In celebration of Queer Visibility Week, the annual Kiss-In will take place on the Diag tomorrow at noon. The Kiss-In is a chance for the gay community to come together and show people that they are not afraid of who they are and to express their feelings openly for people they love. As members of the same University community, all students should support the gay community but also treat with respect those who will be in the Diag to protest. Ignoring their bigoted rhetoric is the strongest message the University can send.

The Kiss-In brings attention to a more salient issue. Everyone should have equal rights under the law regardless of their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Current federal law provides for basic legal protection against employment discrimination based on race, religion, gender, disability or national origin, but not sexual orientation. The need for anti-discrimination legislation to protect homosexuals has been called into question in recent years.

Many conservative politicians would like the public to believe that homosexuals are not deserving of discrimination protection and that laws are not needed to protect them. However, this is not the case. This Monday, in Missoula, Montana, a house was burned down that belonged to a lesbian couple who were graduates of the University. This is likely a politically motivated attack because the couple has been named as the leading plaintiffs in a discrimination lawsuit of employees against the Montana University system over the denial of health insurance benefits to gays.

Not only do same-sex couples need to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, their domestic unions should also be legally recognized. Besides desiring a more permanent bond between individuals, civil unions would entitle the partners to the same economic benefits as married couples when filing taxes and applying for loans. Partners would be eligible to receive life insurance and inheritances as well if their unions were recognized by the law.

Homosexual couples are also denied the same rights in terms of adoption and parenting. Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out in support of gay co-parenting and adoption. They also called on lawmakers to remove parenting and adoption obstacles for gays. The AAP urged the government to legally recognize homosexual parents. Sexual orientation does not equate to whether a person can be a good parent. Everyone should have the option to adopt and be a parent.

The Kiss-In tomorrow should serve as a reminder that despite progress, the gay community is still not treated fairly. Homosexuals should be protected from discrimination, allowed to legally marry and to be recognized as parents.