F.I. Goldhaber  

T

Yes, you can marry now
and reap the benefits
of tax deductions, joint
adoption, judicial
protections, medical
privileges, and support. 

But marriage rights mean little
to those who can't walk down
the street without fear from
hostility, assault,
panic if they need to
pee when away from home;

When their boss can fire them
with impunity if
he discovers their birth
certificate gender
doesn't match the one
that defines who they are.

And the hate hurts more when
it comes from those who share
the acronym, who should
remember what it's like
to live in fear because
"normal" doesn't fit you. 

But all too often, the
L and the G forget
about the T at the
end and are first in line
to hurl invectives and
demonstrate their contempt.

 

 

As a reporter, editor, and business writer, F.I. Goldhaber produced news stories, feature articles, essays, and reviews for newspapers, corporations, governments, and non-profits in five states. Now, her poems, short stories, novelettes, and essays appear in paper, electronic, and audio magazines, and anthologies. http://www.goldhaber.net/