Kevin, who had just turned 18, was reading the paper and found a story that caught his attention. Ryan Anderson, now 18 had been refused to become an Eagle Scout by Boy Scouts of America. He became irate. He, himself, had become an Eagle Scout. He knows the hard work that it entails. He knew that on many occasions people would never be able to meet the requirements that were needed to be able to receive that kind of honor. He knew that he barely was able to finish it all before he had turned 18. He also knew that with Ryan being denied this honor, there were other things that could stand in his way, like not qualifying for some scholarships for college, or even being denied a scholarship, because someone else who applied was an Eagle Scout.
The fact that Ryan Anderson worked so hard and is now being told he cannot ever become an Eagle Scout was frustrating, and in Kevin’s opinion went against everything that the Boy Scouts, and for that matter the US, stands for. All the years that he was in the Boy Scouts, he was taught patience and tolerance for all people. This was what lead him to become so upset over this issue. They teach the opposite of what they do.
Kevin then asked himself, “Why should someone be turned down for anything? Does being gay give the Boy Scouts a right to deny someone of such an honor?” He later found that it was a rule in the Boy Scouts of America by-laws. He also found out that there are laws, like Amendment 1 in North Carolina, that to this day affect the gay community. However, these were not the only laws that he was finding. He became more and more astonished by what he was seeing. While the names and faces may have changed, he found that prejudice is still very much alive in society.
“While I may not be gay, everyone has a right to be able to live the way they choose. I have many friends that are gay, and I could not imagine what it would be like to have to live with the way that they are treating Ryan Anderson” Kevin thought to himself.
Kevin then read other news stories about these issues. He read that one of the presidential candidates was openly bashing the gay community and pro-gay marriage laws. Kevin made sure that he was registered to vote and had his alarm set for first thing in the morning on Election Day. He wanted to get there as early as possible to cast his vote.
Kevin knew that he had to take a stand on this issue. He knew that if he did not, the guilt would be unbearable every time he watched the news and heard of new ways that the homosexual community was being victim to prejudice and bias from the government that is supposed to be chosen by the people. Kevin became outraged. He found out that the government he was taught to support, was mistreating people. He read about Sally Ride, the first woman in space. When she died of cancer, her wife was denied death benefits. He read about people that were coming to protest at funerals of homosexual military members but the local police refused any involvement. In some cases, Westboro Baptist Church did choose to break laws in some of their protests.
“How can we say we are the land of the free? We are not allowing the lesbian and gay communities to have the same rights that we have. I can marry my girlfriend, but my friends who are gay are not allowed to marry their boyfriends. Where is that fair? They did not choose to fall in love with their mate, it was fated to happen. Why should someone have to be risking the option of jail time for the chance to be with the person that they love?”
Out of all of the news stories that he had read or watched, only one gave him hope for America. He watched the news on October 18, 2012, when a story came on. The second U.S. Court of Appeals had agreed with a judge earlier this year who deemed the Defense of Marriage act to be unconstitutional. They felt that it did not offer equal rights to all and should be removed. He also knew that the President and Congress also determine the laws, and if the wrong people are elected into office, even with this finding, there may be a future occurrence of it being added back into law.
The information that he found, tied back to one vital objective – Kevin needed to vote. He knew that if he did not vote, he would not be able to have any possible influence on the way that events would unfold. He knew that he would not be able to voice his opinions without having his vote counted, because that would have made him a hypocrite. He wanted the world to know how these issues made him feel. He wanted the world to know that he would not stand for intolerance. He wanted to be able to teach people that ignorance was no longer an excuse for anyone. Every vote does count. One vote can be the difference between the president you like and the one that you do not want in office. One vote is all it takes to cause schools to no longer be funded or a young man to get denied his rightful position.
Kevin realized that if he did not vote, he would not have a chance to make his opinion known. Even one vote could determine the future. Kevin started out by handing out information that he had found on this issue to his friends. He let his friends know about the candidate who was caught on tape bashing the gay community and telling a war veteran that gays should not be allowed to marry. This should be a right reserved for only heterosexual couples, he had said. He put the video up on his Facebook and Twitter pages and he also added information to try to get as many friends to vote as possible. He knew that many of his friends felt similar to himself, and he wanted others to know. He told his friends the importance of getting involved in politics. He told them about what could happen if they were to make the wrong choice or even choose not to vote on Election Day. He then asked them to join him in trying to get others their age involved.
He did not want to see a president in office that did not believe that all Americans should be entitled to the same rights, no matter who they are. In the case of Kevin, he voted for the president that would offer what America was supposed to stand for. He voted for the one that would offer rights to all of the American citizens. He thought aloud, “Even if my candidate does not win, at least I stood up for what I believed in. Free rights to all, means all. It does not mean free rights to those who believe in the the same things as me.”
When he left the voting office to head to work, he wore his sticker that said he voted. He displayed it proudly for all to see it. Many people asked if he wore it because this was his first time voting. He would shake his head. When they asked why he displayed that sticker so proudly, he would respond to the question with “I know that I may only be 18 years old, but today, I was able to make a difference. “
Listening to the simple yet meaningful response, made people remember that no matter how old or how young, every voter does make a difference. Whether it is voting on new laws, or it is voting for politicians, each and every vote counts. In many cases, a single vote can be the difference of who is in office or if a law is passed. His customers that day would then leave with a whole new view on the importance of Election Day, and more than a few customers decided to receive and display their “I Voted” stickers for the same reason as Kevin. They realized by listening to one young man that the people of the United States do count. They are the reason for the laws, the lawmakers, and the President. If it were not for the American voters, we would be no different than dictatorial countries. Voting is not only a right, but it is also a responsibility that should be taken seriously. On Election Day, do not choose not to vote, because that choice may be one that you will regret for many years to come.
