Exercise our freedom to be free

“When in the course of human events ...”

These powerful words were written more than 237 years ago, but they are words that still ring true today.

These words begin the Declaration of Independence, which was written in 1776 and read to the public on the Fourth of July of the same year. We celebrate July 4, 1776, as the birthday of the United States of America.

We celebrate the Fourth of July with parades, picnics and lots of fireworks — a fine tradition handed down from those revolutionary times. This year is very special for proponents of equal rights for gay and lesbian people, thanks to a pair of historic rulings last week from the U.S. Supreme Court.

I was very glad to see history in the making when the TV news was interrupted to make the announcements amid a large crowd of supporters on the steps of the U.S. Capital building. The cheers of joyous Americans drowned out the poor reporter trying to read aloud each decision. How does all this figure into what I was saying earlier? Well it has everything to do with it.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

This is a principle we have struggled with as a nation throughout our history, yet equality is the very heart of what it means to be an American.

We have had failures such as slavery, segregation and discrimination against our fellow Americans based on things like race, religion and so forth. Then there are the victories that have upheld that concept, such as the end of slavery, advancement of the civil rights movement and the women’s rights movement. Now the fight is about the equal rights for another group of Americans.

After years of fighting in the courts, lobbying, voting and protesting in the streets, gay and lesbian Americans now have many of the same rights guaranteed to any other red-blooded American.

They want only to live their lives like any other citizen. Now they do have most of the same rights the rest of us enjoy.

Equal rights are not for the select few, and the twin decisions handed down from the highest court in the land are huge steps toward the goal of securing equal rights for all of us. These court rulings do not put an end to the struggle to obtain civil rights for gay and lesbian people as I hoped. But the court’s actions give the cause a push toward a resolution in the years to come.

These decisions will not nullify Alaska’s laws about marriage. But the writing is on the wall. Change will come and our state constitution will change with the times, at least that is my hope.

So the debate continues. The fight goes on to codify that all Americans — gay or straight — are equal under the rule of law.

As we all gather for our parades, picnics and backyard cookouts this Fourth of July, we should note that not all are truly free to be who they are. Among us there still exists a group of Americans treated by some as second-class citizens. They have no distinctive look or racial color to identify them from the rest of us, yet they exist.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings last Wednesday are steps toward legalized discrimination against gay and lesbian people. While we celebrate this July Fourth, remember that some among us are still fighting for the equal protections guaranteed in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

I believe this is the last battle in the long fight for civil rights for all Americans. I believe this struggle will come to an end soon, and in favor of civil rights for all. When that happens we will have truly lived up to that notion penned more than 237 years ago in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, that all of us are created equals.

I look forward to that day. I hope it will be soon. That one last issue that divides us will be removed from the books and our lives. All though when it happens I will be out of a good subject to write about. I think I could bear that loss gladly. And I won’t have to use terms like “they,” “them,” “gay,” “straight,” “lesbian” or a bunch of letters to describe them. I would prefer fellow Americans, people or just my friends, because that is who they really are in my book. The day is coming real soon when it will become a reality. The nation will continue it won’t fall apart as so many falsely believe it will when it happens.

Then we all can go after that line about “life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in relative peace. I think that is a fine goal for all us Americans out there, don’t you?

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.