In a free nation, what could be worse than being a second-class citizen? Not much.

But this is the case for tens of millions of Americans who happen to be gay.

For them, this is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. President Bush has threatened to alter the Constitution in order to explicitly deny equal rights to same-sex couples if state judges continue to determine that marriage should be equally open to gays and heterosexuals alike.

It’s a shame that in our supposedly tolerant society, the President and millions of other Americans would effectively tell a minority group they are not welcome.

It’s so subtly insulting that gays are quietly allowed to join the military, to fight and die for their country — which in return holds them in utter contempt. Contempt for wanting to live their lives free from discrimination.

That’s not so much to ask, is it? And it’s not too much to give, either.

“Give me your tired, your poor,” commands the Mother of Exiles, better known as the Statue of Liberty — which has ironically been closed since the Sept. 11 tragedy.

That statue, a gift from the French, has served as a beacon of freedom and source of inspiration to the people of nations not fortunate enough to live under democracy.

However, the Statue of Liberty has also served as a sad reminder of our own hypocrisy.

While she sits atop Liberty Island, facing toward the Atlantic Ocean, she unfortunately has her back turned to our own country and many of our own people.

We should be ashamed. Why should the United States employ a caste system of liberty?

Why should Americans support the only constitutional amendment since prohibition to actually reduce social freedom and further humiliate an already abused minority?

This country is moving in the wrong direction.

Rather than degrading our own citizens we should and must bring the words of Lady Liberty to fruition. Equality must be realized by all our people, regardless of our personal differences. What good is freedom if it applies to some but not all?

To ensure principles of equality for all Americans, we citizens must tell our elected officials that discrimination (on the lawbooks or otherwise) is unacceptable.

As public servants in our representative democracy, it is their job to carry out the will of the people with respect to the Constitution. That is their purpose.

We must tell our representatives that we support equal rights for all citizens, and that we will hold accountable any politician who wishes to inject bigotry into the Constitution of the United States of America.

We must abandon the sidelines and join a long line of national heroes like Fannie Lou Hamer and Susan B. Anthony, who understood freedom is a human issue alone — uninhibited by issues of race, sex or other unrelated characteristics. We must honor and protect the dignity and ability of each and every American.

To do so we must follow the spirit of women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth, who showed that determination and purpose triumph over fear and discrimination.

We must learn from the NAACP’s excellent work during the Civil Rights Movement. During its peak, they won fifty of the fifty-two cases they presented to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Such a track record speaks volumes about the power of people when united in support of equality and solidarity.

In support of liberty and justice for all, we must fully deliver long-overdue equality to the gay community to make good on the eloquent and truthful message spoken by Lady Liberty.

Otherwise, what’s the point? If we choose to abandon our own citizens in favor of a hateful, divisive and discriminatory Constitutional Amendment, we won’t deserve to wave the flag.

It belongs to all Americans — not just those who fit into the mainstream.