I also write under pen name Sibley Jackson, which has a separate page here to click on and view. Random thoughts about writing books, painting, women, men, love, life, and whatever happens to be on my mind.
The United States Supreme Court has declared the right to marry for LGBT people in ALL states of the USA. This is a major victory for love, equality, and happiness. Many days lately I haven't been proud to be an American. Today is a day I am proud to be a citizen of this country. Today, the Supreme Court decided to side with decency, love, and equality instead of fear, bigotry, and hate.
Today they showed empathy. They showed clear-headed equality.
Thank you to those who voted in favor and got this passed. A country can't stay strong if its citizens are forced to live their lives according to only some people's beliefs and fears, some people's ignorance and lack of understanding.
Today, our highest court said: No more. No more will states be able to discriminate because of a group of loudmouths who want to shove their false beliefs on others. No more will this country stand by and allow hospitals to ban people from their loved ones bedside just because the state has decided they're not worthy of a simple marriage license. No more will we turn our back on someone's right to love simply because we don't happen to like who they're attracted to. No more.
Instead, they voted for love. When a country stands for love, all kinds of positive possibilities shine in the horizon. This isn't the end of the struggle for LGBT rights, but it's a good win. It means those possibilities are ripe to turn into probabilities, and then finally fact and law.
CONGRATULATIONS TO MY LGBT FRIENDS EVERYWHERE ON THIS LANDMARK DECISION!
I have recently become friends with a wonderful writer named Hans Hirschi. He is so considerate and kind it's always a pleasure communicating with him. Plus, the man can write. I've read some of his work and thoroughly enjoyed it. His new book, Willem of the Tafel, is on a blog tour and I'm proud to have my blog as one of the stops.
Please make sure you check everything out. Hans has a guest post here plus there are prizes you can sign up to win at the bottom. Good luck!
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="368"]Willem of the Tafel by Hans M. Hirschi[/caption]
Willem of the Tafel by
Hans M. Hirschi
Published by
Beaten Track Publishing
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, LGBT, Post-Dystopian, Young Adult
194 pages
Release Date: May 28, 2015
The world we know is gone, destroyed by greed and ignorance. On a post-apocalyptic Earth, centuries into the future, few have survived the Great War. Some have taken refuge deep inside a mountain. One of them, Willem, is exiled to the surface... Alone and struggling to survive, Willem embarks on an epic journey, making a discovery that could once again alter the future of humanity. Willem of the Tafel is an epic tale of survival, second chances, hope and undying love.
After a war that almost wiped humanity off the face of the earth, people change, and one of the consequences I envisioned was the abolishment of ‘state’ as we know it, along with a profound change to how humanity will look at faith.
We are currently engaged in an interesting time, where religious minorities are fighting a desperate battle to keep another minority from getting married. The arguments are the same, no matter what country you look at, be it Ireland (where the people recently approved marriage equality with a two thirds majority), the U.S. (where the support in polls is almost as high as in Ireland and where the Supreme Court is expected to approve equality before the end of June), to Germany, where the battle is fought right now. Procreation, children, religious views, are at the core of the debate. What all these arguments don’t take into account is that humanity only knew state sanctioned marriage for, oh, a thousand years? And I think that’s generous. Before that, we’ve gotten married, we mated for eons, simply by declaring to do so. There were no registries, there were no archives. People just decided to do it and that was it. We did just fine, we procreated (from our earliest two ancestors) to the seven plus billion populating the planet today. So marriage and procreation, well, not really, and religion certainly plays no role. Or how many marriages are destroyed around the planet because black and whites can intermarriage these days? The argument is so preposterous it defies being taken seriously. Leaves the welfare of children. The ultimate and final argument that’s thrown into the face of those who approve of equality. I have two things to say: a) kids on the streets, kids abandoned by their parents are always kids to straight parents, any exception would simply validate the rule. b) gays have always had kids and always will, and modern research shows that on average, we make slightly better parents. Why? Because we have to work so hard to become parents, we never take our kids for granted, and we never toss them out into the street because they don’t live up to our expectations. That’s a straight thing…
Therefore, in my version of the future, people won’t get married in any state sanctioned ceremonies. People won’t care. They simply mate and live together. It is the quality of the relationship, the love between two people that will be at the core of society, not a piece of paper.
Hans M Hirschi (b. 1967) has been writing stories ever since he was a child. Adulthood and the demands of corporate life efficiently put an end to his fictional writing for over twenty years. A global executive in training and channel development, Hans has traveled the world and had previously published non-fictional titles.
The birth of his son and the subsequent parental leave provided him with the opportunity to unleash his creative writing once again. With little influence over his brain’s creative workings, he indulges it, going with the flow.
A deeply rooted passion for, faith in a better world, in love, tolerance and diversity are a red thread throughout both his creative and non-fictional work. His novels might best be described as “literary romance, engaging characters and relevant stories that won’t leave you untouched, but hopeful.”
Hans is a proud member of the Swedish Writers’ Union and the Writers’ Center in Sweden.
The giveaway for Willem of the Tafel has 11 randomly chosen winners; 10 will receive $15 Gift codes to the author's shop, but the grand prize winner will receive a free ticket to GayRomLit retreat 2015, in San Diego, CA, happening October 15-18th, 2015. Ticket value is $175, but if you win the grand prize, you're responsible for travel and accommodations. Please notify the author in advance should you win and be unable to attend, so we can choose another recipient to enjoy the prize!
