What is an effective way of proceeding with gay rights without losing our power and thus sliding back gay and other basic rights? This is an issue that we need a strategy on, because time and time again two things happen: 1: Republicans use bigotry against gays as an effective GOTV tool, and 2: Gays demand civil recognition of their human rights. When this happens the courts decide, and we hear squaking about "judicial activism".
The Democrats' response has been inconsistent and insincere. They say they want civil unions not gay marriage, but they hedge and seek to change the subject. They are unbelievable on the issue from both sides.
Are equal rights for gays important? Gays and lesbians make up, at most, 10% of the population. The hurdle for equality is very high. Most major religions strongly discriminate against gays and only a few countries worldwide have recognized the legitimacy of full gay and lesbian rights. We aren't a particularly "liberal" nation, so should we undertake such a huge endeavor and risk shooting ourselves in the foot?
What are the consequences of a nation of repressed gays? I can't even begin to imagine the scope of the answer to this question, but I have one question for you to ponder: How many people did the self-hatred of Ted Haggard affect? How many more Ted Haggards are out there influencing people? Additionally, the issue will always favor the GOP whether we embrace it or not. And it will always pop up because gays and lesbians rightly demand their rights.
How do we proceed? I think it's a balancing act. If we act to fast, we risk losing ground...especially in rural areas. If we act too slow, gays and lesbians will proceed without us, leaving it to the courts, and making the timing and pacing of gains a function of chance, rather than within control of the Democrats.
Here is a germ of an idea I think the hardest battles need to be fought at the local level, and with baby steps (kind of modelled after the pro-life movement's slow erosion of our rights). The idea is to focus on bring all counties in America to some minimum standard of gay tolerance.
Good ideas might be:
- To bring up gay rights to liberal churches and publicize it as a legitimate and differing religious belief in human rights for all
- To begin by making gay bashing a "hate crime"
- to make workplace and school anti-discrimination policies
- to (at present) abandon marriage in favor of civil unions and adoption rights. (ick, I hate this one)
- your idea here
This election, we used minimum wage ballot issues to GOTV, as they used bans on gay marraige. I think we need to do more of that sort of strategic thinking, like how do we neutralize this issue for them without abandoning gay rights.
I firmly need that this issue needs to be a part of the discussion.