Comments on: Same-Sex Marriage is Not a Progressive Issue

By: Beth Maples-Bays

Beth Maples-Bays — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:14:09 +0000

I must step up to agree with Terrance. I’m *over* the “happy Dem” syndrome that seems to have struck most of the LGBTs and local progressives. You can negate everything I am going to say because I live in East Tennessee, or you can hit recall and form these letters slowly, enunciating each one carefully – D…O…M…A.

Yes, I believe the year was 1996. The hand that rocked our world was that of then-President William Jefferson Clinton. His wifie-poo, front-runner in the 2008 pack of Dem presidential hopefuls is in full agreement with his handiwork. Show me a Dem who isn’t who is a *serious* 2008 contender.

I have long since forgotten what it feels like to be more hopeful for LGBT rights and women’s reproductive freedom just because the Dems won *anything*. We have seen locally a scenario that I believe is also the case for national races. We had a potentially-wonderful TN state rep candidate locally named Schree Pettigrew. While she admittedly ran against an incumbent, the individual I reference is Stacey Campfield, a white Repug infamous in these parts for his verbal indiscretions and his far right stance on most, if not all, issues.

Schree began the race with solid support from the local Dems *and* the local LGBT community. As her campaign chairman, she chose a squeeky clean young man who happened to be gay. Sometime before the primary, he somehow or another left her campaign and was replaced with someone who reportedly was not a member of the LGBT community. This was supposedly a move made in order to distance Pettigrew’s campaign from LGBT “issues.”

She won the primary. She lost the general election. I’ll bet that she wishes she had retained the support of the LGBT community. Her opponent got 10,364 (53.78%) votes while Pettigrew had 8,250 votes (42.81%). (A third candidate had 657 (3.41%).

Now all Schree and the Dems have is a bunch of pissed-off LGBT voters who will certainly think twice about supporting any more flakey Dems who do not openly support the LGBT community. I know I am in that category.

Our US Senatorial race was national news throughout the election cycle. Bob Corker, ex-mayor of Chattanooga and the darling of the Jim Haslam camp, was hand-picked for Frist’s slot. (Some people think Jim Haslam runs the state of Tennessee. I think that he and Howard Baker share the wheel.)

It was a done deal before anyone voted. These things just happen down here in Dixie. You know it. You can’t prove it. The reality of the “done deal” is physically palpable, but you have to be careful what you say or the Republicans who run this state will come down on you swiftly. Theirs is a deadly aim.

So all the Dembots, LGBTs included, supported TN State Senator Harold Ford, Jr., (or “Junior” as he is affectionately known in the local African American community.) Same song, second and much longer and louder verse…

We now have Repug Corker as our US Senator and a stunned statewide LGBT leadership who watched Junior lay claim to the “conservative” label in a way we haven’t seen in the Tennessee Democratic Party in many, many years. He denounced marriage equality at the time when we were fighting the good fight against a statewide ballot initiative that carried the day at 81%, proving once and for all that bigots turn out the vote in Tennessee.

Marriage equality has been illegal in this state since the same year that Slick Willie signed the national DOMA, but the Bill Dunn’s of Tennessee weren’t satisfied with that. They had to deform and twist our state constitution to be sure that those nasty little queers *never* got the right to have their relationships acknowledged by the state.

I’m sick of all this. I may never vote for another Dem as long as I live. They are going to have to *BEG* me and spell out the terms of “endearment” to the entire community on a *public* basis before I will consider another Dem for a state or national post. I really don’t think that is going to happen, do you?

By: Various and Sundry, Redux « Abstract Nonsense

Various and Sundry, Redux « Abstract Nonsense — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:48:34 +0000

[...] And speaking of Lauren, she links to a class-A post on the Republic of T explaining why gay marriage seems less and less of a progressive issue. No surprise there [that the newly elected Democrats are mostly anti-SSM]. I’ve been watching this happen for about the past year or so. I’ve ranted on about it on various progressive blogs. I’ve whooped and hollered about it at the YearlyKos convention. The answer I got was always the same, even from gay people: this is what we have to do to win, and get back into power. At the time I said that shifting right or shutting up on certain issues in order to win over more conservative voters will mean having to do more of the same to keep those voters and thus hold on to power. [...]

By: What You Should Read Since I Have Faux Real Things To Do at Faux Real Tho!

What You Should Read Since I Have Faux Real Things To Do at Faux Real Tho! — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:28:51 +0000

[...] Republic of T, the most bookmarked blog in my reader Why did you get married? Missing the Train, living as an adult with ADD Same-Sex Marriage Is Not a Progressive Issue [...]

