Picture credit: Michael Hulshof-Schmidt
Living in California for over 30 years, allowed me to have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Not judging people by their Color, Race, Ethnicity or Sexual Orientation, is one of the things that I am most proud of about the Golden State.
But today all over America and even many parts of the World, personal partner or marriage choices, are getting harder and harder to make happen.
Right now, here in Florida and in many other US States, people are being told that they cannot, may not, marry the person that they love.
It is against the LAW and if they try to do so, they will be breaking the LAW!
Our laws, religious groups and society, seem to have drawn a line in the sand and refuse to listen, or accept the idea, that they could possibly be wrong on this issue.
As a side note, it is just a bit difficult to stay focused completely on the “issue of freedom of marriage choice” in this state, because as of today, Florida unbelievably, STILL has not passed the ERA.
The mood, the discussions, the emotions, right now in Florida are hot and only getting hotter.
Every region, or part of this state, now has a Judge who approves of these marriages, but as soon as they are approved, our State Attorney General, jumps right in and smacks them down.
And the issue is once again, back to square one, or, one step forward, two steps back!
But I digress, the Issue here, is about choices.
I myself, am not gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender.
But I will defend to my death, the right for any who are, to have the right to choose WHO they wish to spend the remainder of their life with in a permanent, loving relationship, or what we call Marriage.
I am ashamed and disgusted by the behavior of those who call themselves Christians, who proudly march and name call, any and all that they view are wrong to wish to be married in a different way than they are.
Who each of us chooses to marry, should be our choice and only our choice, not Religious Groups, not the State or the US Government.
No one should ever have the right, to tell another Human being, who they can, or cannot be married to.
We are all granted, by our Constitution, Civil Liberties.
This should be a personal choice between two consenting adults, and not subject to discussion or interference, by anyone other than the two persons involved.
Personally I have had, over my lifetime of various careers, in various states in this Country, many friends who are gay, or transgender.
These relationships were some that have left me with wonderful, lasting memories and the thought that our Country, our World still in the year 2014, intends to forbid, to shame, to stop them, from making their personal partner choices, makes me sick.
With the level of tensions, troubles and REAL problems on this Planet, right now, wouldn’t you think that they might focus on some of them, instead of trying to impose their will on the millions who only wish to have a legal marriage?
By the way, many of my Word Press Followers are included in this painful, ugly situation and my prayer is, that they will find happiness and peace, in a World that is blinded by prejudice.
We are all the children of one God, or another, and as for me, I personally believe, that any loving God would wish to allow each of us the freedom of CHOICE.