Prop 8: Gay is the new black?
Lost in a lot of the jubilance from last weeks momentous electoral victory is one big loss. It comes in the form of an audacious proposition in California called Prop 8 and it's goal is to eliminate same-sex marriages from California. Not too long ago, the California Supreme Court issued a decision to make all marriages legal, regardless of sexual orientation. Now, because of a highly funded campaign by members of various churches, and a slight majority of the people in CA, that right has been revoked through referrendum.
This is a terrible travesty for California and for the country as a whole. This proposition was not to allow same-sex marriages that then got defeated. This was a proposition to revoke a right that has already been conferred. The people of California had been experiencing life with gay marriage for a number of months already... I didn't see anyone's life or hetero marriage utterly destroyed by that fact (as the supporters of 8 claimed). Now though, many lives will be affected. Many people who want to have the chance to commit their love for one another have no ability to do that now.
All to protect the so-called 'sanctity of marriage'? Give me a fucking break. In a culture where one-night stands and 50% divorce rates are common-place, you are crying about the 'sanctity of marriage'? In a culture where not 50 years ago, a black man could not marry a white woman, you are worried about preserving the tradition of marriage? In a country where the parents of our president-elect could not have been married in at least 17 states when their son was born, on the day of the election of that man to the presidency, and on the day of our highest racial barrier broken, you are actively trying to dial back civil rights that would progress this nation further? Is this really your agenda, with so much going on in the world?
I honestly don't know what else to say, other than it is a terrible moment in civil rights history, on an otherwise groundbreaking occasion. Keith Olbermann devoted his special comment to it last night on Countdown, and I'll just let him speak for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE
(tried to embed, fail.)
Cross Posted at my blog chronicling my month-off of work to volunteer for the Obama campaign in Durham, NC - 1000doors.wordpress.com. Check it out and pick up a poster to help me fund my lack of a paycheck for the last month... :)
KO's statement last night was extremely touching and should be heard by all. I completely agree with him. However, while I may get some flack for this, Gay is NOT the new Black. Until a group in this country has gone through what Blacks have gone through since they were stolen, sold and enslaved all over the world, NO group is the new Black. Many people have been demonized for their religion, sexuality, gender, culture, but no group that I can think of is the new Black.
November 11, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wasn't trying to insinuate that homosexuals have gone through the same kind of tyranny and demonization as African-Americans. I was merely trying to point out that on the same night that a huge racial barrier was broken, we took a step back in another civil rights challenge.
November 11, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Then the title of your post should be One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. You are free to write what you believe, but your explanation is not what comes to mind when someone hears/sees Gay is the new Black.
November 11, 2008 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
His title is marketing, and it's not exactly a new phrase now, is it?
So now that there'll be a black president who rode to election sadly in tandem with the latest trouncing of gay efforts for equality, I think the author is hoping that we'll jack up our awareness of discrimination against gays to numero uno so that something actually gets done about it rather than watching the trains keep passing by.
Such as someone slap Bill Maher, one of the pseudo-Progressive darlings, the next time he makes what he thinks is a cute fag joke. We've subliminated this all to not notice the continual insult and discrimination against say 10% of the population.
Or do gays have to work a plantation before people acknowledge their discrimination?
November 12, 2008 5:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bullshit. Like others before you, you were attempting to paint the plight of homosexuals in the same light as African Americans.
Why aren't Gays the new jews? I understand the need for equality but please refrain from this type of bullshit. It does nothing for Black-Gay relations and understanding and in case you didn't check exit polls, that area needs work.
Call me when they have gay and lesbians picking cotton.
November 12, 2008 3:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Call me when you have blacks gassed at Auschwitz. Gays? Check. Gypsies? Check. Jews? Check.
November 12, 2008 5:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Call me 60-100 million jews die in the slave trade.
November 12, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Call me when you get realistic numbers.
In any case, good to see it's just a matter of quantity. 50,000 murders can't compare to millions, so just forget it, eh?
November 14, 2008 6:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
The big problem is to be POOR! A wealthy gay person or a wealthy black person can do anything they want... A poor person, gay or straight, black or white is screwed going and coming.
