Unlike the letter to Miss California, I actually sent this one:
Mr. President, I first would like to say that I know your job isn't easy. Pleasing 250 million people is not a pleasant task. But I'm just curious as to the silence concerning the historic actions of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Iowa in regards to gay rights and gay marriage. I find it odd that you wouldn't even acknowledge these acts, especially given your campaign promises.
I know little of politics and I understand if certain promises are pushed aside, but Mr. President, I'm asking for an acknowledgment that what these states did was Just and American. That homosexual citizens matter enough to be spoken of. I live in TN, the state where 82% of the population believed I shouldn't ever be married or have a civil union, because my long-term relationship would be less than valuable to society. My family doesn’t even ask about my relationships, as if I were asexual, whereas they obsess over my brother’s (heterosexual) love life. At 25 years old, I wonder if I'll ever be considered a citizen and person of value instead of a dirty little secret.
I consider myself to be a good American, Mr. President. I'm currently working towards my MBA at Belmont University. My main goal is to fix an entertainment industry that, like our country, is falling apart. I pay my taxes, I vote, I educate myself on the issues and world events, I am kind to my neighbors, I work hard and I play fair. And yet, I have people telling me everyday through their actions that I don't matter. Whether it's talk shows, radio programs, blogs, newsprint, or even comments in a Nashville bar. And your silence is telling me, once again, that because of who I am, who I was born to be, who I was made to love, that I don't matter.
So I ask you, Mr. President, do I matter? Or am I just a dirty little secret?
Sincerely,
Chris
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I just cried. I hope that you, that I, that we, matter to our president. He may never let us know. But I want you to know that you matter to me. Your relationship is real and true and deserving of every single right that everyone else's are. I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, a queer woman that fights for equal rights, but I'm saying it all the same.
ReplyDeleteIt does mean a lot. Thanks, Brit! And you matter to me as well. Keep fighting the good fight. We'll get there...it will take a while, but it'll happen. It already is happening: who would have thought Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine within months of each other? I just wish our President would grow some balls and stop being afraid of the rednecks in West Virginia. If I can stand up to them, then he certainly can as well.
ReplyDeletea very moving letter. succinct and poignant. please keep us updated as to any response(s) you might get. i hope life in tennessee turns around for you -- and quickly. nobody should have to live as a dirty little secret or a second-class citizen! <3
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