The Adventures of Jessica Sideways

What is my biggest issue when it comes to LGBT advocacy? That is a very good question to ask, because there are a lot of issues that warrant equal attention. There are inequalities in adoption, a lot of internalized homophobia in a lot of people and there is no desire in the public school system to start teaching tolerance for LGBT people. A lot of people think that my priorities may have changed when I was gay bashed at Safeway the other day. But alas, they have not. While the incident at Safeway does pose a question of whether or not a city is truly LGBT-friendly, it has not changed my core passion. The issue that I fight for the most, and the one closest to my heart, is equal marriage rights.

I am a firm believer in the original intent of the founding fathers. I believe that this country is in fact, going down the tubes in a way that will be hard to stop. I believe that the ONLY reason that the Sodomy laws were put into effect in the United States, was because most of American law was based on British law (or Common law). And of course, while America was not founded as a Christian nation, England was. The Sovereign was declare the Defender of the Faith (and still is). And yet, the Commonwealth nations are starting to do better than the United States in the course of repealing these discriminatory laws. In Canada, you can get married to your true love, despite their gender. In the UK, you can register country-wide civil unions and sponsour your partner for Immigration.

Regardless, I do believe that all people should be treated as equals, especially if they have conditions that differ from the norm that they can’t control. Being gay or transsexual is one of those things that you can’t control. I am a pansexual, yes. And yes, I am attracted to the person, not their body parts. But to be honest, most of the people that I am attracted to are women. And it is very likely that the next crush that I will have will be on a woman. And I believe that, if it does last, we would like to get married. But to enjoy the full benefits of marriage from a government, I am going to have to move to the Netherlands or Canada. Since I don’t speak Dutch, Canada it has to be.

Regardless, I know a lot of people here in the states that I can’t turn my back on. Even when I leave the United States and become a Canadian citizen, I will still register to vote from abroad. I will still work on political advocacy, protesting outside foreign Consulates and Embassies that refuse to recognize foreign marriages. So, yes, I will always be fighting for marriage equality.