random musings

This was just published on the newswire: The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed a resolution that would ban books on gay families from the children's sections of public libraries.

The measure does not have the power of law but calls on Oklahoma libraries to "confine homosexually themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adult access and distribution."

It passed, 81-3 and now will be distributed to library boards across the state. (Read the full article here.)

Oklahoma is one of the most backward states in this country and I can say that because I live here! We put narrow-minded puppets in political office, we ban books in the library, and we promote the agenda of a commander-in-chief who can't even pronounce the word "nuclear" but has his finger on the so-called button.

I realize that I live in a "red" state that doesn't exactly extend open arms to citizens such as I, however upstanding I might be. Why? I'm a lesbian. That's just a big no-no here. And yet, I have never given much thought about how stifling Oklahoma truly is until this past Friday night. I was walking through an amusement park with the woman that I am dating (who is a lovely woman with a heart of gold, by the way. Yes, I am smitten. :) As we walked, I observed couples holding hands: young couples, teenagers, older men and women. For the first time, I truly felt like things were unfair. I wanted to hold my girl's hand. I wanted to laugh, whisper things together, and walk closely like couples who are smitten with one another do. I wanted to be able to put my arm around her if I wanted to, without fear that someone would knock my block off or verbally/physically harass us. I wanted to be able to enjoy the same freedom that all the other couples around me were enjoying, without fear of repercussion. But in Oklahoma? Not really a good idea.

It's not right that we live in a state, in a country, where we are passing laws to prevent two people who are in love from being together simply because of their gender. It's not right that we live in a state, in a country, that bans certain books from being on the bookshelves. When we deny basic rights to individuals, when we begin banning books that our citizenry "shouldn't" read, when we deem one segment of society as "unfit" to be parents due to their sexual orientation, we are one step away from establishing a society resembling the very model we strove to destroy during the two World Wars, Vietnam, and the current imbroglio in Iraq. We are becoming the very thing that we despise by allowing these so-called representatives to chip away at an individual's rights and freedoms, all in the name of morality and values. Whose values are they, anyway? Certainly not mine.

It is certainly a sad state of affairs to hear of book banning in the 21st century and only by becoming involved, standing up for our rights, speaking our mind, will we change any of it.

To quote the poet and philosopher, Goethe: "There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance."

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." —Amendment I, The Bill of Rights.

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Great Article about TLW in USA Today
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