Headed to the doctor? Be sure to check your rights!

I didn't really think about what is it like to be told you are not equal, to fully suffer from oppression until a few years ago when I saw a segment of the movie If these walls could talk 2.

I'll set the scene for you. The story begins in the early 1960's when two elderly women, who own a home together and have created a life together, are going about their daily routine. One of these things is to fill the bird feeder with bird food. As one of the women is doing this, she is spooked by a bird flying out of the bird house and falls off her ladder. She is rushed to the hospital and this is where it all changes. The healthy partner is now considered "just a friend" and is not permitted to be a part of any decisions and is shunned by all hospital staff.

The next scene shifts to the partner waking up in the waiting room and being just a little disoriented. She finally makes her way to the nurses counter and has to this time fight for some answers. The nurse working at the time decides to give in and obliges the gal with the information that her partner has died. Alone.

I want you to remember, this was just a movie. Made up scenes that told a story of lesbians, two women that loved and cared for each other, jilted by the system!

These stories aren't just made for Hollywood, these are true real life situations that people go through all the time such as The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson.

Consider the story of a local Seattle couple that were married and lesbians: Charlene Strong and Kate Fleming. Again, they were a couple just going about their daily routine. Kate working at her in home office in the basement of their Madison Park home. During a 2006 freak rain storm, Kate is trapped in the flooding basement. Charlene, who is now blocked out of the basement, does everything she can to get in or tear at the walls to save her partner from drowning. Without any luck, the fire department finally shows up and is able to cut through the floor and rescue Kate. Unfortunately it's a pretty grim situation. They were unable to restart Kate's breathing, and they rushed her to a local hospital.

Charlene followed the ambulance to the hospital and rushed inside to be by the side of her domestic partner, whom she had been with for over 9 years and had had a commitment ceremony to solidify it.

It was at this point she was stopped by a social worker and told that the State of Washington didn't recognize same-sex partnerships and that she would have to wait in the waiting room. As her partner lay dying in the emergency room, Charlene was helpless. She finally contacted some out of state family members of Kate's and was able to gain access to her partner. This was all done just in time for her to say I love you and to remove the ring of commitment from Kate's finger. Kate died shortly after this.

Through this tragic event Charlene didn't just fall over and die. She starred in an award winning documentary, For My Wife, and after years of work she stood by Governor Gregoire's side as she signed into law the domestic partnership bill.

Yet the story keeps repeating around the county, such as the news about the elderly gay couple Herald and Clay, who were cruelly separated and denied access to each other at the end of their lives after decades together.

These tragic stories are so real for so many gays and lesbians and straight couples alike. We don't want special rights, we want equal rights. To learn more about what gays and lesbians have to go through just to have equal medical rights, go here.

Image: If these walls could talk: http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l100udESAt1qzyieho1_400.jpg

Image: Charlene Strong testifying: http://ndn2.newsweek.com/media/8/071220_CharleneStrong_xtrwide-horizontal.jpg