Straight People: Stand Up for LGBT Friends

A message about gay rights and marriage from Chelsea Handler

Courtesy of Chelsea Lately

I read a quote in the Los Angeles Times right after President Obama’s marriage equality statement that made my blood boil. One of the big right-wing groups said the president’s stance will lead to “fatherless and motherless homes.”

OK – I admit the boiling-point of my blood may be well below the national average – but who are they kidding?

I’ve never been more proud of my LGBT friends and the beautiful families they’re raising – and I think it’s time we all do what we can to get them equal rights already.

The president’s announcement has inspired and energized a lot of people, and with marriage campaigns heating up in states across the country, I asked my friends at HRC if I could set up a matching gift challenge. If you donate, I’ll donate. Together we’ll make history.

It’s not easy to watch haters attack people you love.

Obviously these extremists have never met my friends. If they had, they’d know that same-sex parents face the exact same issues as the rest of us – affording healthcare and college savings, planning for retirement, getting gum out of a six-year-old’s hair.

And while they’re trying to remember to buy milk and pick up the dry cleaning, a bunch of people are screaming about how evil they are.

We can all do more to ease the burden of discrimination, whether we’ve shouldered it ourselves or watched it impact friends and family. Hey, I know it’s hard – sometimes the burden of discrimination makes me want to get up on a soapbox, and other times it just makes me want to get a cocktail. But if you’ve been waiting for the right time to donate, I think we can all agree this is it.

Let’s get this done!

Chelsea Handler