“First they came” ….. Never forget!!

~~February 14, 2015~~ 

CAN WE BE COMPLICIT THROUGH OUR SILENCE?

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.

Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

The quotation stems from Niemöller’s lectures during the early postwar period. Different versions of the quotation exist. These can be attributed to the fact that Niemöller spoke extemporaneously and in a number of settings. Much controversy surrounds the content of the poem as it has been printed in varying forms, referring to diverse groups such as Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Trade Unionists, or Communists depending upon the version.

Nonetheless his point was that Germans – in particular, he believed, the leaders of the Protestant churches – had been complicit through their silence in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and murder of millions of people.

Why am I bringing this up today? 

Those who stop by, read and follow this blog know that I’m a fervent advocate for the LGBT community, marriage equality and anti-discrimination in any form. 

As I troll through cyberspace, I found a disturbing piece yesterday about Arkansas and it was also mentioned today by a fellow blogger.

“On Friday,February 13,  Arkansas’s legislature passed a bill preventing cities and counties from enacting their own laws to protect LGBT people”

~Full read here~

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/02/13/arkansas-passes-lgbt-discrimination-bill.html?via=mobile&source=facebook

“Republican HATE, FEAR, LOATHING – Arkansas Passes Bill to Allow LGBT Discrimination”

~Full read here~

https://thelastofthemillenniums.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/republican-hate-fear-loathing-arkansas-passes-bill-to-allow-lgbt-discrimination/

My own post … February 13, 2015

https://hrexach.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/something-to-think-about-the-push-back-is-still-there/

The bills – many modeled on a failed attempt in Arizona last year that drew condemnation from businesses, faith communities, and elected officials in both parties – put all state non-discrimination laws at risk of being undermined or mooted. They threaten not just the LGBT community, but women, members of minority faiths and other minority classes.

~~GALLERY~~

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#FirstTheyCame #NeverForget #ComplicitThroughTheirSilence #MartinNiemöller #ArkansasLegislature #AllowLGBTDiscrimination #DiscriminationByAnotherName #ThreathenWomen #MembersMinorityFaiths #OtherMinorityClasses #Equality

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!! 

Something to think about …. The push back is still there!!

~~February 13, 2015~~

Discrimination by Another Name

Advocates Sound Alarm on Wave of New State Bills

(February 6, 2015 by Adam Talbot)

The HRC issued a report and resource guide for journalists compiling more than two dozen new, sweeping and seemingly coordinated pieces of legislation in more than a dozen states across the country – all geared toward undermining LGBT equality in a shroud of religious language.

The bills – many modeled on a failed attempt in Arizona last year that drew condemnation from businesses, faith communities, and elected officials in both parties – put all state non-discrimination laws at risk of being undermined or mooted. They threaten not just the LGBT community, but women, members of minority faiths and other minority classes.

“These bills do not address a legitimate problem with current law. Rather, they are written with the intention of creating harmful consequences,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “They put minority groups at risk of being denied service everywhere from the convenience store to the doctor’s office—and they send a harmful message that fairness, equality and the principles of our constitution are secondary to personal discomfort and prejudice.”

Advocates are sounding the alarm with today’s report, hopeful that a similar coalition that led Governor Jan Brewer veto Arizona’s discrimination bill last year will emerge again and push back secretive interests that are advancing this new wave of legislation.

As the report notes, the harm these bills may cause doesn’t end with the LGBT community.

Under many proposed bills, an evangelical police officer could feel empowered to refuse to patrol a Jewish street festival; a city clerk could shirk the law and refuse a marriage license to an interracial couple, a divorcee seeking to remarry, or a lesbian couple; an EMT could claim the law is on his side after refusing service to a dying transgender person in the street; and the enforcement of other key sections of civil rights law could be dramatically undermined.

“As it appears in …. full credit”

http://www.hrc.org/blog

~~GRAPHIC SOURCE~~ 

https://www.facebook.com/humanrightscampaign?fref=photo

~Is It Legal To Discriminate Against LGBT?~

~Published on Dec 18, 2014~

Special Thanks to Crystal Dilworth for hosting TestTube!

Gay marriage may be legal in the majority of U.S. states, but the LGBT community still faces discrimination from businesses, many of which even refuse service or employment.

#SomethingToThinkAbout #PushBackStillThere #DiscriminationByAnotherName #AdvocatesSoundAlarm #WaveNewStateBills #UnderminingLGBTEquality #ShroudReligiousLanguage #bBsinesses #FaithCommunities #ElectedOfficials #Women #MinorityFaiths #MinorityClasses #CrystalDilworth #Businesses #RefuseServiceEmployment

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #hrfexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!!