A lesson from history?

My sister-in-law recommended a movie some time ago and I added it to my Netflix cue. It was only available on disc, not for instant streaming so when it finally made it to the top of my list and my mailbox, I had almost forgotten about it entirely.

Thank you Katie for recommending Iron Jawed Angels, it was truly outstanding. I knew about women’s suffrage in the US of course, but I didn’t KNOW about it. I was aware that in most cases, women just weren’t thought of as on the same level with men. It wasn’t always a situation where men thought themselves better, often times they were just viewed as different minded. It was widely believed that women didn’t have the capacity or the concern for such matters. The astonishing part is that it’s been less than 100 years since such beliefs were so common and that we as a society were so unenlightened. I’ve seen references to old magazines and advertisements, and I love classic literature where the themes are all present, clues are everywhere, but it’s never struck me so blatantly. It’s definitely a thinking movie, and as such it got me thinking.

Where my thoughts lead me may be somewhat unexpected to some. The movie chronicled a time when the leaders of the NAWSA (National American Women Suffrage Association) had been focusing on a state-by-state approach, thinking the nation as a whole to be too overwhelming a target. They were wrong. In the end it was a national campaign to amend the US constitution that was successful. I think the same approach is warranted with another civil rights issue.

I am a wife, a mother, and a proud American citizen. I have never heard a good argument as to why other American citizens because of their sexual orientation are denied the ability to legally marry.

I applaud New York, the most recent of our states to allow same-sex marriage, but they are still a minority. I think taking each state on individually will ultimately take more time and be more costly then taking the fight straight to Washington, DC. I am inspired by the news I heard today, Mitt Romney one of the frontrunners for the GOP Presidential nomination, refused to sign a conservative Christian group's pledge outlining, amongst other dehumanizing points, the denouncement of same-sex marriage. That was a step even Obama wouldn't take, when pressed, he stated he was against gay marriage. Bravo Mitt! I may end up voting conservative next election.