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10/21/2009
This is What a Hero Looks Like
"What do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?"
Looks as though this clip of an 86-year-old World War II veteran testifying at Maine's marriage hearings in April has been online since then. It's been getting some renewed attention recently.
I don't believe I've ever posted it here, but even if I have, it bears repeating.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
And help Protect Maine Equality HERE.
Posted 8:10 AM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Marriage, Maine, Military, News | Permalink
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Bless you.
Posted by: Tom Clark | Oct 21, 2009 8:21:42 AM
as a young gay man who often groans over the conservative and closed minded nature of previous generations, i find myself moved to tears by this man's honest and uncomplicated acceptance of the principle of equal rights. would that we all loved our country as deeply and truly as he does, that the message of equal rights for all was not a question but a fact of life.
Posted by: Rob | Oct 21, 2009 8:25:12 AM
What an honest and forthright statement from a man most of us would expect to have the opposite opinion based on his age. But some people use life to learn about humans and not just judge them.
Thanks for posting this video.
Posted by: princely54 | Oct 21, 2009 8:32:26 AM
Yes, he is right this is about freedom and equality. Laws prohibiting gay marriage codify inequality and a caste system are similar to laws about restricting schools, jobs, property, and businesses to Aryans that Germany under the Nazis passed. These laws in the U.S. that prohibit gay marriage says that we are second class citizens.
Posted by: Rafael | Oct 21, 2009 8:47:56 AM
A true hero indeed. Seeing this has made my day -- and I'm sure I'm not the only one to feel that.
There ARE good people out there. The trouble is the trash always grabs the mic first.
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Oct 21, 2009 8:48:39 AM
Andy I am deaf... but have seen a closed captioned version of this...
It made me cry...
and that is a pretty hard thing to do to a jaded dyke like me
Posted by: Paula Brooks | Oct 21, 2009 8:50:53 AM
Thanks for giving it a wider audience. I think I've seen it a half dozen times and I can never get through it without tearing up.
Posted by: notshychirev | Oct 21, 2009 9:29:49 AM
Wow.
Thank you.
Posted by: The Milkman | Oct 21, 2009 9:32:29 AM
Beautiful words. If enough of us say them, we can change the laws.
Posted by: Birdie | Oct 21, 2009 9:53:36 AM
That is flat-out WONDERFUL! It just goes to show that no one can be written off as a potential ally in the fight for equality...not even an 86-year-old Republican.
Hats off to him!
Posted by: cognitive dissident | Oct 21, 2009 10:28:56 AM
I want every Mainer to see this.
Also: Ellen DeGeneres, if you are out there, can you come to Maine (and deliver one of your wonderful hilarious-while-very-poignant speeches)??????
If anyone reading this has connections to Ms. DeGeneres, you can pass the word toward her? She is widely liked; a visit by her could get a lot of publicity; and she could be crucial in changing a sufficient quantity of hearts in a situation that, right now, has the potential to turn out like Prop 8. (And remember the [Tom] Bradley Effect.)
Posted by: KTR | Oct 21, 2009 10:58:10 AM
This is amazing. It brought me to tears. My grandparents (who will be 89 and 90 this January and live in rural PA) are also incredibly supportive and loving. I was suprised the day that I told them about my partner and I when they said "We love you no matter what." Since then, I have gone to visit them several times and they have not shown any less of love for my partner and I. They have taken us to Bingo games at the Lyons Club, introduced us to their friends down on main street and proudly paraded us around the facility where they now live, introducing us as their "Grandsons from San Francisco." It's sweet.
Posted by: SF_Scottie | Oct 21, 2009 11:00:51 AM
Is there a transcript of this somewhere?
Im german and I sometimes find it hard to understand people.
Especially the elderly or little kids.
Posted by: Max | Oct 21, 2009 12:01:26 PM
This should be *the* ad in every pro-equality campaign.
Posted by: Kugel | Oct 21, 2009 12:02:19 PM
How enlightened. I fought back tears at the love this man has for his sons, what he has seen in his life, and the conclusions that that has brought him to.
I remember when my father, who is totally working class, was in the military, blue collar guy, who likes beer and broads, and I were driving one day. I hadn't come out to him yet but out of no where he says, "If I were gay, I'd f*ck every guy I met." I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. So I just remained silent. Later, when I had time to assess what he said, I realized that my father was saying he knew and it was okay with him. It was crass but profound. My father loves me with all his heart and soul. He loves my partner (at our commitment ceremony, he kissed my partner on the lips and told him to call him "PaaPaa" which is what everyone of his kids and grandkids calls him.
So there is enlightenment from the strangest places and people you wouldn't expect. Never assume that someone has a prejudice because they are old, Republican, or seems undereducated. Many of those people get basic fairness and are not blinded by religion or fear.
Posted by: Bart | Oct 21, 2009 12:31:55 PM
A true American hero. He obviously knows why America was founded and why we fight to keep it a free country.
Posted by: Bobby | Oct 21, 2009 12:45:00 PM
What an awesome fellow.
And added proof that our surest tool for winning equality is to be honest with others and ourselves, to live our truth as out gay/lesbian/bi/trans/etc people. Through knowing us, they will love us as fellow humans as opposed to treating us like strange alien creatures.
Posted by: Ben | Oct 21, 2009 1:55:58 PM
If you were not moved to tears after that speech, you must be heartless!
Just lovely....
Thank you, Mr. 86 year-old World War II veteran!
Posted by: Godfrey | Oct 21, 2009 2:38:17 PM
Here's a good parent who just wants what's best for his child--for all his children, straight and gay--and has the compassion inside him to not only recognize the need for marriage equality for all of us but to speak out publicly for it, something that probably did not come naturally for him. Open-hearted straight parents of gay children are some of our most wonderful allies. Bravo to him, and to all those like him.
Posted by: Ernie | Oct 21, 2009 7:58:02 PM
this man makes me proud to be from maine! if any readers out there have the spare funds or time to help out the good fight, click the link andy posted! please! www.protectmaineequality.org
Posted by: Matt | Oct 21, 2009 8:54:26 PM
Bravo.
Posted by: Zach | Oct 21, 2009 11:13:41 PM
Thank you, sir, for defending my freedom. God bless you!
Posted by: rick | Oct 21, 2009 11:18:12 PM
Thanks for posting this. His children should be proud. If my dad were alive, he would be 84. my dad was a supporter of equality too; he would have been even if he hadn’t had gay children. Like this man. Although we’re told that the majority of this demographic isn’t supportive, they’re no more monolithic than other generations.
Posted by: prof. crabby | Oct 21, 2009 11:53:24 PM
Wow. I did not expect to tear up after watching this. How wonderful!
Posted by: Hal | Oct 22, 2009 12:24:31 AM
When you speak your own truth, and speak with clarity and purpose, you can change the world. This is the antidote to all of the fighting and bickering. It's impossible to disagree with this man because he's speaking the truth. His life is a sum of his experiences, and he's one of our nations's second wave of Founding Fathers. We need to respect the America he fought for. I like the way he sees this country, and I hope to see it get there in my lifetime. If we'd talk to each other more and argue with each other less, we can learn quite a lot from people with different political points of views than ours.
Family values, as a concept, got highjacked and used as a divisive weapon. The country divided and family values like this man's family story got lost. I hope voters in Maine see and hear this before they vote in November. This country needs to see some change we can believe in, and a voter-approved state gay marriage win one year after Bush left office would sure demonstrate change. Only in America...
Posted by: David | Oct 22, 2009 12:25:21 AM