A Letter on Gay Marriage

To Christians of all denominations:

You can have your matrimony on the basis of your faith.

Let the LGBT community have their marriage on the basis of a Constitutional right.

There's no destruction of family values, slandering of the definition of "marriage" (because let's face it, there are so many words in the English language with more than just one definition or purpose), or war on Christianity. The gays simply want to be, well, gay and married to the ones they love under the court of federal law.

You can have your freedom of religion. Let them have the freedom to love.

Love,

a homo(sapien).

Everyone Is Brave, Everyone Is Bold, Everyone Is Beautiful

There's a lot going on with the news surrounding Caitlyn Jenner: how brave she is to come out to the public eye as the gender she identifies herself; how bold her announcements have been over the past few months up to yesterday's big reveal; how beautiful she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. Despite all the praise from LGBT allies across the globe, there has been as much backlash over Caitlyn's huge, public coming-out. We can always count on certain news networks and outspoken conservatives to make just plain idiotic and insensitive statements during a time of celebration, ready to jump at a moment's notice to ridicule one's personal achievement, like piranhas picking at a raw bone.

Besides the usual suspects of insult and injury, there is one group that has been making a surge of shared meme's and photos over social media who are offended by Caitlyn's coming-out: wounded soldiers. They mocked the fact that Caitlyn's reveal was brave by exposing their lost limbs and artificial appendages. The soldiers pictured seemed to take great insult that a trans woman had more merit of courage and bravery than they did, and she was getting all the credit for sharing her identity in the public light.

While I celebrate the fact that Caitlyn Jenner's exposure in mainstream media is opening doors for the trans community, I am sure there are war veterans, currently deployed armed personnel, and people who lost enlisted friends and family who feel that any indication of national appreciation is being stomped to pieces by another member of The Kardashians. These servicemen and women put their lives on the line to ensure that everyone in this nation can live free to bully and hate on each other as much as they damn well please. Sure, let's take away this title of courage because all that Caitlyn Jenner did was risk everything in her life just so she can feel comfortable in her own skin, and will continue to face ridicule for years to come. These veteran memes, however, reveal a problem of entitlement within our country. This sense of entitlement comes from the veterans' side of the spectrum, and also from anyone else whose life experiences are completely different from the aforementioned.

Brave, if one was to look it up, has different meanings besides "possessing/exhibiting courage or courageous endurance". It also means "to defy, challenge, dare" and "make a fine appearance", which could be applied to Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair photoshoot. While one's understanding of a word may differ than that of another's, it doesn't mean that one definition of the word is the absolute truth. Everyone has their stories, their experiences, and their words to define what seems true in their life. What Caitlyn Jenner did was brave in her own world: she could have her show canceled, lose her friends and family, lose thousands of supporters, could be the victim of a physical hate crime, could be stripped of the legacy that she had made in the Olympics. However, she faced all those "what if's" by coming out. Her level of bravery will never compare to the kinds of bravery other people will face in their lives, but this was a big deal for her to carry through.

"More mean Tweets. IDGAF."

So while the public still reels over Vanity Fair's big story, let us not forget about the countless people who face adversity every day. Let's always acknowledge those who get beat up and brought down but always manage to rise above; who lose just about everything and have the determination to start over again; who are bullied relentlessly but find a way to channel that hatred into something positive; who put their lives on the line for all the people of America; who work the jobs they hate so they can give their children the opportunity to live their dreams. There are so many more, but it would take forever to type them down.

Have we forgotten that we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Even if we don't gain national attention, or receive public praise for our efforts, we are all automatically brave for whatever sacrifices we make in life. Francis Scott Key pretty much branded whomever is born in this country to inhibit courage and bravery. It's time we start celebrating that American truth rather than dividing it up.

A Night at the Oscar-Politically-Driven-Awards

So, how about them speeches, hmm? There were quite a few politically and socially driven speeches behind particular wins, like Best Original Song ("Glory"), and Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"). In a way, these unpredictable social speeches made me uncomfortable, especially with my parents present and watching along with me. However, that irksome feeling is something we all need, I believe; the feeling that despite everything we have nowadays, there are still obstacles needing to be hurdled over. We need to have all these pretty people tell us that there are still persistent (and most of the time unacknowledged) social issues plaguing our country. If we don't listen to the choice politicians who personally care about these problems, then who will we listen to? The people of Hollywood, of course!

