O Canada
Writing by treason on Tuesday, 24 of January , 2006 at 7:28 pm
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee…
Makes you miss Montreal Expos games, huh? I have to ask: How often do you notice people wanting to say “country” but they say “company” instead? And sometimes they want to say “company” and say “country.” I hear it all the time. And I also hear “Canadia” a lot. You know, that enormous land mass just north of here? Canadia. It’s where Canadians live.
Well, for three years I worked with someone I adored, a Montreal boy who, when the non-profit betrayed its loyal employees, returned to Canadia - er, Canada. I miss his wonderful stories and impressions of Newfoundlanders. I do love dialects. Ay.
Anyway, he and his partner left back in August and headed to Nova Scotia. My friend was a self-proclaimed Socialist, but we got along because he could discuss politics with me without calling me a Nazi. Refreshing.
We’ve temporarily lost touch (I really need to track him down) and I regret that because I’d love to get his take on this week’s election results. If I read them correctly, Nova Scotia did not go as far to the right as the western portion of Canada. That’s because the western portion is, technically, America. And I also want to know if he and his partner have officially married.
I know, now that Stephen “Integrity, family, respect for work, achievement - Canada strong and free!” Harper has won the election, some will claim that he’ll start rounding up homosexuals to put them in camps. Something tells me that this just isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The man has more pressing issues to address. Taxes, for one. Crime, drugs, gangs. Those long, long, looooong waits for medical attention.
Another couple I met through the non-profit did marry. They went to Canadia - er, Canada, and tied the knot. When they got back, they rented a theater and had a formal ceremony. I was flattered to receive an invitation. I hate weddings, in general, but this one was a carefully planned wedding/reception/drag revue combo that had me intrigued. Say what you will, but the event was more tasteful that most of the heterosexual ceremonies I’ve attended.
It was a tad militant in places, but overall it was sweet, sincere, romantic, and creative. So do I support gay marriage? I find myself touched when I read the anniversary section of our Sunday paper. Couples who have been married for twenty-five, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy-five (!) years. Imagine being with someone special through history.
As a fiscal conservative, I see gay weddings as a good thing for our economy. But I also understand the hesitation to make gay marriage the law of the land. Slippery slope and all that. Next thing you know, someone will want to marry a dolphin. Oh, wait. That just happened. And where’s PETA? If that’s not animal cruelty, I don’t know what is.
I support civil unions. I understand the desire to have certain legal protections in place for longtime companions. I have one of those myself, but my companion happens to be a member of the opposite sex. When our non-profit was reviewing our health insurance, gay employees wanted to know if they could get coverage for domestic partners. The answer was yes. Ooooh. That’s very cool, because T left a corporation to develop a home business. Could he get coverage? The answer was no. If he had ovaries, yes.
Well, this didn’t sit well. Some pointed out that we could get married and solve that problem; after all, we are allowed by law to do that. Others were outraged: Why can we add our partners, and you can’t? Why, that’s discrimination!
We live in interesting times. Again, I think it should be put to a vote. Let the people - state by state - decide. Funny, but my state was one that announced all of a sudden that it recognized gay marriage. Since I always had talk radio on in my office, I heard that ceremonies were happening not far from us. Hey! You guys can all get married today! Go! Go! Just go do it!
There was initial excitement, but no one left the office. All I’m saying is this: Be careful what you wish for. A local gay activist who walks around town in something that looks like a mini loincloth and has an extensive religious background, reminds us that what looks good at first can sometimes be bad and what looks bad can sometimes be good.
There is definitely something to that.
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