On October 8, Jay and Laura Phillips were contacted by their Arkansas middle school; their son Will talked back to his substitute teacher because he refused to stand and recite the Pedge of Allegiance. He pushed back and said that he won't follow along until he believes there is "liberty and justice for all" when it comes to gay rights in this country, particularly the right to marry. Watch the CNN interview video with father Jay and his principled son Will.
Will Phillips is bright. He skipped grades and wants to become a lawyer. He analyzed the Pledge and when it came to the final words, he thought, Wait a minute -- what I'm being asked to say isn't true. His convictions are causing him grief with fellow students who taunt him with gay slurs during school. But as his father Jay puts it, "To say the words and not mean them would be a lie." His mother adds, "He is not anti-American. He is very proud to live here, but he knows even at 10 he can make changes."
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Marriage confers rights, privileges, and obligations that are being denied committed GLBT couples in America. One instance: a gay couple lives together for over 30 years and one is hospitalized; hospital visitation rights can be denied to the healthy partner because they are technically "legal strangers." Each state extends about 300 rights and privileges to married couples, and the federal government adds approximately 1,100 additional benefits to the list, including federal income tax credits, employment benefits, retirement benefits, health insurance coverage, and Social Security payments. Children and their GLBT parents are denied thousands of legal and economic protections and responsibilities, as well as the emotional, social, and spiritual meaning that marriage has for many. Let's join Will Phillips, a most courageous young man, and demand liberty for all U.S. citizens.
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Comments
I can not believe how low our American society has gotten. Marriage is a religious act....if God does not approve of it it is not marriage. It is a piece of paper granted by the state.
First, I would like to address the above comment. Since when is marriage solely a religious act? It is a social act, and some have chosen to add a religious element to their ceremony - which is fine - but a huge problem with this issue is people making statements such as the above. Remember, our country offers freedom of speech, freedom of religion, indeed, even freedom of thought, and we are suppressing those basic rights for a minority group by allowing the "democratic process" to interpret the constitution. Such a shame that it is coming down to who can speak the loudest in order to receive the most votes in determining the outcome of this issue.
Finally, I want to say "thank you" for sharing this information. I love this kid! How refreshing to see one so young with such strong principles and convictions. I hope his family continues to support him with his desire to stand up and make a difference. We can all learn something here from his display of courage and conviction.
Marriage is a civil contract with contractual language that is being withheld from "Unpopular" Americans by other Americans. This is inequality and it needs to stop. I want to see an education fund started for this 10 year old, so that he can be a lawyer. Fantastic idea somebody else brought up. I like it.
There was one state that defeated an anti-gay marriage initiative in 2007, Arizona. The same initiative was voted on again in 2008 and passed. But it was defeated, the first time around. The statement by the CNN commentator is not correct.
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