Comments
by Java Mann 
OK,
for those of you who have been in a coma the last six months or so, as
of Saturday, July 29, 2000, the state of Vermont will recognize a civil
partnership, akin to marriage, between persons of the same gender. Although
I support this as a positive measure, it is merely a baby step toward a
time when basic human rights will be equally and uniformly extended to
all. The fact remains that even though Vermonters have demonstrated an
uncommon variety of common sense, the situation is far from perfect.
At this point I could recount my (now) famous ramble that
this fails to go far enough. I could point out the 1400 (or so) rights
the federal government bestows on married straight couples are still out
of reach, or that by refusing to call it marriage does in fact set it up
as a second class condition, etc… But I won’t. I’m shootin’ fer a smaller
target today.
There is, I believe, a certain divine irony in the fact
that though most people can name the President, few can name their town
clerk, yet on a day to day basis the town clerk has more power and control
over your life than any elected official. Consider please Susan Fortunati,
the town clerk of a small town (population 1300) in rural Vermont. Susan
is one of those gals who comes along every so often, the kind of gal who
stands up for what she believes in, even if it by doing it she violates
the law, the tenet of her job, or indeed the will of the state Supreme
Court. Susan has refused to issue civil union licenses to same-sex couples.
To Quote Susan: "I feel the law is an encouragement of
perversion and immorality and it’s going to lead to the demise of our youth
and the more rapid destruction of our families and the ultimate downfall
of this country."
Obviously Susan needs to be reintroduced to her job description.
Somehow she has concluded that interpreting the law somehow falls into
her job category. Susan, honey, you’re a bureaucrat, a paper pusher. Leave
the thinking to those qualified…
Fortunately, the state attorney general at least appears
to have the situation under some control. He has written to Susan and other
clerks informing them that they are obligated to ensure that the law is
carried out. Any clerk failing to do so will face a fine up to $1000 and/or
one-year in prison. To take all this one step further into the land of
the absurd… Some clerks have hired assistants to perform this "distasteful"
aspect of their job for them.
There are aspects of my job I dislike. I’m sure everyone
has at least one condition of their chosen career they don’t care for,
but we do it. The job of a civil servant is to serve the public, not just
the straight public. The job of the police force is to enforce the law,
not pick and choose which laws they will or will not enforce. It would
be wrong for a fireman to refuse to put out a fire because it is in the
home of a gay man, woman or couple. It would be reprehensible for an ambulance
driver, a nurse or a doctor to refuse to treat a gay individual.
If, like Susan Fortunati, you find your personal moral
code is in conflict with your work responsibilities, it’s time to find
another job.
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