Hello.
This isn't necessarily something that coincides with the pursuit of happiness project and what we're trying to do, and our main goal, but it's a PSA sort of thing, and so I'll just get to it.
Beforehand, I want to say that I'm not the most educated person on this topic, but it's something I feel strongly about.
So, if you didn't already know, Kansas passed a bill that basically legalizes discrimination against people with certain sexual orientations. Basically, people who aren't cisgender and heterosexual.
A lot of people are comparing it to the Jim Crow laws, and while I'm a bit iffy on doing that as some may find it offensive and "Jim Crow" really isn't a generic term, it's the best metaphor/analogy I can think of at the moment.
If you haven't taken U.S. History yet, or you don't live in the United States, you might not know what that is.
(Quick summary:
It was a set of laws that started around the 1880s, I believe, and it legalized segregation between blacks and whites. This included separate facilities, like schools and houses, and bathrooms, and even water fountains. And while they claimed it was separate but equal, I think we all can infer that facilities for African Americans were not nearly as nice as ones for caucasians. It also banned interracial relationships, and such.)
Back to the Kansas Bill.
(Bear with me because I'm still trying to read up on the topic.)
What the bill does, is it protects religious organizations and federal workers from lawsuits should they choose to refuse to provide service to someone because of their sexual orientation.
So if a police officer disagrees with someone's sexual orientation, the bill makes it okay for them to turn away and not provide help.
A state hospital can turn people away because of their sexual orientation.
Private businesses will be allowed to fire employees if they do not believe in said sexual orientation.
People are allowed to deny others because of their sexual orientation.
This is disgusting.
It's absolutely shameful. Discrimination of any kind is not morally right.
And it's outrageous that this country can even claim to be equal and free when people aren't even allowed to love who they want to.
It doesn't matter if you don't personally agree with someone's beliefs and way of life. Again, I hate to compare things like race and sexual orientation and religion against each other, but in this country, we are free to practice whatever religion we choose, and no decent human being would discriminate against someone else because of their religious beliefs, so why should the same principles not apply when it comes to someone's sexual orientation?
No one is saying you have to like or even agree with someone's way of life, but they should be free to love who they want to. If you're cisgender and heterosexual, you might feel like this doesn't affect you, and hey, maybe it doesn't affect you as an individual, but it does affect your friends and LGBTQ+ people around you and so on, and would it really hurt to just think about others?
If you're on a diet, are you gonna restrict other people's diet because of it. No. Point made, I think.
I really thought they were past trying to deny rights by claiming it under religious liberty. I see no liberty in this at all.
Anyways, someone has started a petition to try and get the bill revoked.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/oppose-and-take-action-against-anti-gay-segregation-bill-proposed-kansas/zTFYfSKm
If you've never signed a petition on whitehousegov, then I should probably state that you'll beed to create an account. Unfortunately, I can't remember if there are certain age requirements, and I can't check because I'm on mobile.
Please sign it if you can.
Be a decent human being.
Have some respect.
~Nino (@InfiniteWrongs)