I'm glad that there were some who took to the stage and regained their civil liberties by blasting the awards with demands for the public and elite. This public outcry will hopefully stoke the fires of social injustice once more, and possibly provoke our powdered-wig government to actually listen to the country rather than adhere to hefty money-bagging lawmakers.

A big "however": in light of all this hurrah and call to action, Patricia Arquette went a little backwards and asked the LGBT and colored communities to take a stand for women's rights, "to fight for [them] now". How about we all just work together to help each other out and not make it a priority race? I can only hope that there will be people who take the latter outburst from her post-award speech, and apply it to the fact that all people deserve to have equal rights regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or color. Let's leave it at that, Arquette, and say we are in this fight together for equality for all.

State of the Union Address

Last night, President Obama's speech was one that filled me with hope, yet also dread. I haven't thoroughly looked into the future presidential candidates, their political agendas, policy histories, or personal lives ("Oh, Roger, what alliteration!" "Thank you, darling!"), but this is one thing I fear: our next president is probably not going to be wholly invested in the personal welfare of the American people.

Any memories I have of George W. Bush are, unfortunately, negative. Then again, it's nearly impossible to think of anything positive about Bush when he got our country stuck in an overseas conflict for almost a decade. Not his fault entirely, but the impression from thereon-out is lasting.

What Obama has over Bush is his impressive presentation skills. Obama appears to be the people person whereas Bush was the military man during his presidency. As it has appeared to be nowadays for any political figure, being a people person is much more important than waving your guns around. Obama praised the middle-class for being the hardest working Americans, and that they were essentially the ones keeping the spirit of America alive. Can't get any more personal with that.

All I can hope for is for the next president to carry on Obama's personal touch and maintain the trust of the common folk. There is nothing more upsetting than finding out the next president elected is a money-grubber whose main concern is to make sure the elite keep money in the pockets of corrupted politicians and entrepreneurs. While it's essential that all Americans are cared for, in policies of personal care or economic care, nothing is more important than ensuring all Americans are allowed the chance to live the life they want.

What kind of president would you want for 2016?

Playing The Blame Game

Despite our country's efforts to come off as a progressive nation, it still harbors the kinds of people that give it a backwards impression.

An article released on CNN.com today states that a woman who was victim of a rape is now being blamed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and is in part responsible for the crime. The victim, a typist at a state prison, was strangled and raped by an inmate who had a record of sex assault crimes back in 2013. She and her attorney filed lawsuits against the state for lax regulations on inmate access to areas in the prison facility, allowing them to move about unsupervised. The inmate had been sentenced to life in prison, and the superintendent of the prison was removed, so you could say the typist's case was justifiably resolved.

Yet, according to the attorney general's senior deputy statement, the typist was responsible for being raped, saying (as if to cover the government's ass) that "contributory negligence" is a valid defense for the state to have used in the federal lawsuit. In short, the typist knew what she was up against when working in a prison facility. Totally her fault for being raped by an inmate.

Although this is one story from Pennsylvania, who knows how many other cases are being made (or not made) against rapists, and how many of the victims are facing this form of public embarrassment from their own government. It is shameful that high-end officials cannot assume responsibility for their own flaws and misgivings; it's what they knew they would get into when they accepted their position in office. The whole reason behind our governments -- local, state, and national -- is to provide its citizens with protection against injustices and criminals. Then why the hell would the state do something as childish as blame a citizen for a crime they were a victim of?

Also, terribly sick and tired that women are in part responsible for their own rape. They're too weak, too attractive, dress too promiscuously, don't say "no". In lieu of Emma Watson's speech at the U.N., it is time for both men and women to join together to put an end to sexism. In a country where we pride ourselves over our freedoms and liberties, it is terribly ironic that the majority of us have limitations in our own nation. Where's the sense in that? It is time that we, as citizens, make sure that our safety and liberties are protected by reliable officials in government, instead of leaving it to miscreants who can't handle the burden of acknowledging their faults and claiming responsibility.