Toni Broaddus, executive director of the Equality Foundation, guest posted over at Bilerico. Here's the beginning:
I am overjoyed today. But I am also nervous. Anti-gay forces have submitted the signatures for a ballot measure in November that would take away the right to marriage by amending the California constitution to deny so many of us Californians our equality.
We must not lose in California in November. Just as we did in Massachusetts, we must protect our equality. And it will take our entire movement - not just Californians - to ensure that we keep the right to marry in the second state to extend that right. This is absolutely critical, not only for Californians, but for every other state across this country where we continue to work for victories like the one in my state today.
Read the full post.
Broadus goes on to describe the legal challenges faced across the US right now on the marriage front. She makes the following observations:
- New Jersey or New York will probably be the next states to recognize same-sex marriage.
- Recognition of same-sex marriage by the federal government will only happen after a "critical mass" of states have.
- This win was a decade in the works, from well before California passed its Domestic Partnership law in 1999.
- LGBT organizations lag behind in fund-raising when compared to other minority communities.
- State level organizations lag behind in fund-raising compared to national organizations.
What do you think about the future of this movement? What happens now?
Personally, I'd much rather see the LGBT rights movement expand relationship recognition beyond just marriage and work with more depth on other issues. It's getting harder and harder to say that the current strategy of seeking marriage is a "complete failure," as John d'Emilio did a few years back, but that doesn't mean that these other issues are of any less importance.
Then again, that question is neither here nor there today.
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