By: TFHouston

TFHouston — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:54:48 +0000

It is important to note that the gay rights movement will advance in steps, not leaps. No, it’s probably right that a plurality/majority of the new Democrats don’t support full gay marriage rights for gay couples. Nonetheless, the movement for equality has advanced greatly. Under Speaker Pelosi, say goodbye forever to votes on Federal Marriage Amendments and similar bigot-based legislation to attack/demonize homosexuality. Voiding the marriage issue takes the debate back to the consideration of other important issues where there is great bipartisan agreement and potential of movement on. For example, even before the Democratic takeover, Congress had the votes to pass a Hate Crimes bill (as shown in a 2005 Conyers amendment to H.R. 3132. We just didn’t have the leadership to shepard it threw to the president. Guess what! Now we do!!!! The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (repeals Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) though it may not see real action ’til after the 2008 presidential race, also has bipartisan support. And though Americans are still divided over gay marriage, a solid majority believe workplace discrimination is wrong: consideration and passage of an all-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act is another strong possibility.

Hope is on the way! If we can secure our Democratic hold beyond the 110th Congress and into the 44th Presidency, I predict many many steps up towards equality for gays.

By: SteveS

SteveS — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 08:47:20 +0000

We can now add Israel to the list of countries that will be recognizing same sex marriages.

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/790724.html

(Won’t the conservative theocons love that bit of news)

By: RC

RC — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 04:55:16 +0000

I think that it’s important to focus on battles which can be won in Congress and in each state. Now is the time to push strongly for ENDA and a Hate Crimes bill. Let some of other items on the agenda wait until next time. Everyone is a part of this. Pick up that pen and write to your Senators and Congressmen. Let them know you support ENDA and a Hate Crimes bill. If you don’t already belong to the Human Rights Campaign, join, join now, join today. The HRC cannot fight our battles without our help. If you have any extra money–hey, maybe you can skip going to the bar for a night–make a contribution to Lambda Legal, the group that goes to court for us. One battle that is being fought as I write this is the one in New Jersey. You can log on to Garden State Equality and check out its campaign for gay marriage in that state. You can even donate at their site. If New Jersey goes for full gay marriage, it will be a significant victory. Every war–and this is a long term war–consists of a series of battles. We need to pick the right ones, win them, and move on to the next ones. We can achieve an ultimate victory here if we have a good strategy and follow smart tactics!
- RC

By: Donna

Donna — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:56:27 +0000

I agree with Nezua because what you are saying, rugger, is that blacks shouldn’t have wanted equality, they should have been happy with a seat at the lunch counter, or on the bus, etc. You have to fight for it all because all of it is what you deserve.

I don’t understand why the Democrats don’t see the untapped potential in voters who are too disgusted to vote, progressive voters, unless they do not want to see it. This could all be a whitewash job, the insistence that Americans are conservative, because government (both Reps and Dems) and corporations want us to be conservative. They don’t want a government representing average Americans, they want a government representing a very few extremely wealthy and powerful people. In that case you must keep progressive hands off the levers of power by convincing the voters that America wants conservatives. It keeps real progressives from bothering to run or vote.

By: Nezua Limón Xolagrafik-Jonez

Nezua Limón Xolagrafik-Jonez — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 21:27:03 +0000

ruggerjohnnyd, another view might say “ditch strategy and fight for what you believe in.” so there are a few ways to see it, i guess. i say ditch strategy and fight for what you believe in. big bites and all.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:53:09 +0000

Agreed with the (very likely) lack of leadership from the federal Democratic party. Not being attacked is a step forward, but, the immorality of leaving our families behind is a glaring (and painful) sin by omission.

Not much can be done on the federal level. Work for the ENDA and focus on local organizing–the Christian soccer mom above has found one niche.

By: ruggerjohnnyd

ruggerjohnnyd — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:50:28 +0000

I realize I may take some heat for this opinion but I think one thing the left has done recently that has not been smart has been trying to force America to bite off more than it can chew at one time. I think we get so wrapped up in our albeit worthy causes, such as gay rights, that we lose track of doing so in a sensible and strategic manner. For instance, we will settle for nothing less than full blown gay marriage, thereby foregoing any incremental progress that we could make. nd in the end, by forcing the issue we end up getting nothing. It is akin to football. Having the ball, 1st and 10 deep in our own territory, we use all of our downs throwing the long ball trying to score a touchdown and end up turning the ball over on downs. This instead of strategically running the ball for small gains each down and getting a 1st down and for more attempts to gain yardage. I think we ought to list priorities, the things that are most important for us and work to gain progress on each. First and foremost should be defeating any attempts at a federal protection of marriage amendment. Then we oought to fight to have the same civil union rights as breeders have. Then fighting for adoption rights. After that work to have gay civil unions have the same rights as marriage. Then attempting ot overturn the federal defense of marriage law and individual states bans on gay marriage/civil unions as unconstitutional. But do them in steps, allowing Americans to gradually warm up to the idea instead of shoving it down their throats all at once. Just one man’s opinion. And thanks for the inspiration for my blog today.