Equality. If you’re straight, white, and middle class (or all the above), it’s very easy to take equality for granted. It’s also easy to assume that the experiences you’ve had and treatment you’ve received throughout your life have been the same for others. It’s perfectly understandable. Especially since equality is one of the core principles our founding fathers cited in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.”
That famous paragraph contains some inconvenient truths that underscore the reason why many of our fellow Americans are still fighting for equality 245 years later. Did you notice how it states that all “men” are created equal? There’s no mention of women whatsoever. Even if the authors intended for “men” to be a simile for “all” citizens, it still took women another 132 years after the first United States election to gain their right to vote.
It’s also important to note that when our founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence, sources indicate that forty-one of the fifty-six men who signed it owned slaves. Add in the fact that these men and their families could continue owning slaves for another 89 years, and you start to realize that freedom and equality have never been easy to come by for everyone in the United States. That’s as true today as it was in the days before slavery was abolished in 1865 and 1964 when the Civil Rights Act was signed into law.
In 2021, in addition to the millions of American citizens still struggling for equality based on their race, millions more are experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead of feeling empowered, they feel powerless. Where most Americans see opportunity, they fear backlash and experience discrimination with no legal recourse.
The Equality Act (which passed the House this past March and is awaiting its day before the Senate) is a big step toward changing this reality. The Equality Act proposes an update to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that protects people from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion. When passed, this law will extend the protections within it to LGBTQ people who face discrimination in various ways with no legal recourse—from denial of job opportunities to the inability to marry and adopt children.
At Revolutionary Clinics, we can’t stand the fact that so many Americans are still being persecuted for who they are more than 245 years after our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. We believe discrimination of any kind has no place in a country that defines Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as inalienable rights. Finally, we dream of the day when every person in every corner of our nation feels free to be who they are and love whoever they choose. We also believe every American should enjoy the same opportunities as the fifty-six white men who set the 13 British colonies on the path to becoming the United States of America.
Finally, as we all prepare to celebrate Independence Day, we feel there’s no better time to be having this conversation than right here and right now.
What can you do to help the Equality Act pass the Senate?
Call your Senator at 202-224-3121 or use the tool at GLAD’s website to let your elected official know that you support equality and urge them to do the same by voting in favor of the Equality Act.
On behalf of all of us at Revolutionary Clinics, thank you for taking the time to learn about where we stand on equality. We started this business because we felt our friends and neighbors deserved access to medicines our state and federal governments did not want them to have. We’re every bit as passionate about LGBTQ people having access to the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities that we never take for granted.
