Instead of denying our rights, we need to spend energy to perfect our rights
I can share my love
With wind
With roses
With thorns
With whoever makes me
Feel in love
I ask the wind, “will you blow my kisses
To the other side of the river
To the one not given the chance
To pass the water”
To the only one my eyes can see
Through the forbidden cup of wine
……..
Prop 8 as a denominator of human rights
By: Mahnaz Badihian
I moved from Iowa 5 years ago to come and live in this beautiful land of northern CA. I picked the SF area for its beauty, for its open-minded artists and art loving population, for the fact that gay and lesbians can live free from fear of rejection. To me rejection of this kind was even unfair for late 1800s when the higher court in England decided to commit one of the geniuses of human history, Oscar Wilde to a harsh jail sentence of 2 years. He was a man who was in love with another young man named “Bosie. This was a genuine and real love, which was made obvious by Oscar Wilde’s moving letters to Bosie while he was in jail.
Although I am not lesbian, I am still an advocate of human rights, especially women’s rights in society. And if you believe in both of these then you should respect anyone’s right to marry and spend their life with whomever they choose to. To me, the lesbian phenomena liberated women greatly and I love the scene of companionship, especially two older lesbians that feel comfortable with each other in that regard. Those women will have difficulty finding true love among men, especially in this American culture where people must be young, wealthy, and beautiful to have a better chance at any level.
I was so proud that Iowa, with the ones everyone called farmers, accepted gay marriage in April. On the other hand I was very disappointed with California, which is known to be so Holly woody and modern.
We need to rethink and overcome this primitive stage of human thinking so we can reach to the Eden of human life and have time to share our love and passion with whomever we choose, as long as we are not harming others. Although it is obvious that with the advent of massive communication we live in an era where we cannot hide big issues under ashes, sooner or later, even in the most conservative states, gay marriage will be legal. People who are against it are just like a drowning person who is trying hard to stay alive!
Let us not forget that human rights do not belong to any particular group and that is why I feel prop 8 is everyone’s issue. Instead of denying our rights, we need to spend energy to perfect our rights.
I can share my love
With wind
With roses
With thorns
With whoever makes me
Feel in love
I ask the wind, “will you blow my kisses
To the other side of the river
To the one not given the chance
To pass the water”
To the only one my eyes can see
Through the forbidden cup of wine
Mahnaz Badihian is a poet and writer who lives in Marin county CA. She is the editor in chief of MahMag.org.
