Hey there readers and family and friends! Sorry I haven't updated my blog for a while! It's just the fact that I haven't really had anything to write about. Or maybe it was the fact that I had so much to write about, I just didn't know how to write it! Anyways, I'm back now after a break of ups and downs and ready to write about something that I want to see changed in the world.
Recently Montana has been on my good list. This last week Missoula just elected their first openly gay City Council member, Caitlin Copple! I'm so happy to see that finally we have an openly gay person in some place of charge to help this state. I can say I'm 100% so happy she has gotten the position and she will do amazing!
With this I stumbled on an article on my facebook from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),about how the ACLU has appealed a domestic partnership case here in Montana. The case, Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana was dismissed to the Montana Supreme Court. The article states: “The Montana Constitution guarantees that all people, including gay and lesbian couples, should be treated equally and fairly.” Hopefully in the Montana Supreme Court this will hold up, but being in Montana, we can never be too sure with some really close-minded Republicans.
The great thing about this whole article in my opinion, was the quote from Jan Donaldson who stated, “Mary Anne and I have appreciated the support we've received from fellow Montanans who understand that all families need to be able to take care of each other. We just want the dignity of our committed partnership recognized as worth of those legal protections.”
This quote really got to me, because I do know that one day, whenever I'm with my life partner I I will want to show it like straight couples, also I want the same damn legal protections that straight couples get. Such as seeing my partner in the hospital if he is hurt or vice versa. I want to have the benefits of marriage as all other couples.
The article also goes on to talk about how there are 2,295 Montana same-sex households, as released by the U.S Census. It also goes on about how without the protection of a domestic partnership, the plaintiffs faced discrimination when Guggenheim had a hip replacement, and the doctor's office staff would not release any information to Donaldson with out a release.
“Kellie Gibson of Laurel was denied bereavement leave when her partner Denise's father died. Mary Leslie of Bozeman lost her home because she was ineligible for worker's compensation death benefits when her partner was killed in an accident.”
I know when I find the person I love and want to spend the rest of my life with, I want to make sure that I can visit them in the hospital or to get some help if they happened to die in an accident or what not. This is why Montana needs to get out of it's strict Republican views and open it's eyes to see that the world is changing! Being openly gay is becoming more acceptable in this day-and-age. Let's start to change with it!
Missoula is the only city in Montana that has an anti-discrimination law that protects people from discrimination of sexual orientation and gender identity.
With this, we need to get more of this type of stuff for the LGBTQI community of Montana! Let us not be afraid to stand for what is right and fair!
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