Go Ted, and f*ck the Right Angle blog

I normally don't post to the blog on the gay issue, but I feel compelled to do so today after spending time perusing the blogs.

Background:

On last Saturday, I attended the ODP State Dinner, where the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus was asked to sing two songs,as an addition to the great entertainment for the function. The governor, during the event, even went so far as to come over to the chorus members, right before they performed, to acknowledge their presence. This invitation to the Gay Men's Chorus was an unprecedented event, and was just one of the steps that the governor has taken to keep his promises to the LGBT community, which came together to raise a great deal of money and contribute many volunteer hours during his political race last year.

As I watched the news and the blogs this past week, I saw nothing written about the Gay men's Chorus performing at the dinner. In fact, some bloggers went out of the way to not cause trouble for the governor by calling the group "the chorus". This was fine with me, as I didn't expect anything to surface just because of the Gay issue; after all, the Governor was simply promoting inclusion of all groups, and working to make Ohio a state the doesn't treat groups of people differently. Even attempts to share the news of the passing of Jerry Falwell, a destructive and slanderous pillar for Conservative America, was done with taste by the bloggers.

On to the issue:

So, this morning, the Governor signed an executive order that includes GLBT people in the current protections of employment discrimination for state employees:

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6. Prohibition Against Discrimination. For the reasons stated above, I am declaring it to be the policy of the State of Ohio that no person employed by a Cabinet agency or by a State of Ohio Board or Commission may discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in making any of the following employment related decisions:
a. Hiring
b. Layoff
c. Termination
d. Transfer
e. Promotion
f. Demotion
g. Rate of Compensation
h. Eligibility for In- Service Training Programs

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View the full text of the Executive order at http://governor.ohio.gov/News/May2007/News51707/tabid/280/Default.aspx.
Again, this protection is not asking for special protections for GLBT people, it is asking for equal protection for such people, the same equal protection that is afforded to all people in this great country.

What fired me up was this text, which I am quoting from the Right Angle Blog:

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...this could be seen as a back door (no pun intended) handout to the trial lawyer lobby, since anyone working in state government or applying for a job in state government will be empowered to file frivolous lawsuits against their employers. Since homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, anyone would have the ability to file such a lawsuit, regardless if they have or haven't taken part in homosexual activity in America...

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Some people's stupidity just pisses me off to no end. I am not a lawyer but I can tell you that someone would not claim that they are gay to keep their job, and even if they did, the law is going to insist that they prove their claim. Does the blogger really believe that some straight guy is going to subject himself to testimony that he has engaged in such "perverse lifestyle choices", as it is described within the blog post? Why must some people try to scare the hell out of people; oh yeah, it is because that is how they ensure they get the votes.

I will close with a paraphrase of comments that I heard Joyce Beatty deliver to a group of people participating in a lobbying effort from Equality Ohio yesterday. She explained that each person should remember, as he or she talks with his or her senator and Representative, that he or she is simply advocating for equal protection and treatment, the same equal protection and treatment that is given to all of the citizens of this country.

It is herein that I personally thank and congratulate our Governor on his efforts to make Ohio a state where all people are treated equally and protected equally. It is only through such efforts that Ohio will begin to recover from its 16 years of losses, begin to repair its inadequately funded education system, and begin to develop an economy that attracts the best workers and secures the best future for its residence. Ted, I hope you continue to "Turn around Ohio".