Jury Duty

It's hot. And I'm bothered.


I should be getting to bed, but I'm not sleepy. I have been summoned for jury duty on my mother's birthday, and the opening of our "Queer As Faust 2" cabaret. And it irks me that I am expected to go do my 'civic duty'. Normally, I'd be OK with serving on a jury. But these past couple of weeks have made me more convinced that I am living in a country that really TISN'T free... at least if your part of the LGBT community.


Wednesday, after mounting pressure from the gay community denouncing the horribly homophobic legal brief Obama's administration filed to protect DOMA, our President said he was going to drop a few crumbs on the floor for us by giving some FEDERAL employees access to some benefits normally reserved for our straight married counterparts. Not healthcare or retirement... but things such as bereavement leave. When I heard of this move, I had a visualization of the scene in Mark with Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus tries to dismiss her as a "dog", which was a pretty low blow in those ancient times. And the woman shot back with "Even the dogs eat the crumbs under Israel's table."


Now us dogs are thrown a few table scraps from the plate of change to try to appease us. And if we express disappointment, outrage, or bitterness about the fact that the scraps really are just scraps... then the ones sitting at the table kick at us to keep quiet or push on our rears to make us sit down. "He's only been in office five months--give him a break!" "Oh, yeah, I remember how much better it was under Bush." Sorry, I don't want excuses for what I believe is not good policy judgment. Just because he's better than the alternative doesn't cut it with me any more. I'm hot. I'm bothered. And I'm tired of being a second-class citizen.

***
Morning has arrived. I am leaving for jury duty with my pride necklace. I'm hoping that by providing an outward and visible sign of my inward and spiritual self, the court will release me from what I view as a burden. Once upon a time, I would have been happy to serve on a jury. But now... not so much.

If I can't get married;
If I can't adopt children;
If I can't serve in the military;
Why am I being asked to be on a jury?