Delivered to the South Dakota State Legislature 2004

I’m before you today not as some militant radical from some far away hedonistic place, but as one of you. I’m a native South Dakotan. South Dakota runs in my veins and my roots here run deep. I remember as a teenager visiting my Great Grandmother, listening to her stories of coming to South Dakota at the age of ten with her family. They came by covered wagon from Illinois. They settled in the area around Turton. The wife of one of her other descendants is a legislator here at the capitol.
I also remember going on scouting expeditions with my grandfather to rediscover the old fishing holes from his childhood and learning about the area of my birth and my heritage.
My Grandfather was a simple man of the earth, a farmer with a great and compassionate heart. He was also a man of deep love and faith.
I grew up on a farm and graduated from High School in Doland. I used to work for our neighbor on the next farm. My sister used to baby sit for them. One of those kids is now Mrs. John Thune.

My father and an uncle graduated with Hubert Humphry. An Aunt & Uncle were at Dakota Wesleyan with George & Eleanor McGovern and remained life long friends.
I am everyone and I am no one. I’m the kid from next door that you thought you knew but didn’t because you were bullied into blindness. I’m the guy you played football with and suffered when you made snide remarks about my sexuality. You thought you knew me. But you didn’t. You didn’t know how deeply you hurt me. Did you care? Do you now?

I’m your buddy you thought you knew. The co-worker you enjoyed. The person you saw going home. I’m everyone & no one.
I am but one of thousands of South Dakotans who for too many years have been bullied into suffering in silence. I know of many, many others who wanted to be here today but couldn’t out of fear. Fear that they would loose their livelihood. Fear that they would be targeted. Fear that they would loose family. And fear for their safety.

Working with gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender teenagers and young adults, I know first hand of the harassment and bullying that goes on. I know also of the damage it can do. How many kids have given up and ended their lives because of it is any body’s guess. I know first hand that it is more than a few.

What is going on here today is simply more bullying! This bill does not protect marriage. My relationship with a partner of the same sex can in no way diminish your love for your wife or husband. It’s about one religious group trying to bully you into giving them their way. “Vote for this bill or else you get targeted.” So much for courage.

Being bullied into silence is no longer acceptable. It is causing too much pain, too much suffering, and our society is the lesser for it.

My brother & I both got drafted and served during Vietnam. I could have taken the easy way out, but I love my country and despite having reservations about the war, I elected to join the Navy and served for four years.

My father served in the Pacific and was wounded during WWII. Our family has a History of military service and love of country. I love this country. Does this country love me?

I have just one question for you before you vote on this bill.

“Do I as a gay man have the right to exist?’

If the answer is “yes” then I expect the same rights and privileges as everyone else. I should be able to have legal protections for a committed, loving relationship. I have yet to hear a valid reason why I shouldn’t.
Earlier I heard someone remark that this could lead to someone wanting to marry their horse, their dog, or their chair. What about polygamy? First of all your relationship to your horse, dog or chair is already defined and protected by law. It’s called property rights. The only thing that doesn’t have protections is my relationship to the person I love.

As for polygamy, that is another issue all together to be weighed by its own merits or lack there of. Try literal interpretation of the Bible on that one.

If your answer is that I don’t have a right to exist, then you do need to amend the Constitution. You need to remove the words: Freedom, Liberty, Justice, & Equality. They no longer have meaning. It has to mean more than just the right to agree with you.

Every credible scientific organization supports me. So what is the problem?

The bottom line is that no matter what you decide here today, we will go on. We will still be here. We will still fall in love and enter into relationships.

We will continue to build community and help each other. We will come together in God’s Love. You may deny us legal protections, but, we will protect each other.

We will only become victims if we allow the negative attitudes of others to affect how we feel about ourselves.

I am here to tell you that as I look out at my Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, &Trans-gendered brothers and sisters, our families and our friends, I feel good!!!

WE WILL BE BACK!!!!!
Thank you for your time.