Last night Emma and I went to the June 7th meeting of Equality Fairfax. It was a
chance to meet local candidates and to let them listen to our community speak about GLBT issues. I expected mainly Democrats, so I was suprised and pleased to see two Republican representatives. However, a few minutes into the meeting, I was most surprised to see Senator Devolites enter. I was encouraged for a moment that, perhaps, just like other representatives from both parties who had supported
HB 751, she came to the meeting last night "to listen and to learn". But my feelings quickly turned into even greater surprise when, during her edgy introduction to the roomful of 120+ people, she suddenly asked if Heather and Emma were attending.
Of course, we stood and proudly acknowledged our presence. She thanked us for having the courage to identify ourselves (?), and then,
she proceeded to angrily explain “the mean spirited and hateful thing” that "we" did (actually, Emma has nothing to do with my weblog). She took out some papers and read select portions from my March weblog posting.
She was in tears by the end of her reading, and she said,
“This is NOT how you get moderate conservatives like me on your side!
This is NOT how you get moderate conservatives like me to listen!”
[And, gesturing in our direction, she implied that ALL of her future votes against our community might be blamed on us.]
All I could really think was, "Senator Devolites reads my little weblog! " That, and – "She’s a MODERATE conservative??? "
Emma asked for a moment to respond. She thanked Senator Devolites for coming down just to read that this evening; and she made some good
points regarding our community’s anger, anguish, hurt, and pain over HB 751. And Senator Devolites DID listen, although I’m not entirely certain that she really heard what was being said (much like she blamed me – but hadn’t seemed to register that my original weblog posting was mostly links to news sites like the Post and the Associated press).
Then some other folks asked the Senator some questions. One woman asked if her Catholic faith was why she didn’t believe in Gay Marriage or Gay Civil Unions, and Senator Devolites said yes, that’s why she doesn’t believe in them, and she added that her faith is what drives
many of her political views. The woman who asked the question then
replied, and essentially suggested that Senator Devolites please separate Church and State.
And while I am on that subject, it is one thing for someone to practice what they preach. It is an entirely different matter for that person to expect EVERYONE to practice what they preach – by law! That is why people came over to make this county in the first place – RELIGIOUS FREEDOM! That is why people have fought and died – Freedom from the religion of others! That is why people are still fighting and dying. I do not want the Pope in my life, uninvited, making my laws, voting for them, and telling ME what to vote for.
Nor do I want someone to represent me who may believe that their
salvation depends on what the Pope may dictate. And not just the Pope – I don’t want to be forced to follow George W Bush’s interpretation of Christianity either. Being forced to follow anyone else’s vision of religion is truly frightening.
Anyway, Sen Devolites passed the microphone to other representatives, and within a few minutes, she left the room. She never came back – it seemed pretty obvious that she didn’t really want to have a dialog, she just spoke her piece and having done what she came to do, she left the building.
I wrote my original posting after we received a letter from Senator
Devolites thanking us for calling her office to express our feelings on HB751, but explaining that she didn’t believe in gay Marriage or Civil Unions. You can see
her scanned letter here.
We had also gotten a letter back from Chap Peterson – but he indicated he was open for further discussion on the issue – that began a dialog with him that continues … he didn’t slam the door in our face.
My original posting included quotes and links to articles on the
Washington Post website, the Chronicles website, and an Associated Press story on the Fox News website. These were not fanciful writings on my part. They are a matter of public record (repeat: public record!), and are easily available to anyone with a bit of time and a good search engine (I like Google). These matters are a part of the public fabric of Senator Devolites life, just as our relationships are a part of ours- and they are matters which are both public and personal at the same time, and are matters over which no one should be ashamed.
I wrote my March posting shortly after the Virginia House and Senate passed that hateful HB
751. This was also after all the publicity for that ridiculous Britney Spears marriage in Vegas. She can get
married for 55 hours and divorced on a whim for publicity. Yet my partner in love of 8 years and I cannot have a simple civil union to declare us bonded.
Virginia already had the DOMA law stating that Gay Marriages weren’t
legal. There was no need to write HB 751 to overstate the fact. Yet they did. And that was a mean and hateful thing.
It took leadership in the 50s and 60s to stand up against the racism
that was so widespread then, and so divided our nation… If it had been up to a purely popular vote at that time, we would probably (and sadly!) still have those racist laws in Virginia (which many people upheld with conservative religious views, by the way). But our leaders did not preach oppression, they spoke of freedom, and the nation stirred, good people stood up, and folks of character and every color moved forward.
We need our leaders to have courage and listen now …
… because we are speaking.
Not just people of one faith or another.
All of us.
This is an issue of basic human rights… civil rights… relationship
rights. This is an issue of equality.
We are speaking of Freedom.
I am not exactly certain what Senator Devolites came to do, or hoped to accomplish with her dramatic reading last night (it was certainly not one of her finer moments). I could speculate, of course, but when it is said and done, I’ll simply let her action speak for itself.
After all, you know what they say: the devil is in the details.