As the leaves perform their leafy magic, and the October 1st tax increases loom here in the Constitution State, Iām commiserating with those eager to flee Connecticut because of high taxes and seemingly endless budget deficits. Another of Connecticutās nicknames, the ātax you to death,ā is no doubt well-earned.
However, unlike most of my compatriots who dream of or are actually planning a move to a more financially stable state, I know I wonāt be leaving any time soon, for one, because Iāve already adapted to the $.10 plastic bag tax, never having been a fan of seeing them flap in the wind from bare tree branches in winter. But the reality is I canāt leave, not if I want to continue having the audacity to live as an out lesbian and be a public school teacher.
Currently, in nearly thirty states in this āfreeā country of ours, I can be fired from my job for living openly as a lesbian. All it would take is a complaint or two from parents, and suddenly, my livelihood is in jeopardy because, in certain parts of the US, Iām viewed as unfit to educate children. My lifestyle is immoral, and according to some serious right-wing extremism, I may be secretly pushing my gay agenda on impressionable youngstersāas if we could win free timeshare points for every kid we recruit. I wish.

Now this may sound like the plot of an old black and white movie about rampant bigotry in the pre-Civil Rights South, but it isnāt. This is 2019. And while, itās long been illegal to fire African-Americans from their jobs simply because theyāre black, it is still legal to dismiss members of the LGBTQ community if an employer feels that our lifestyles conflict with their religious sensibilities. This is because the LGBTQ community is not specifically listed as a protected minority in the Civil Rights Act pertaining to job discrimination.

But on October 8, 2019, our Supreme Court will issue a highly consequential ruling that will either change that or solidify it. And frankly, Iām terrified of the possibility of it being solidified, as it is a ruling that will likely stand for the rest of my life. (click link below for article)
https://www.businessinsider.com/lgbtq-employment-supreme-court-cases-explainer-2019-9
What that means is Iām stuck here in Connecticut, the tax-you-to-death-state because itās one of only about twenty that have legislated equal rights for its LGBTQ citizens in all aspects of our lives. In essence, the ridiculously high taxes most residents here view as an unjust burden, I view as āprotection money” so to speak, like one would pay to mobsters or prison gangsāmoney that I shouldnāt have to part with, but if I want the dignity to live and work safely and in true freedom, money I must pay.
So to anyone who still thinks presidents and politicians have no say in Americansā civil rights, let me remind you once again that they do. Had Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell not obstructed President Obamaās nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, I wouldnāt be quite so riddled with anxiety right now awaiting my fate as it now rests in a majority of justices whose ideological beliefs mirror the conservative anti-LGBTQ values that continue to oppress us.
I have to admit that it requires more mental energy than I care to expend to process living in a country where my access to equal protection under the law has to be voted on every few years. The angst is worse than trying to choose the quickest checkout lane in a grocery store during the busiest time of day. But at least if I pick the wrong lane, the worst thing that can happen is my rotisserie chicken wonāt be as warm as Iām hoping when I get it home.

If the Supreme Court chooses the wrong lane on this issue, I wonāt ever bring home a warm rotisserie chicken again. As I count down to their decision on October 8th, I canāt help contemplating how I will feel should they rule in favor of discrimination instead of equality. How shitty will it be if Iām condemned to live the rest of my life in a state I may not choose to because in over half of all the other states, Iāll still be regarded as a second-class citizen?
So from now until October 8th, while youāre getting all curmudgeony that your trip to Shop-Rite now costs you $.30 more, be glad youāre not standing with me in the express lane to inequity. And if you decide that youāre fed up paying all these taxes and want to evacuate the state like a refugee of an economic disaster, be glad your main concern wonāt be finding a state where something as insignificant as who you love can cost you your career.
Jean Copeland is a high school English teacher and award-winning lesfic novelist from Connecticut.
Shop her books: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Copeland/e/B00P7YT9DS%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share