Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 09:15:49 -0500 (EST) From: A Jay Eddy Subject: Legislating Inequality Contact: Broward Log Cabin Club of Florida P.O. Box 1281, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33302 (954) 563-3626 M. Warren, President March 16, 1997 ***************************************************************** FLORIDA CAN'T RIGHTEOUSLY LEGISLATE INEQUALITY Abraham Lincoln, the founding father of the Republican Party, envisioned a party and country of inclusion, not exclusion, when he eloquently addressed the nation stating that those who would deny equality to others deserve it not for themselves. Those words of brotherly love indignantly graced yesteryear's self-serving-slave-trading-Baptist ears just as they reel off evangelical tongues belonging to today's political "old-line Testament Inquisitors" who readily deny equality of rights to others yet, not onto themselves. The denial of benefits, through the state's codification of anti- same-sex domestic partnership blue-laws, is as wrong today as were the alleged Biblical cries for people of color to be the obedient servants of their privileged colonial masters. While there are bonafide religious organizations that currently bless same-sex unions between loving, caring and consenting adults, those same institutions face intimidation, harassment, threats of bombing, and hardship from misguided individuals who, as recipients of subliminal brimstone and fire demonizing, hate the non-heterosexual. Obviously, hardline evangelical fundamentalists would deny any such expression of "Religious Freedom" to others in spite of the fact that the U.S. Constitution guarantees all "freedom from religious persecution." Therein lies the essence and need for separation of church and state whereby citizens duly give to the state what is rightfully expected and the religious institutions expect from its followers what's righteously demanded according to doctrine and beliefs which often differ from denomination to denomination. Florida Legislators must realize that what caring and consenting adults do behind the privacy of their closed bedroom doors is a protected personal privilege, and we do not need any more laws denying individual rights and/or any legislation creating bed- room police. With regard to the issue of same-sex benefits and/or domestic partnerships there's no cure-all solution in a society of diverse religious activists. Likewise, it is neither the duty nor the role of a government - presumably for and by the people - to deny equality, participation and access through cumbersome demonizing legislation and/or needless self-serving litigation.