The
Favors of Citizenship
It's not about religion.
It is about a citizens right to be
considered equal to any other citizen and to enjoy the benefits
thereof.
It is about the Preamble to the
Constitution of the United States in which it is declared that all
men are created equal.
It is about the 14th
amendment to the Constitution in which it is stated that anyone who
is born within the United States or Naturalized as a citizen is
guaranteed equal treatment under the Constitution and entitled to due
process of the law.
It is about the 19th
amendment which extended the right to vote to women.
It is about the Civil Rights Act of
1964 which ended segregation in public places and banned employment
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national
origin,
It is about the right of ALL citizens
to be treated equally under the law.
It is NOT about some people being
excluded.
The Chill Out and Proud event scheduled
for Saturday, October 5th downtown at the Judicial Center
Plaza is being held to validate those precious rights and to
demonstrate that, as citizens, the participants are no different than
you or me.
There are some who disagree with this
but if legal standards are applied it is obvious that the rights of
some may not be infringed upon without due process of law.
Recently the City of Somerset refused
to pass what was referred to as a “fairness ordinance”
reaffirming those natural rights of citizens. It created quite a
hubbub centered mainly on religious doctrine without addressing the
legal application of the law. Just recently Versailles became the
14th city in Kentucky to pass a “Fairness Ordinance.”
Some say that we are all already guaranteed protection under those
laws and therefore no ordinance is required. That may be true but
just as it took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to affirm the rights
enumerated under the 14th Amendment it would be useful and
beneficial to have a city and county ordinance to demonstrate
determination to enforce those rights. It's just not that hard to
understand.
Conflicts arise from the enforcement of
civil rights. In this instance it may be the 1st
Amendment which guarantees freedom of religion along with the freedom
to gather in public places for peaceful purposes. There may be
objections to a “Fairness Ordinance” or the Chill Out and Proud
event based on religious principles. Those objections are protected
free speech and those that choose that route are guaranteed a right
to assemble to speak against whatever they choose as long as it is
peaceful and does not incite violence. This guarantees an individual
a right to speak but it does not guarantee a right to have it
codified into law nor does it give government the right to ignore the
law.
My Take is that this is an opportunity
for Somerset-Pulaski County to engage with the LBGTQ community in an
effort to defuse tensions and, perhaps, come to an awareness that
there is no threat here. I am pretty sure that many, if not all, of
the people gathered will be citizens of the United States of America
and privileged to enjoy all the favors thereof. Let's have a nice
day.
