Somewhere in the middle of Kansas, there is a 9-year-old wide-eyed girl watching television while actively seeking solace from the fact that her brother's life partner is in the military and may be dead or alive at any given change of the second. The last thing she is thinking about is whether or not her brother-out-of-law is gay. To be frank, she doesn't care about any of that. She just wants him to come home—safe.
All of a sudden, a Rick Perry ad runs. In the advertisement, entitled "Strong," he says, "You don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know that there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school."
Discrimination of an entire group of people based on personal religious beliefs and incoherent messaging is not appropriate and should not be tolerated. Ever. Period. End of story.
It's called harassment.
Mr. Perry, those gay people serving in the military right now are fighting for your freedom ... even though you continuously deny them theirs. They fight for the country they were born into because they believe in a better future where all men and women are safe and protected. Many of them practice religion and spirituality and, yes, celebrate Christmas.
The difference is, while you're sitting in your plush robe throwing carrots at the television because you don't like the fact that gay people are protecting your ass without an ounce of gratitude, the men and women in uniform, some of which happen to be gay, are celebrating Christmas on a base with no comforts of home and they do so willingly and without expectation.
Let's look at the facts for a moment:
—In 29 states, you could be fired from your job for being gay.
—In 28 states, you could be fired from your job for being transgender.
—One in four LGBT employees reported discrimination in the past five years.
—Marriage is legal for gay Americans in six states and the District of Columbia.
—There are an estimated 9 million Americans identifying as LGBT.
—Census 2010 data concluded that 132,000 same-sex couples identified their partners as "spouses" and 31 percent of them were raising children.
—An estimated 25,000 children would benefit from equal immigration laws.
Perhaps the most important bullet points to remember:
—Gay people are human beings, and;
—Many of them believe in Christmas.
A man does not grow taller by cutting down another. Mr. Perry, while there is potentially no reason for you to pay any mind to this editorial whatsoever, there is a little girl in Kansas feeling a lot less alone following your attack on her loved one today. That is what matters most.
Happy holidays,
Sarah Toce
