Redefining Freedom

The fight has been long,

has been hard,

but, hell, they’ve made it this far.

Trying to find voice for the voiceless,

they screamed when asked to make noise less,

went to court when called poise-less,

because they refused to be choiceless.

In two thousand and three,

Florida still outlawed sodomy.

That’s just thirteen years ago,

But who knows how long it would have lasted

had two men from Texas not been casted

out and decided to speak up about it.

Who knows how long it would have lasted

if no one had listened.

And it wasn’t until two thousand ten

that any man interested in men

could adopt a child.

Lawsuit upon lawsuit filed

before anyone could agree

(or be forced to comply)

that a gay man could raise a child

just like any other guy.

And Florida also conceded

that the homes of two women were also needed

for all the children who fall through the cracks

in a world that pushes forward

and doesn’t care to look back.

in two thousand thirteen,

when Edith Windsor spoke up

for the withheld estate of her dead wife,

the court finally struck down the proclamation

saying marriage was always between

a man and a woman.

Florida took this momentum in stride,

tugged at the court door

and then threw it open wide,

just before anyone, anywhere

in the nation could Come along inside.

NOw Sure, we can pat ourselves on the back

For having made it this far,

But still there are those

Who carry hatred in their hearts,

Even as it threatens to tear them apart.

and how can this be the land of free,

When freedom is such a rare commodity?

When nothing protects children

In their own homes, and in their own schools?

When going to the bathroom somehow becomes

As complicated as getting on an airplane?

When buying a house or getting a job

Involves harassment?

And still they’ll say it’s the United States of America,

It’s the land of the free,

The melting pot brimming with diversity.

We have loads of freedom here,

And every man or woman

No matter who they love, no matter what they wear,

Is one hundred percent guaranteed their fair share.

It gets harder to solve a probem

when you pretend it doesn't exist.

But if you'll rise with me,

and start seeing, start talking about things

just like they are,

Then maybe freedom can become

something not defined by who doesn't have it,

but by the fact that everyone does.