LGBT rally fights for rights

“We all deserve the freedom to marry” and “Get Equal” and “Closets are for clothes” were some of the many messages displayed at a “Tuesday Nights for Equal Rights” rally on Jan. 10.

These rallies will be held the second Tuesday of every month on the corner of Redwood Road and Castro Valley Boulevard from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. until full federal equality is reached for the LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning) community, activists say.

The first of these pride rallies was held on National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, the rally on Jan. 10 being the fourth so far.  At the rally, supporters waved signs with various messages reflecting the themes of love and equality, while voter registration was held off to the side.

“If you have policies that don’t apply to everyone, you’re saying that those people discriminated against are less than,” said organizer and senior Austin Bruckner at the pride rally.

Bruckner owes his dedication to fighting for gay rights mainly to those who have trouble coming out of the closet.  Through “Tuesday Nights for Equal Rights” rallies, Bruckner hopes to send a message to those who are hateful about homosexuals that says, “You can’t stop me.”

Pride organizer Billy Bradford explained how homosexuals are denied many federal rights that the government normally grants to heterosexuals.  In addition to being refused the basic right to wed, gays face inequalities in regard to Social Security, taxes, and death benefits.

When one spouse of a straight married couple dies, leaving the other in a state of financial trouble, that person’s Social Security will help support the deceased partner’s husband or wife.  In contrast, if a partner of a gay couple passes away, their spouse is left with no financial support from their Social Security since they were not, and could not be, married.  Also, gay couples do not have the right to make final arrangements for their deceased loved ones for the same reason: the denial of marriage.

“I believe that everyone should have the chance to be protected under the law and be happy, to get married to the person you love, visit them in the hospital when there’s an emergency, and have final arrangements for your loved one,” said freshman Maya Para about gay rights.

When asked what inspires him to fight for LGBTQ rights, Bradford responded, “The Constitution of the United States.  The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection to all citizens under the law.  It doesn’t say man or woman, black or white, gay or straight, Republican or Democrat, Christian or Muslim; it says citizens.  I am a citizen, and I’m working for the day the Constitution means what it says.”