There’s a lot of poetic justice if you compare the state mottoes of those who’ve legalized same-sex marriage to those who vocally oppose it. Iowans prize their liberties and maintain their rights, while Californians claim to have found “it.” Those in Vermont exalt “freedom and unity,” though the state’s governor may not be on the same page, while we Ohioans submit that: “With God, all things are possible.”
Of course there are the marked opposites. Those in Massachusetts seek peace, “but peace only under liberty.” While “the people rule” in Arkansas, our fellow Americans in Florida simply trust in God.
When it’s evident through mere comparison of trivial expressions we live in a nation quite divided, it’s not so hard to acknowledge the differences that divide Americans. It’s our inherited history to want to be divided. But taking legal strides to ensure equal rights along the lines of gender and race has been socially acceptable for decades.
The blurring of those lines — making it harder for those who want to regulate the divides — is what this issue of Fusion is all about. In Akron, the Gay Community Endowment Fund is expanding awareness. In Cleveland, a domestic partner registry is set to open in May.
Here at Kent State, staff and faculty enjoy domestic partner benefits. And, I know, we even put a straight frat guy on the cover — because an ally with a story is an ally with a story no matter the movement.
If we only follow along the lines we’re born onto, we make no progress. We are united through our division, and whether it is in the depths of the South or along the border at our north, it’s impossible to stand united without being true to yourself and true to those in your life.
Change is still coming to America. Legislature by legislature. Ballot by ballot. If you give up and accept less than your rights, you’re just as un-American as those who want to deny them to you.
What a novel idea. “Eureka!” — as they would say in California.
Enjoy,
Adam Griffiths
Fusion editor
