To: Mark Kirk, United States Senator
Thank Senator Mark Kirk for Standing Up for Love, and Encourage Him to Speak with His Fellow GOP ...
On April 2, my Republican U.S. Senator, Mark Kirk, stood up for civil rights and equality in the United States. Sadly, he is only the second Republican to take this position. We need to thank the gentleman from Illinois, and at the same time encourage him to share his evolution, on this issue, with his fellow Republicans, to enlighten, them to the fact it is a civil right to marry the person you love.
Why is this important?
It appears Senator Kirk, came to this position, as a result of his recent near death experience, which resulted in, what appears to be, a physically limiting condition. I am the parent of a now, 25 year old young man, who through an injury, became disabled at the age of 10 with a C-5 spinal cord injury. Coincidentally, he was hospitalized at the same rehabilitation center, as the Senator. Although, I do not directly walk in my son's shoes, I DO walk beside him. I suspect the good Senator, like my son, myself and my family, became keenly aware of his differences, from the majority of the country, as he resumed his life, after his stroke. To be fair, society treats the disabled community differently, out of necessity, due to an individuals' physical, mental and/or emotional limitations. However, a good deal of the time, being treated as different, and sometimes even as less than, comes from a place of fear and ignorance. Indeed, Although, discrimination towards the disabled is mostly subtle, it most certainly exists. I believe all discriminatory behavior comes from a place of fear and ignorance.
I am not gay, nor do I have anyone in my immediate family who is openly gay. However, I do support Marriage Equality, and have been a supporter, ever since I became aware there was a gay community, and they were seeking their civil rights, to marry the person they loved. I would like to firstly, thank Mark Kirk, for bravely, standing up, in contrast to his Republican caucus, and voicing his position to support Marriage Equality. Secondly, I would encourage the Senator, to take his support a step further. Approach his colleagues, and explain to them, the evolution of this position. He can then encourage them to look within their immediate families, and find that individual, which may even be they, themselves, who always seemed to be left out and not treated fairly, due to some perceived "difference". It is sometimes only this, when you can place your argument in favor of Marriage Equality, in an analogy that mirrors either a person's own, or a loved ones personal experience, a person will come to the understanding all Americans are endowed with unalienable rights, and the belief this truth is self-evident.
Please sign my petition thanking Senator Mark Kirk for publicly sharing his position on Marriage Equality, and asking him to "Spread the Love" with his fellow Republicans. ...and then go "Spread the Love" yourself.
I am not gay, nor do I have anyone in my immediate family who is openly gay. However, I do support Marriage Equality, and have been a supporter, ever since I became aware there was a gay community, and they were seeking their civil rights, to marry the person they loved. I would like to firstly, thank Mark Kirk, for bravely, standing up, in contrast to his Republican caucus, and voicing his position to support Marriage Equality. Secondly, I would encourage the Senator, to take his support a step further. Approach his colleagues, and explain to them, the evolution of this position. He can then encourage them to look within their immediate families, and find that individual, which may even be they, themselves, who always seemed to be left out and not treated fairly, due to some perceived "difference". It is sometimes only this, when you can place your argument in favor of Marriage Equality, in an analogy that mirrors either a person's own, or a loved ones personal experience, a person will come to the understanding all Americans are endowed with unalienable rights, and the belief this truth is self-evident.
Please sign my petition thanking Senator Mark Kirk for publicly sharing his position on Marriage Equality, and asking him to "Spread the Love" with his fellow Republicans. ...and then go "Spread the Love" yourself.