"Any law that degrades human personality is unjust"

Martin Luther King Jr. once penned these words in his famous "letter from a Birmingham Jail." It struck me how poignantly and directly most of his utterances apply to the same-sex marriage movement, to glbt rights, and how willing he was to take a stand.

The differences, however, are striking.

There is no movement for GLBT rights that is willing to participate in civil disobedience on a grand scale, there are no masses and outcry. There is complacency, resignation and a type of learned helplessness that often afflicts those oppressed. It happens for a number of reasons: when people start believing that they are as inherently deviant as some might portray them to be, they become comfortable in their lives and forget those who continue to struggle, or they feel the situation so resistant to change that it is not worth the effort. I am not among these.

What can we do? There is so much we can do. But...what are you willing to risk? You cannot expect that those of privilege will give up that privilege without some type of tension.

In small scale, we can live our lives openly and proudly as we see fit. We can hold the hands of those we love, kiss them tenderly if the urge strikes, and work for change in every aspect of our lives. For some, the threats of violence or harm will keep them oppressed...for others, this freedom in our communities must not go without action. As it comes naturally to you, you should do what you feel led to do. In doing so, you open the doorway to others through even this simple act. A young glbt person who sees the courage of one will be more likely to replicate it, a couple just starting out may feel more welcomed in the neighborhood - or more likely to move there, a couple of opposite-sexed composition may begin to realize how similar to you they really are.

When people have to see you, there is no denying your existence or shared space in this world. The laws that are meant to make you feel badly, or second-class are no longer doing their work. There is nothing as oppositional to oppression, than refusing invisibility. This is recognition on the smallest scale.

You may be a gay or lesbian person reading this blog who does not feel particularly inspired to act. For reasons of safety, this is an understandable thing. We all want safety, and not everyone is willing to take a risk of this scale - admittedly much larger for some than for others. But can you ride on the backs of others? Can you take advantage of the rights that come only if others do the work on your behalf? Can you sleep knowing that somewhere someone is losing their job because they told a co-worker that they were gay, or that they lost their child because they have a relationship with another woman. These are unacceptable in America. How can a country who claims to fight for freedom, deny it to so many of its own?

In the end, as so well stated in the same letter as referenced above, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."

The truth is, there are people in this country who suffer everyday unjustly. Who live lives of desparation, internal shame and fear that needn't be so. This country cannot assume that it can reap the benefits of our work and of our taxes, but offer us second-class status in return. The lack of recognition of our families, the unequal distribution of benefits and rights will not be able to be sustained. The wealthy and those will skill and ability, will simply move elsewhere.

Let us not be complacent - and not be afraid.

If you love another of the same gender...marry them, demand benefits, hold their hand and kiss them at will. If you know someone who you love, who is glbt - stand for them, write your congressman, join groups of support, talk about their cause openly and with compassion. Imagine your own life, for a moment, with the restrictions and stigma faced everyday to varying degrees with glbt Americans.

We can all make a difference. Just do something, anything, to contribute.

-movement.