Why Marriage Equality?
The following information and versions of Tam Lin were used for the site's front page during the week of October 12th, 2003.
Why Tam-Lin.org is taking a stance on the issue of Marriage Equality and Marriage Protection
On October 12th 1998, a young man named Matthew Shepard died as the result of a hate crime. He was killed for being gay. This was an act of human hatred and intolerance.
October 12th 2003 marks the begininng of the Bush administration's "Marriage Protection Week". The Bush administration has clearly spoken out against the calls for the right to gay marriage. Their choice of this date to mark their campaign for the protection of their value set is no coincidence. This is also an act of intolerance.
We have to hold on to each other to make it through life. The woods are dark and frightening, and there are terrible powers out there. Sometimes those in charge will sacrifice the weakest among us, or the ones who are different, and say it is for the common good. Sometimes the person you love is not the person your family or your friends want you to love. Sometimes you find love in places you didn't expect, with someone you did not expect.
If you find you are more yourself after a transformation or two, or if you find that the person you love is more than what they look like on the outside, and if you find that what you want most is to hold on to someone else no matter what curses the society around you throws at you as a result, this website will understand.
The bedrock of human civilization is not heterosexual marriage; it is humans behaving in a civilized manner. We need to treat each other with respect. We need children to grow up in a world where they understand tolerance and compassion, where they can love as they choose to love without condemnation, and where the defining aspect of a family is the commitment to every member of that family, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
The issue raised by the second version of Tam Lin, that of immigration and sexual orientation, is also serious. As noted by the author of the piece, the INS treats same-sex binational couples quite differently than it does those of different genders. We hope thatincluding this filk on the website will help raise awareness of this issue.
If you or someone you know is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, please take time this week to mark the progress that has been made and the distance we still have to travel.
The versions of Tam Lin used on the website front page for anti-marriage protection week were as follows: