A big, gay health care proposal

Indianapolis City Council, I applaud you.

On Monday, the council approved a proposal to give health care to domestic partners of city employees.

Although Indy’s behind other conservative cities like Louisville, Ky., and Cleveland in providing these benefits, and Republican Mayor Greg Ballard has said he’s “wavering right now” about whether he’ll approve the proposal, it’s still an exciting prospect.

As a lifelong Indiana resident, I have admittedly mixed feelings about my state, especially when it comes to its treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents.

One evening this summer when I was doing promotional work at a bar, I was chatting with a group of men about what my job as a Bacardi girl entails.

“Could a man ever do this job?” one asked me.

I told him we only really hire women.

“But a man could go to the gay bars,” he said, laughing with his friend. “All you gotta do in the gay bars is offer the gays blowjobs. Then they’ll do anything for you. Even though I’m ugly they’d still pay attention to me if I offered them blow jobs.”

All the men laughingly agreed.

I walked away, disgusted.

Sadly, this isn’t the only time I’ve heard such blatantly ignorant and homophobic sentiment used so casually.

My day job at a local bike shop was about a block away from a Chick-fil-A restaurant. I almost got into an argument with a customer when she, somehow thinking I was a kindred spirit, confided in me that she thought that the “gays were bringing down America” and marriage should be “biblical.” 

The line of cars in the Chick-fil-A driveway was blocking traffic in the street.
Customers came in all day talking about how much they supported the organization and how much they believed in a “traditional” definition of marriage.

Ballard himself said he thinks approving benefits for domestic partners will be a “disincentive” for traditional marriage.

Yet, even though Indiana residents seem to be incredibly wary of what they evidently think is a big gay healthcare threat to marriage, they seem to forget Cummins and Eli Lilly, two of Indiana’s largest and most noteworthy employers, already offer health benefits for domestic partners. Lilly itself has expressed its support for the measure.

If this passes, it’s a small step, but still an important one.

Keep in mind that Indiana state law already prohibits civil unions and gay marriage. The Indiana General Assembly will take it a step further in 2013, voting on whether or not to put this prohibition in the Indiana State Constitution.

I’m not gay, but I can only imagine how hard it is to be homosexual in Indiana.
In a state that seems to want to drive out all people who aren’t heterosexual, even this tiny bit of respect is a step in the right direction.

Indiana may never be a mecca of tolerance for the gay community, but maybe if measures like this continue to be taken, it can one day become a less unpleasant place for them to be.

­—kelfritz@indiana.edu