IT MATTERS

Systematic micro-abrasions affect all of us in the LGBT community. Over time we have internalized these abrasions and tell ourselves "it doesn't matter" or "there's nothing we can do." I believe there is something we can do, and that "IT" MATTERS! The constitution is not a tool for giving authority to belief systems and/or cultural traditions. I will not be quiet. I will not accept that it does NOT matter. I also refuse to accept there is nothing we can do to frame the upcoming marriage amendment in the truth it represents. Plain and simply the move to put religious marriage definition up for popular vote is an act of VIOLENCE. I find the following quote from "Violence and Theology" by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan helpful in framing the marriage amendment vote;
"Acts of unnecessary violence involve more than the perpetrator and victim(s); they include their intended and unintended consequences, which affect individuals, communities, and systems. Systemic violence can occur because enough individuals and collectives or institutions made up of like-minded individuals embrace beliefs, behaviors, and customs, and rituals that support violence. We see such violence in legal, social, business, and religious systems.
Violence may also be (is often) self-imposed and can have an inward or outward thrust—sometimes so extremely subtle that litigation would not be feasible. Internalized violence may not be apparent to the individual or to their community; yet it is not any less deadly. People internally self-destruct; they commit slow suicide in many ways: alcoholism, drug abuse, overeating, compulsive spending, gambling, and staying in abusive situations. Violence external to an individual or group can also be subtle. If the violence is embedded in traditions and rituals, perpetrators and victims may not be aware of the ongoing wrongs."