As a longstanding activist in the gay community I would like to share some insights into the Warren Affair with the readers of DailyKos.
There's a lot of hyperventilating about this issue, but we need to keep some things in perspective:
- I clearly remember the LOGO debate, and it was pretty clear Obama did NOT support gay marriage. Civil unions, perhaps, but not marriage. Hillary, Dennis, and Mike Gravel were far more open to the possibility. It is now obvious this was not pandering to the center.
- So far, between Prop 8 and Rick Warren, there has been a HUGE upsurge in gay activism, along with outreach to our non-gay friends. This is a GOOD thing. It remains to be seen how this force is able to effect change.
- It DOES put pressure on Obama to deliver SOMETHING for the LGBT community. It will doubtless be mentioned in his inaugural address, and hopefully will be enough to smooth over some very ruffled feathers. It would be nice if he made some sort of mention of the sunsetting of DADT.
- There is an unintended consequence in all of this that I’m not sure the Obama people would welcome, and that is by elevating the Christian right in this manner, he is ultimately elevating the candidacy of Sarah Palin. She is now their national spokesperson and barring unforeseen circumstances she will be a factor both in 2010 and 2012. Thankfully, she did not have the opportunity to appoint herself Senator. That would have been a disaster for the Democratic party, because like her or not, she has a better ability to connect with a certain percentage of Americans than Reid. And her campaigning for Chambliss shows her ambitions are not dampened. Those who here welcome her presence do so at our risk. She is a very, very, very dangerous woman.
- We need to be prepared for the possibility of some movement in Washington toward the removal of DOMA and/or outright support for Civil Unions. How we react to such half-measures will have a large effect on the ultimate achievement of our full equal rights.
- As must be obvious by now, it is clear beyond all transparency that the enemy of LGBT equality is the RELIGIOUS right. Until we find a means to counter their rhetoric, we are doomed to victimization from their influence. We can wait until the tide of history ebbs in our favor, or we can take action and devise a task force with this goal in mind.
- We have every right to be disappointed, but let us not turn disappointment into defeat. We will not win any favors in Washington by turning our backs on the President-elect. Not a pretty fact, but true. We need to throw our hissy fits where they’ll do the most good.
- Above all, we must not lose hope. Not the hope of political slogans, but the hope of historical reality. We have come SO FAR in 39 years. Thirty-nine years ago you could be fired, arrested, and lose everything just for being gay. It is torturously frustrating, like the bride in the wonderful marriage ad who was obstructed from the marriage altar, to be denied one’s heart’s desire; but as any true fan of modern western culture can attest, ultimately true love conquers all.