From a message by Joe Salmonese for the Human Rights Campaign:
In California our messages of fairness and reason were met with appalling messages of fear, distortion and downright hate that our opponents put forth on television, on radio, across the Internet, and in Sunday sermons.
In 2000, a similar marriage ban in California was passed by a margin of 61% to 39%. So the closeness of this race and the positive shift in public opinion underscores that it is only a matter of time before we add more states to the march for marriage equality. As Obama said last night, “That's the true genius of America – that America can change.”
Yesterday, an unfortunate majority of voters stood with the most extreme and negative elements of society to deny the rights of loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. But it’s not the first time that has happened to us, and it won’t be the last. It doesn’t change the fact that we are married. It doesn’t change the fact that we have families. Make no mistake. We are bowed, but not discouraged. We are sad, but not disheartened. We grieve, but not as those who are without hope.
Remember, our marriages didn’t begin with a decision of the court, and they will not end with a vote of the people.
3 comments:
While we're still waiting for the final count here in CA, Joe is also referencing the discriminatory same sex marriage propositions in Florida and Arizona and the adoption prop in Arkansas.
I appreciate both his contextualizing our struggle in the history of the movement toward justice and call for hope IN the struggle. (But then, his Mama is an Episcopalian so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! :)
The suits have a point. The California Constitution makes a clear distinction between amendments, which involve simple additions, deletions, or other modifications, and revisions, which alter fundamental rights. The former may be placed on the ballot (by petition) and approved by a simple majority. The latter must first be placed on the ballot by a 2/3 majority of the legislature.
It's time to redistribute the wealth of our resources. Time to take the focus off marriage. It's a narrowing concept, that gives heart to mostly white middle-aged folks. Marriage doesn't have a movement-building future. And it invariably shows the biggest enemy of lgbt people to be "the church." Yes, you and I know which "church" that is, but no one else does. We need to turn our attention to economic discrimination. That's what hurts gay families. We need to turn our attention to trans / gender identity...that's the crux of why our queerness is SO threatening to this society. Prop 8 reminds us that Mr. 'we are one people' Obama said over and over, "I don't believe in gay marriage." We as activists like to think that his "however" clause was what mattered. But the truth about this amazing new president and much of the movement around him is, either they DO believe in gay marriage and are just fibbing for political expediency OR they really don't. That's either hypocrisy or homophobia. In reality, it's both. Otherwise, how would such a large, DECISIVE percentage of Obama voters feel empowered to vote YES on Prop 8? And frankly, which Obama voters were they? The church-goers. Maybe this is just sour grapes from a very privileged gay American-- maybe, ha!--but I do think that Tuesday has lessons for the lgbt movement. Sadly, I think the lessons include taking the movement away from the liberal church's sacred cow of marriage. We are NOT "just like them." And if you don't think so, just ask "them." Who are "them"? The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church for starters.
Post a Comment