Monday, July 4, 2011

Thought for the Day, #23

What we need is "...heteros to show up on...behalf [of gay and lesbian people] and say, hey, look, these are my people you're trying to discriminate against.  You can keep your religion and your church, you can keep your ideologies in your home.  But, when it comes to the civil arena, when it comes to civil constructs, their citizenship is every bit as valid as yours or mine."

                                                                             --Jeff Wilfahrt, grieving father

Wilfahrt's son, Andrew, was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year.  Andrew was 31 years old and gay.  He confirmed to his parents everyone he fought next to knew he was gay and didn't care one way or the other.

Andrew's parents have taken up the fight for the right of gay and lesbian people to marry legally in their home state of Minnesota.

They are incensed that their son was good enough to lay down his life for his country, but, if he'd had a same-sex partner, they couldn't have been legally married.  In addition, Andrew's partner couldn't have claimed his ashes and wouldn't have received the $100,000 compensation issued by the U.S. government.

My sincere thanks to Aries Boy in Indonesia for bringing this story to my attention.  Everyone must know about Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt.  For his full story, please click here.          
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2 comments:

  1. Rick ModienOctober 21, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    I received the following comment from an anonymous reader (not sure why it didn't show here, but, thankfully, it appeared in my email box):

    "I just so love this story,so inspiring..."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rick ModienOctober 21, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Thanks for the comment.

    Yes, I was inspired by this story too and had to share it with my readers.

    Recently, I watched another video Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt's parents made, with his mother expressing her support for her son in particular and gay people in general. What beautiful people they are. They know their son was special, gay or not, and, along with so many straight people, they have taken up our cause, to ensure we have the same rights as everyone.
    It's clear in the video Andrew's death continues to be hard on them.

    Like you, I'm inspired by people like the Wilfahrts. They've been through a lot with their son dying, but not so much that they can't stand up at this difficult time and tell people what happens to gays and lesbians isn't good enough. The Wilfahrts are an example for everyone. I hope their message is heard far and wide, and that it changes minds for the better across North America and the world.

    Thank you so much for your brief but meaningful comment. I sincerely appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete

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