The Supreme Court decision during the summer legalizing same-sex marriage was a tremendous achievement for the LGBT community.
However, we must not let this decision slow us down in our pursuit of full LGBT equality.
There are still many pressing issues facing LGBT people. Think about the following example.
The day same-sex marriage is legalized, you and your partner go to the courthouse and get hitched. Congratulations! The two of you go to your apartment after vows have been read.
After a few hours at home, you hear a knock on the door. It’s your landlord. He’s heard about your wedding and evicts you.
Because anti-LGBT discrimination in housing is legal, you have no option but to vacate the apartment. You and your partner take a deep breath.
The two of you still have jobs, right? At work the next day, you forget to take your wedding ring off. Your co-workers see the ring and want to know who you’re hitched to. You admit you married your boyfriend.
Your boss walks past your desk and overhears this bit of information. He summons you to his office, and, because you live in one of the states where anti-LGBT discrimination in employment is legal, you are fired from your job.
Things aren’t great right now. You’ve lost your job and your place of residence. You decide to call a therapist for counseling sessions to talk about what you’re going through.
The receptionist informs you that the therapist only offers reparative therapy to change your sexual orientation. You don’t want to change your sexual orientation, you explain — you are simply going through a rough patch.
The receptionist hangs up, and you cannot get the health care you need.
At this point, you are so frustrated that you want to eat a cheeseburger. You and your partner decide to go out to eat for the night.
You walk into a restaurant together and look over the menu. A server comes over and asks if the two of you are married. When you say yes, the server says she doesn’t feel comfortable serving you and claims your marriage violates her religious beliefs.
She asks you to leave the restaurant. Because you live in a state where a religious freedom law allowing businesses to deny service to anyone that conflicts with their religious beliefs has been passed, there is nothing you can do.
In short, someone could be married today and fired, evicted, and denied health coverage and service tomorrow.
The only solution is to pass legislation ending LGBT discrimination in employment, housing and public services.
Situations like the one described above are already happening in various forms around America.
ttfitzpa@indiana.edu
