do not want to someone force religious institutions to perform same-sex marriages, nor do they want preferential treatment under the law. They simply want equal treatment under the law.

I am a straight ally because when I get married there are 1,138 rights bestowed upon me by the federal government, rights that are not given to same-sex couples. From the right to employment assistance and transitional services for spouses of members being separated from military service, to the right to per diem payment to spouse for federal civil service employees when relocating. From the right to joint parenting rights, such as access to children's school records to the right to family visitation rights for the spouse and non-biological children, such as to visit a spouse in a hospital or prison. From Domestic violence protection orders to existing homestead lease continuation of rights to funeral and bereavement leave to joint adoption and foster care to even joint tax filing.

I am a straight ally because no one should be denied human rights because of who they are, because of who they love, or because of how they live their life.

I am a straight ally if only for the simple reason that the only reason that my human rights are not violated is because I was born straight. That simple privilege. I have done nothing to deserve the privilege that I have in so many ways. But because I am a straight white man, there are things that I will never experience and advantages I have simple because I am not a black man, I am not a Latino woman, I am not gay. Never will my entire raced be judge because of my actions; never will my career advancement be questioned because of my sex; never will my human rights be violated because of my sexual orientation.

I am a straight ally because if I was not then I would be saying to all of the people that I have known and loved who where gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender that your human rights, that your civil liberties, that your happiness does not matter as much as mine.

I am a straight ally because change can only take place when everyone stands and demands that change must take place.