November 11, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hear muthafuckin hear!
November 12, 2008 3:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Instant gratification is not the American way. This may be a long battle, but equality will eventually win. Personally, (and I've harped on this many times), I think the core of the problem lies in a clear violation of the First Amendment by the states. It is simply not legal, from a Constitutional perspective, for states to be limiting the church's right to perform weddings.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
And yet, in every state, it is illegal for a preacher to marry two people without the permission of the state. You MUST obtain a marriage license from the state in order to be married. The simple solution, of course, would be to allow any couple to apply for and receive a civil union license. Just make legal marriage a non-issue. NO ONE gets legally married. They're ALL civil unions. You'd leave marriages to the church (where they belong). But no one is providing any leadership. This nonsense about gay marriage threatening the "sanctity" of marriage is pure hogwash. The state has no authority to sanctify anything. The problem is, there should be no such thing as a legal marriage in the first place. There should be no such thing as a marriage license.
It's my feeling that if some courageous church decided to step forward and perform dozens (hundreds?) of illegal marriages, this whole thing could be brought before the Supreme Court in short order. I can't imagine the state's authority to prohibit the free exercise of religion would stand up to serious constitutional scrutiny. But here's where the desire for instant gratification would be a problem. Because the current Supreme Court is full of fascist fucks who don't give a damn about the Constitution. Circumstances need to be right, and when they are, you need to be ready to jump.
This fight will not be won by the opponents of gay marriage. But I don't think it will be won by its proponents either. We should be looking for sanity and compromise here--not victory.
November 11, 2008 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Compromise is needed when you're less convincing. When 80% of the population is convinced of the rightness of the issue, you just do it. Or should. Stem-cell research is supported, even among Republicans. Suppport for rights for gays is growing and growing. Compared to Don't Ask Don't Tell from 1992, it's a world of difference. But the mantra from the conservatives whenever Dems take power is that it's time to compromise. And then Republicans get back in and 49% becomes a mandate.
November 12, 2008 5:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
actually, the first step was that the calif. voters passed a ballot initiative to limit "marriage" as being between a man and a woman. step 2 was the calif. supreme court's decision to overrule the voters. step 3, then was calif. voters again confirmed the same as they had voted upon previously. step 4, is that gay marriage proponents have again asked the calif. supreme court to intervene. step 5: another initiative will be submitted to the voters.
for those who are not familiar with calif. politics, the calif. initiative process is not like the legislative process, whereby legislators will just give up the fight and move on to a new battle. all that is needed is a committed group of citizens to "take the initiative" of collecting a required number of signatures and the proposition will find its way onto the ballot again. and again. and again. because the calif. initiative process ensures that "biblical marriage" proponents can/will continue their side of this pursuit into perpetuity.
but nothing of this lively pursuit is even remotely similar to the struggles that black americans have gone through since the abolition of slavery. there have been no federal (let alone individual states) policies against gays as were officially instituted and effectively carried out against blacks to openly deny them fundamental equality of rights. this is especially true with respect to education, housing, jobs, voting, access to justice, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. a gay person can hide his sexual identity to prevent discriminatory treatment but black people were never able to escape so freely. imagine a gay person being subjected to a poll tax before being allowed to vote? never!
unfortunately, discrimination is part of the very fabric of our society, and everyone just has to make the best of it. and everyone is included: blacks, hispanics, gays, asians, arabs, jews, catholics, southern baptists, born-again christians, new yorkers, californians, alaskans, west virginians, mississippians, bostonians, old people (age discrim.), young people ("reverse" age discrim.), even plain white men (who also suffer "reverse" discrim.).
perhaps there is some semblance of gay marriage to alabamans (who continue to struggle to be free of the near-universal perception as a state of racists because of the teachings and loyal followers of their beloved former gov. george wallace?) it seems to me a better, more similar, comparison is of gay marriage with the alabaman struggle for a not-racist identity. at any rate, better than comparing gay marriage desire with the centuries-old black struggle for equality.
or perhaps gay marriage can be the new plain white men?
nope, sorry, but gay marriage will never be the "new black". please pick another metaphorical similitude.
November 12, 2008 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink