For: Helen Chávez (*) (*)
My granddaughter Christine Chávez has always told me interesting anecdotes across the years. As the history of Eduardo and Mateo, which they have been together for more than 10 years and live in Los Angeles. They like to cook, to support his clean and nice hearth, and they always share a dinner with his friends and relatives every Sunday. The new courtyard is the place preferred to happen good weather and the conversation always starts with: "What more are they doing with the house?”. They are always employed at a new project in the house, from constructing a new quarter up to remodeling the kitchen. "Bob Villas", 'gays' of the Vale of San Gabriel, this way it is as his friends call them of fondness. The best thing of everything is that Eduardo's family lives next of them, and the love and support that they have so close gives them a calmness feeling in his hearth.
They have always wanted to marry, but they have waited patiently for the suitable time. Unfortunately, this is a bad weather for Mateo. Eduardo suffers from a respiratory infection, and Mateo has not managed to see it in the hospital since it is not a legal couple of Eduardo. To worsen the things, his student visa was conquered and it has not had the opportunity to visit his family in Mexico.
In last months his father was very badly of health and when they notified to him that this one had died, Mateo could not go to his funeral.
It is a pity that Mateo could not have married Eduardo to have the same rights as other married couples. He could neither visit Eduardo in the hospital nor say goodbye of his father in his funeral.
What Mateo and Eduardo represent is what all the families represent: that strong families create strong communities. More than 25 years ago, my husband César Chávez had the honor of presenting and of supporting the community gay and lesbian opposite to thousands of persons in Washington, DC. |
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He was admitting that we cannot ask for equality in our community and simultaneously tolerate the discrimination of the others. His message this day belonged to respect and justice. What pride would it give him if he was still living, when now the couples 'gays' and lesbians can marry for civil, what really is a step closer to his vision of that all our communities respect
We are speaking of doing our strongest families, where the civil marriage is the foundation to improve and to do our strongest communities. It is the only expression that affirms the love and commitment of two persons. And to be skylights: there are civil rights. It is a right to be treated equally. We must not allow that to be denied to any family the opportunity to protect and to strengthen the union that the family represents. My family and I endorse all our families, and the time for the justice is precisely now. What we had César and I it is not necessary to deny to couples compromised in assuring the future of his families.
We are next to the equality and it is a time that all our families have the same opportunity and responsibility to protect theirs.
For 45 years my husband faced the injustice and the discrimination. Now I celebrate his memory and we continue his legacy to endorse the rights of the couples 'gays' and lesbian and his families. I ask them to think about how important there are our families, like the family of Mateo and Eduardo, and we are going to begin a dialogue, a conversation, which we can have in our houses with our dear beings. All the types of family deserve our support.
(*) Wife of César Chávez, Leader of the Civil rights
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