Don't discriminate against anyone!

Last Friday, I saw a Facebook post that began, "I noticed a transgender man heading for the dressing room in the women’s clothing store I was shopping at." Correct me if I'm wrong, but most people wouldn't know a transgender person vs. a cisgender person unless someone personally knew the person and told them. How would this "transgender man" look any different than any of the other women in the store (assuming she really means transgender and not cross-dressing)?

Don't believe me? Watch two movies, "Victor, Victoria" and "Tootsie," and you'll see what I mean. Yes, we're not talking about actual transgender people in these movies, but it's easy for me to see how the same person could look both male and female, based on clothing, makeup and hair style.

This is no different than lesbian, gay and bisexual people: Most people have no idea looking at a person what their sexual orientation is. Yes, some people have a "gaydar," but most people don't.

So when you try to discriminate against an LGBTQ person, you may be accidentally discriminating against someone who's completely straight. So don't discriminate, take people as they present themselves, and there won't be a problem.

Same-sex marriage coming to New Jersey

Here's some unanimous common sense from the N.J. Supreme Court. Money quote: "Civil-union partners in New Jersey today do not receive the same benefits as married same-sex couples when it comes to family and medical leave, Medicare, tax and immigration matters, military and veterans’ affairs, and other areas," Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote. "The state constitution’s guarantee of equal protection is therefore not being met." (My original source is the The [New Jersey] Star-Ledger)

Eventually, same-sex marriage will be the law in all states and then smoking marijuana will be legalized. I didn't ever think the Berlin Wall would be torn down in my lifetime, but it was. These are the latest walls that will fall.

The most opposition to same-sex marriage seems to come from the religious-right Christians. One reference says that the principle purpose of marriage is procreation; however, there are no laws requiring that a man and wife be capable of bearing children as a condition of marriage. There are laws prohibiting first cousins from marrying but not in all states; there has been some rethinking of that lately. I find it ironic that many religious-right Christians are opposed to same-sex marriages but that polygamy is allowed to flourish in the West. Since all people are made in God's image, that includes LGBT people as well. If homosexuality is a sin to God, why does God create lesbians and gays in the first place?