Recently we celebrated Independence Day, marking the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed: July 4, 1776. The Declaration says that, “… all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Back then, not all men and women were free or treated as equal.
After the signing of that document, a war had to be fought to win independence from the British. Despite winning that war, the free and equal parts still remained to be fulfilled. Slavery was legal and took almost 100 years to end.
The equality part has taken somewhat longer to fulfill. So, when will we truly be able to celebrate “Equality Day”? Should we just declare equality, as we did independence?
Women were given the right to vote in 1920. Brown v. Board of Education ended the idea of “separate but equal” in 1954. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Those laws have been amended, more laws have been enacted and court decisions and executive orders have been issued; some of those actions have moved equality forward, some have pushed it backward.
On May 20, 2014, Pennsylvania “granted” same-sex couples equal rights with regard to marriage. That “equality” only goes so far. You can marry on one day and be fired the next for being gay or lesbian. In some states, you can be denied the honeymoon suite at a hotel. A baker can refuse to sell you a wedding cake. The retirement community in which you want to spend the rest of your married lives together can refuse to sell or rent you a home.
For years, Congress has been debating a law that would make it illegal to discriminate based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity in employment. Discrimination against LGBT people in education, housing and public accommodations isn’t part of the discussion. In the Pennsylvania General Assembly, legislation has been proposed that would prohibit discrimination in all of those areas. Equality is still a hope. Is it too early to declare Equality Day?
Next year in Philadelphia we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of the milestones in the LGBT-rights movement. On every July 4, from 1965-69, gay-rights activists picketed outside Independence Hall in what was called “Reminder Days.” The goal was to remind all Americans that not ALL Americans had equal rights, not ALL Americans are protected by the U.S. Constitution and not ALL Americans are considered equal.
Those brave activists at Independence Hall called for legislation that would give LGBT Americans equal rights. A half-century later, we are still calling for that legislation. Is it still too early to declare Equality Day?
At the time of the Reminder Days, most LGBT people, now older adults, never thought that they would see the day when they would be treated equally under the law — when the police would not be allowed to harass and arrest them, or when they could marry the person they love. Now it seems that it may not be a question of “if” we will celebrate Equality Day, but “when.”
Waiting for others to give us our “unalienable rights” won’t make it happen. Equality Day will never be celebrated without feet on the ground like those that marched in front of Independence Hall in the ’60s. It won’t happen without LGBT people and allies advocating for equal rights. It won’t happen without voices on the phone, emails in the inbox and votes in the ballot box.
Contact your elected representatives and tell them that you want an end to legal discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, education, housing, public accommodation and, yes, in marriage.
Call Harrisburg. Write Washington. Do something! Nothing will happen unless we are heard, unless we vote, unless we REMIND THEM. Find out how to contact your elected officials at www.USA.gov or call 800-FED-INFO.
It may be too early to declare Equality Day. But next year, on July 4, 2015, stand in front of Independence Hall to mark the 50th anniversary of the first “Reminder Day.” Celebrate the courageous women and men who risked so much to get us to the point where we can even think about declaring Equality Day.
Heshie Zinman is chair of the LGBT Elder Initiative. The LGBTEI, headquartered in Philadelphia, fosters and advocates for services, resources and institutions that are competent, culturally sensitive, inclusive and responsive to the needs of LGBT elders in the Delaware Valley and beyond. To comment on this article, suggest topics for future articles or for more information, visit www.lgbtei.org or call the LGBTEI at 267-546-3448 and watch for “Gettin’ On” each month in PGN.