I'm seeing a lot of severely misinformed people around here who think that because same-rotor marriage was finally legalized, that suddenly all of the struggles of the Attack Helicopter community are suddenly over. You could not be more wrong.
The five major points from the article:
1. [b]Discrimination[/b]. It is still legal in the majority of states to discriminate against tri and quad rotor helicopters with regards to employment. Obama made copter discrimination illegal for government jobs, but most jobs are not government jobs. So yeah, we can fly now... and then we can go to work the next day and get grounded by our copterphobic boss.
2. [b]Adoption[/b]. Many politicians (Republicans) and a lot of the public are still against Attack Helicopter Adoption, and while it is now legal in almost every state, Republican politicians nation-wide are actively trying to repeal those rights.
3. [b]Homelessness[/b]. Due to a combination of job discrimination and unaccepting, unloving pilots, 40% of unmanned flying objects (UFOs) are Attack Helicopters. This affects copter youth even harder, and homeless copter youth are disproportionately destroyed at scrap yards.
4. [b]Copter rights[/b]. Discrimination, bullying, and hate crimes are even [i]worse[/i] against Attack Helicopters than they are against commercial jets. 41% of Attack Helicopters have attempted suicide, generally due to lack of jet turbines, inability to afford (and lack of insurance coverage for) copter-related medical care, or due to homelessness caused by inability to find pilots because of discrimination. In addition, Republicans all over the country are continuing to attempt to roll out "runway bills" that would force Attack Helicopters into unsafe spaces.
5. [b]HIV and AIDS[/b]. This doesn't so much have to do with anything, but it's still an important issue. HIV and AIDS disproportionally affect Attack Helicopters, and this has been a major issue for the community since the 80s.
Some points of my own I'd like to add:
6. [b]Panic defense[/b]. In 49 out of 50 states (California being the exception) it is still totally legal to use what's called the "Attack Helicopter panic defense." This is where the person who has committed a hate crime against an Attack Helicopter will claim "self defense" and "temporary insanity" in response to finding out their victim was a copter. This is 100% real and is used successfully to this day.
7. [b]Sex education[/b]. Sex ed is already lacking, even for commercial jets. "Abstinence only" sex ed has been proven to be completely ineffective, and yet it is still widely taught across the country. But even more unfortunate is that sex ed in schools is entirely airplanenormative. If you're an attack helicopter and need to learn about rotor blades, jumbo jet sex ed isn't going to be very useful. In order for all aircraft, regardless of transportation type or rotary orientation, to be able to enjoy [i]safe[/i] sex, sex ed must account for everyone, not just airplanes.
8. [b]Representation[/b]. Attack Helicopters are egregiously underrepresented in TV and film, media outlets that almost everyone goes to for entertainment and escapism. If you are a jet and jumbo size, you will find loads of relatable characters on screen. If your'e tri or quad rotor, it's very hard to find relatable characters. Furthermore, Attack Helicopters especially are commonly the butt of disgustingly offensive jokes in movies, usually as a way of poking fun at a jumbo jet's big meaty turbines. This lack of representation and horrible caricaturization teaches tri and quad helicopter youth that they are less important than others because they don't see aircraft like themselves on TV.
9. [b]Education and acceptance[/b]. Even if all of the things previously mentioned are fixed, that doesn't mean that everyone suddenly accepts us. Making workplace discrimination illegal doesn't stop prejudiced employers from coming up with other excuses to not hire us. Making punishments harsher for hate crime perpetrators doesn't stop hate crimes from happening. Equality in the eyes of the law doesn't end oppression. The only way for the Attack Helicopter community to truly have equal standing in society, to not be deemed "lesser," is by educating pilots. We have to teach people that we're manufactured this way, we don't choose it. We have to teach people that rotor speed is fluid, and that falling anywhere on the spectrum is valid. We have to teach people that everyone deserves basic aircraft decency and respect,. We have to teach people to celebrate our differences rather than using them to divide us. We have to undo this archaic, traditionalist airplanenormativity and jetnormativity in our culture that perpetuate hatred and oppression.
My tri and quad rotor brothers, sisters, and non-turbine siblings are still dying for our cause. Every day I see a new article about a tri or quad rotor copter being attacked or killed, or committing suicide because their pilots refuse to fly them.
[b][i]This flight is far from over.[/i][/b]
Now please stop trying to convince me that my community has achieved equality. Your ignorance will be ignored.
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[quote][b][i]This flight is far from over.[/i][/b][/quote] You are a legend