Separate, Not Equal

Today a new issue of Orlando Weekly hit the stands with my illustration gracing its cover! I'm incredibly pleased to be a part of this issue, and I'll tell you why:

As a white, educated, middle-class, straight woman living in a liberal city it's easy to forget that there are folks nearby who don't have it so easy. In particular, I didn't have to break down any walls to marry the person I love, and I don't have to be concerned that the rights I have within my marriage are going to be revoked. In addition, same-sex marriage is becoming lawful in an increasing number of New England states, so it's not even a struggle I see in the people around me. But in Florida, in my home state, this is not the case. Fortunately, certain progressive Florida cities (including Orlando) are adopting domestic partnership registries so that same-sex couples can—at the very least—have the rights to hospital visitation and to make funeral arrangements. In an effort to shed light on this policy, and to protest that same-sex couples can't yet enjoy the numerous other rights available to hetero marriages, Orlando Weekly asked me to illustrate this cover (referencing Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With).

Many thanks to art director Dave Plotkin for inviting me to be a part of OW's statement.