From: birchall@pilot.njin.net (Shag)
Newsgroups: co.politics.amend2.discuss
Subject: Re: Amendment 2, strangely enough
Date: 11 Nov 92 20:49:02 GMT
Organization: Screaming in Digital, the Queensryche Digest

doherty@tigger.cs.Colorado.EDU (Michael Doherty) writes:

>"NO PROTECTED STATUS BASED ON HOMOSEXUAL, LESBIAN OR BISEXUAL ORIENTATION. 
>Neither the State of Colorado, through any of its branches or departments,
>nor any of its agencies, political subdivisions, municipalities or school
>districts, shall enact, adopt or enforce any statute, regulation, ordinance
>or policy whereby homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct,
>practices or relationships shall constitute or otherwise be the basis of,
>or entitle any person or class of persons to have or claim any minority
>status, quota preferences, protected status or claim of discrimination. 
>This Section of the Constitution shall be in all respects self executing."

There are only three words in this entire amendment that I (as a bisexual,
in a manner of speaking) have any problem with whatsoever.  "claim of
discrimination."  I don't think anyone should be forced by law to remain 
silent if they're discriminated against.

I do not know _any_ gays, bisexuals, or lesbians who want, or would even
accept, "minority status."  Many of us view such status as unnecessarily
separatistic, and somewhat discriminatory in and of itself.  I, for one,
prefer to emphasize the common ground I share with other members of society,
rather than asking for special treatment due to one difference.

I also do not know any of "us" who would want quotas of any nature imposed.
They'd be silly, and entirely too silly to beat.  It's pretty damned easy
to figure out whether a potential employee, for example, will help you meet
your hiring quota for a specified racial minority.  Sexual preferences are
a good bit harder to discern.  In other words, a white man can't get a
quota'ed job by painting his face brown, but a straight man can pose as a
gay any day of the week.

I also don't know any of us who want "protected status."  What are we
supposed to be, spotted owls?  Will people start driving spikes into Colorado
legislators to protect us? ;)

There, I've gone and done it.  I've been totally politically correct, and
said that only three words in this whole silly amendment even matter.

Unfortunately, those three matter a lot.  If someone decides, since I've said
that I am, in a manner of speaking, bisexual, that they're going to cut off
my genitals, paint me purple, staple me to the roof of the post office and 
set me aflame, I really would like to have that considered a hate crime.  If
Colorado is such a utopia that no one's ever discriminated against, or "bashed"
because of others' intolerance for their sexual preference, I'll move there.

But somehow, I doubt it.

-Shag


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Newsgroups: co.politics.amend2.discuss