You must read this....

[sleigh]

You must read this is you care about equal rights. You must read this if you care about humane treatment of people. You must read this if you think that a federal amendment legalizing gay marriage isn't necessary.

Read this and be outraged. And if you're not outraged, then I suspect you have no empathy in you.

Comments

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering whether the hospital would have dismissed the Power of Attorney and guardianship if the two women had been, for example, lawyer and client, or neighbors for 20 years but just friends, or members of the same church, instead of a lesbian couple? And how would the judge have ruled in that case.

I'm disgusted.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

How the hell can anyone call "Miami" an anti-gay town? I thought Miami was a gay magnet.

I only have outrage for the health care situation right now, because I am sick/ I'll outrage at this next. What is it that you would like people to do, besides seethe?

K.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

The Miami comment rather surprised me a bit also, but...

Other than seething, I would suggest the best option is to push for gay marriage in the various states; there seemed to be a fair amount of momentum for that not long ago, but it seems to have slowed. If enough states make gay marriages legal (or recognize those from other states), eventually the rest will have to capitulate.

I also hope the legality of the California amendment outlawing gay marriage gets into the courts and overturned on constitutional grounds. If such a case makes it up to the SCOTUS, and if SCOTUS agrees that such bans are unconstitutional (though that's a dubious vote right now), the rights of a gay partner would have the same legal force as the rights of a spouse.

still shaking....

[jdonat.livejournal.com]

I remember reading this not long after it happened. This is inexcusable. i cannot understand how the hospital could be such assholes, even after the documentation was sent from their home.

The biggest fear in the human psyche is to die alone. Her partner and her kids were there. THIS SHOULD HAVE NOT HAPPENED. That a hospital allowed this to happen, because they were a same sex partnership is beyond belief. There are MANY reasons I would not be comfortable lving in Florida, and this adds to it.

Lobbying for same-sex marriage will be a long-term process. It may take a while. All these folks pratting about how same sex 'marriage' (in any way shape or form) will destroy 'traditional' marriage are so out of line. Geez, We've been married 24 1/2 years, and my marriage is not threatened by same sex unions. Assholes.

Tragic

[(Anonymous)]

As a gay man working in health care I saw a lot of this in the 80's and early 90's when gay men were dying in hospital of AIDS and their partners were at times refused admittance to say good-bye. I thought episodes like this were a thing of the past.

In case you haven't seen the following yet, it was testimony given for Maine's Marriage Equality Bill. It's very beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk