I'm quite confident that eventually, gay marriage will be legal everywhere. There is a lot of opposition and prejudice, but the support of LGBT rights grows each day. People are becoming more aware of the discrimination LGBT couples face, and as awareness grows so does acceptance. And that's how change begins.
But for now, it seems like things are just starting to gather some speed - gradually. Of the fifty states in America, only six of them - Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa, plus the District of Columbia - legally recognize gay marriage. That number was scheduled to go up to seven; however, according to Wikipedia, "Washington [state] was scheduled to begin granting same-sex marriages on June 7, 2012, but the issue has been forced to a November 2012 voter referendum."
Change is coming. But we need to help it along.
The other day a fellow teen writer and gay rights supporter, Katie, brought something to my attention. It's a video, one that tells the story of Shane and Tom, a couple from California who had been together for six years. They hoped to eventually get married and were looking forward to the day when gay marriage was legalized in their state, but before that could happen, Tom unexpectedly died in a tragic accident.
With the help of director and producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, Shane wants to turn their story in a documentary titled Bridegroom (which happened to be Tom's last name). Their goal is to have the film in theaters by this autumn, but in order to do so they need the support of people like us. They're asking for $300,000 by 7:00 P.M. on July 19th, and currently almost four thousand people have already made donations through their Kickstarter page. However, they still need $58,630. They have ten days left to raise it, and if they don't then they won't receive any of the money.
For those of you feeling generous, you can pledge money to this project by visiting this page. And even if you can't afford a donation, please take a minute to spread the word about this project - on Facebook, on Twitter, on Blogger, or any other social media platform you enjoy. Even just passing on the information, like I'm doing, can help.
It seems obvious to me that change is coming, and documentaries like Bridegroom can help it on its way. Will you support change?
Because these things will change
Can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
This revolution, the time will come
For us to finally win...
~Taylor Swift
There's enough hate in the world without us restricting love. So let's change what we think is unfair. Let's create a better world. Let's make a difference, even if it's only a blog post to spread the word.
Because these things will change.
