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J udge G reg M athis
T h e U n ite d S ta te s is
suffering from an identity
crisis w hen it com es to the
rights and safety o f h o m o
sexuals and lesbians. On
the one hand, the g o v ern
m ent says it respects the rights o f
gays to live as d om estic partners, to
be free from violence and to w ork in
w hatever field they choose, even
the m ilitary. Y et, the governm ent
seem s to do very little - and even
contradicts itse lf - w hen it com es to
m aking these ideas reality.
R ecently, a federal court lifted
the controversial “D o n ’t A sk, D o n ’t
T e ll” policy that prohibited gays in
by
a-‘!' }Jnrtfaitb OObsemer
Established 1970
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Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG
$45.00
A sm all distance/travel charge
m ay be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
{Includes: I small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
O ther Services): $25.00
Gay Rights are Civil Rights
the m ilitary from o penly declaring
th e ir h o m o s e x u a lity . A n y o n e
cau g h t doing so, under the law,
could be im m ediately discharged
fro m s e r v ic e . P r e s id e n t
O b am a has often stated that
he w anted to bring an end to
the policy during his p resi
dency. H ow ever, as soon as
the ruling cam e dow n, his
Ju stice D ep artm en t began
w orking on an appeal that w ould
keep the ban in p la c e .. .at least te m
porarily. A nd they w on.
T he President still m aintains that
he w ants “ D o n ’t A sk, D o n ’tT e ll” to
die, but he says he w ants C ongress
to bring an end to it. It’s highly
unlikely that the P resident will get
his w ish w ith such strong o p p o si
tion from R epublicans in C ongress.
W hy, then, d id n ’t his adm inistra-
Cleaning
Stairs (12-16 stairs - Wit
zzz
Standing against
discrimination
Carpet & Upholstery
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Y our frí & m Y NOTA
ISRAEL, LogBïTWfc CONTRA-
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Martin
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tion let the ruling stand? Y our guess
is as good as any.
T h e co nfusion d o e sn ’t end there.
In recent w eeks, w e ’ve been so
b ered w ith stories o f young gay
m en across the country w ho c o m
m itted suicide because they w ere
tired o f being bullied by th eir peers.
R esearch show s that gay and les
bian teens are four tim es m ore likely
to co m m it suicide than th eir h etero
sexual counterparts.
There is currently a national cam
paign aim ed at young hom osexuals,
designed to lift their spirits, encour
age them to get help and let them
know that things will get better for
them. In the m idst o f all this support,
one thing is m issing: a governm ent
stance on bullying, specifically bul
lying o f gay students. W here is the
national policy that cracks dow n hard
on bullies and charges any young
person w ho bullies a gay teen (or a
black o r Latino o r A sian one) w ith a
hate crim e? There isn ’t one.
G ay rights are civil rights and w e
m ust p rotect them . A ny A m erican,
regardless o f race, gender, religion
o r sexual orien tatio n should be free
to liv e life o p e n ly an d sa fe ly .
A m erica, as open as it is in oth er
areas, is not at that place yet and it
should be.
L e t’s force o ur elected o fficials
to take a stand fo r the rights o f all
citizen s by stan d in g up fo r gay
rig h ts. W e sh o u ld o n ly su p p o rt
those w ho fall on the side o f ju stic e,
fairness and equality for everyone.
Greg Mathis is a retired Michi
gan District Court judge and cur
rent syndicated television show
judge.
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