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So, I Lied . . .


. . . sort of . . .

I said I wasn’t going to post today–that drunkenness and lounging on a Florida beach would interfere.

But I had to share the video below. 

Whether you support gay marriage or not, whether you support the rights of Iowa lesbians to form civil unions or not, please watch this video of Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student, who spoke out against legislation that would outlaw civil unions for gay couples in his state. 

Zach, with a rhetorical prowess rivaling that of Barack Obama, shares his experience as the child of a lesbian couple.  The video speaks for itself.  Please watch.

You might also like to read an article in the Huffington Post (click here) about Zach’s brilliant defense, his defense of something that shouldn’t need defending–a right that is priceless to gay and lesbian couples–one heterosexual couples take for granted.

I may have told a well-intended lie, an honest lie, of sorts, saying that I wouldn’t post today.  But in the US we are only now reversing “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”–a law that requires gays and lesbians serving in our military to lie about their sexual orientations–to lie about their very identities.

We are only now allowing women like me to write openly about their partner’s service to the planet’s poor.  Fifty years ago I’d never dared.

We are only now allowing gay couples to walk the main streets of America hand-in-hand with the ones they love, often the ones they’ve committed to for life–to stand strong and proud and committed.

Committed to America, committed to one another, committed to love.

34 thoughts on “So, I Lied . . .”

  1. Wow. I think politics is missing out on this kid pursuing engineering. What a wonderful and heartfelt and persuasive speech. And, I loved what he had to say about families, especially the commitment to each other to struggle through the hard times in order to enjoy the good. He made one comment, though, that I think was in error. He said at the end of his speech that being raised by a same-sex couple had ‘zero effect’ on the content of his character. I really wonder if this is true. I might be inclined to believe that his strength and compassion and (although not evident from his talk, I’d assume) high regard for inclusiveness, etc could be traced back to strong parents who brought him up in a unique and conscientious environment. Of course, once the laws recognize same sex marriages and they become, if not common, then at least common-place, such parents and families may not need such character and strength, but in Zach’s case, I believe such an environment and family directly contributed to the person he is.

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  2. I had seen this video. Zach was, indeed, brilliant. And I do agree with Kirsten. We are so careful to say that same-sex parents have no impact on how a child turns out, because we want to rule out any possible negative connotation. But my guess is that children raised by same-sex parents grow up in an atmospmere that supports tolerance, compassion, individual expression, and strength of character.

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  3. Thanks for sharing this video, Kathy. Zach is an amazing young man and I do agree with Kirsten about his strength of character being a direct result of his environment.
    We were at a Gay Pride event with some friends a few months ago, and one of our friends told us he had to fight back tears as he reflected on how much of a struggle he’d had as he grew up, being gay. Seeing the freedom in an event such as the one we were at was quite overwhelming for him. He talked of how he’d had no-one to talk to, nowhere to turn, as a young boy realising the truth of his sexuality.
    Hugs to you, Kathy
    Sunshine xx

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  4. I agree with what has been said above. The same-sex couples I’ve met have all been more caring towards other people (especially the elderly and children – the two age groups often most neglected) than most heterosexual people I know.

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  6. I can’t get tired watching that video. I have two sons, and if any one of them grows up to be like that young man, I’ll be thanking my lucky star. If anything, I think having two mothers will probably mean that the child does not pick up any bad habits that so often plague the male species…

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  7. Thanks, Kathy. This video was all over facebook yesterday. It cheered me to see it there. Zach’s message is an important one. Love is love, and families are families. All humans should have the right to both.

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  8. What a great way to start the day–seeing love in action, love in words…I pray for tolerance…and more love.
    Zach is an amazing young man.
    GLAD you “lied” and posted today
    jane

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  12. I love this video so much 🙂

    My friends and I discussed this on our WRFL radio show (love that UK’s gay community is growing), and we love that a young man was able to be so articulate with his speech, and made excellent points (I’m now a third-year English major 🙂 and still don’t believe I can produce anything that powerful). This seems to make the point that when people criticize gay marriage, they usually look at the negativity (religious values, reports that non-traditional families “hurt” children), and don’t even bother looking at positive stories like this.

    Zach Wahls proves that you don’t have to come from a “traditional” family to live a healthy life, and be successful. If only more people thought like Zach, or listened to what he had to say. It’s terrible that the Iowa House voted against protecting marriage equality, but hopefully Zachs words will discourage the Senate from doing the same.

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    • It was always wonderful to feel embraced on campus. For readers from outside the US (where UK would normally refer to the United Kingdom), this comment is about the University of Kentucky, where I taught.

      Is this comment from Laura? Didn’t know you had a radio show on campus–that’s really cool!

      Great to hear from you, and say hi to UK for me!

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      • It is! I need a better user name.

        It’s only been active for about a year (though has been on and off WRFL for several years now). My friend/fellow officer from UK Gay-Straight Alliance hosts the show, and my friends and I talk on it every week. It’s been a very enjoyable experience.

        I’ll tell them you said hi!

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  16. Kathryn, just posted Zach’s video on my web page today. Wendy sent me you post. Sorry, I duplicated yours unknowingly, but I guess the more people that see it the better! I got my copy from the Courage Campaign. I wasn’t going to post either, too busy doing my homework for safeschools for LGBTetc. in our little town. I talk to the h.s. principle and counselor tomorrow!. We’re going to survey students on bullying. Yeah! Thank you so much for caring like you do.

    Nancy

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