www.ambiente.us JULY | JULIO 2009
EDITORIAL | Why Should I Care?
By Herb Sosa
Julio Gerardo Gaitan was found murdered in his Miami home on November 10, 2005.
His car was stolen, and his only crime was being a social worker that cared too much
for Miami’s homeless & needy.
Why Should I Care?
Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, were one of the first lesbian couples to legally marry
when they passed the law in California in 2004. They have been together for over 23
years, their twin sons go to school, they own their home, go to church on Sundays, and
lead a normal and ordinary family life. Then one morning at 6:30 a.m. Immigration
agents rang their doorbell, with the feared deportation order. Why? They are married.
Why the deportation order?
Why should I care?
The Uniting American Families Act, H.R. 1024 is a bill to amend the immigration and
nationality act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by
EDITORIAL | Why Should I Care?
By Herb Sosa
Julio Gerardo Gaitan was found murdered in his Miami home on November 10, 2005.
His car was stolen, and his only crime was being a social worker that cared too much
for Miami’s homeless & needy.
Why Should I Care?
Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, were one of the first lesbian couples to legally marry
when they passed the law in California in 2004. They have been together for over 23
years, their twin sons go to school, they own their home, go to church on Sundays, and
lead a normal and ordinary family life. Then one morning at 6:30 a.m. Immigration
agents rang their doorbell, with the feared deportation order. Why? They are married.
Why the deportation order?
Why should I care?
The Uniting American Families Act, H.R. 1024 is a bill to amend the immigration and
nationality act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by
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permitting permanent partners of
US citizens and permanent
residents to obtain permanent
status in the same manner that
heterosexual couples do. It is
making its way through the U.S.
Senate, but still needs much more
support to become a reality.
Why should I are?
During the past two years, more
than 70 Florida child-welfare
workers have been caught
falsifying records -- lying about
their on-the-job efforts to protect
children, according to state and county records - This while nearly 5,000 children sit in
State custody awaiting adoption, but not by gays, because we can’t be trusted to raise
kids in Florida.
Why should I care?
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the 50-year-old civil rights organization
founded by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, is seeking to remove the
president of its Los Angeles chapter in response to his support of same-sex marriage in
California. Yes, the same MLK we look up to for defending Civil Rights for ALL, but his
followers seem to think this meant FOR ALL except gays, I guess
US citizens and permanent
residents to obtain permanent
status in the same manner that
heterosexual couples do. It is
making its way through the U.S.
Senate, but still needs much more
support to become a reality.
Why should I are?
During the past two years, more
than 70 Florida child-welfare
workers have been caught
falsifying records -- lying about
their on-the-job efforts to protect
children, according to state and county records - This while nearly 5,000 children sit in
State custody awaiting adoption, but not by gays, because we can’t be trusted to raise
kids in Florida.
Why should I care?
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the 50-year-old civil rights organization
founded by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, is seeking to remove the
president of its Los Angeles chapter in response to his support of same-sex marriage in
California. Yes, the same MLK we look up to for defending Civil Rights for ALL, but his
followers seem to think this meant FOR ALL except gays, I guess
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Why should I care? Why should any of us care?
The more complacent we become, the more our rights are
taken from us. The more one person is picked on, discriminated
against or refused his/her rights, the more we all lose.
You may not ever care about ever getting married, having children or being a community
leader. That’s fine. But you probably care about getting fired simply because of where
you shop, live, drink or dance. You probably care about your mom getting deported
because of a loophole in immigration law. You probably would care if your life was
threatened or worse, because of your generosity or simply doing your job.
We have become waaay to complacent in the LGBT community. We just don’t seem to
CARE that much. Just let us be and we’ll be quiet & fine – in fact we are NOT and
should not be. It is this complacency and lack of involvement by every one of us that
leads to having our rights stripped, our lives & loves discredited.
Everyone has bills, priorities and better things to do than march, speak up or go to
community meetings, right? Going to a bar, the beach or the gym is community
activism enough, right? Just think, just a few years ago, when many of us were already
born, raids on local bars – much like the ones we go to today and love, were everyday
occurrences. Arrests, civil rights abuses and smear campaigns were a regular thing for
our community. Gays were getting bullied, beaten and killed just for being. Our right to
live, love & exist was being threatened by a few but vocal hate mongers.
All of this did not happen decades ago and in another community – it happened and
continues to happen right here in South Florida, in the last few years & months, in our
local bars, streets & courthouses, and most of us didn’t really get angry. We didn't really
do anything, just kept on with our won lives.
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We need to get angry enough. We all need to speak up, demand our equal rights, and
CARE. We need to hold our elected leaders accountable. Freedom, Civil Rights and
Equality are RIGHTS that we ALL deserve, must demand and protect for ALL. Don’t just
wear the t-shirt once a year, get involved, speak up and fight for EVERYONE’s RIGHTS,
because they are your rights too.
I care enough, and you must as well.
Copyright 2009| HerbSosa & Ambiente. Do not reproduce without prior authorization.
CARE. We need to hold our elected leaders accountable. Freedom, Civil Rights and
Equality are RIGHTS that we ALL deserve, must demand and protect for ALL. Don’t just
wear the t-shirt once a year, get involved, speak up and fight for EVERYONE’s RIGHTS,
because they are your rights too.
I care enough, and you must as well.
Copyright 2009| HerbSosa & Ambiente. Do not reproduce without prior authorization.
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