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Prop 8.... Where Do We Go From Here?
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California Gay Marriage, Civil Rights, Discrimination, Gay Marriage, Gay Marriage Lawsuit, Gay Rights, Gay Rights Activism, Gay Rights Civil Rights, Marital Status Discrimination, Marriage Equality, Marriage Equality In CA, No On Prop 8, Prop 8, Yes On Prop 8,
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"Help me. I wish I could disappear and go away"... Graham Nash sang those lyrics. But we will not disappear nor will we go away. The passage of Prop 8 is a stark and stunning reminder of how much, as a community, we still need to do. We lost this fight. It wasn't the Mormons, it wasn't the Catholic Church, it wasn't the African-American community. It was us. All of us in the LGBT community.
We all did not do enough.
Many people in our community think the proposition was just about marriage. There are many people in our community who don't care about marriage. Fair enough... I get that. But they couldn't be more wrong. Marriage is the least of it. This is just the start, folks. This was about writing discrimination directly into our largest state's Constitution. The opposition is now emboldened. They will wield this like an axe mercilessly. They will go after the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already taken place in California. They will go after same-sex benefits in the public sector much like they did in Michigan. They will try and minimize or even abolish any legal standing we have as couples and families. Laugh all you want, this is the truth. They will not stop. And neither should we.
We need to come together, organize better, educate more, raise more money, work our asses off and more of us need to vote. We need to be pro-active, not reactive, if we want our collective equality and justice. We need to take a look deep inside ourselves and ask ourselves, "how much do we want this?" No one else will give us our freedom. No one else will give us our equality. No one else will give us our deserved justice. We need to take it.
I went to bed on Tuesday night with hope in my heart over Obama's win, only to wake up back to earth on Wednesday shedding tears of sorrow. It's difficult to wrap your head around the fact that most people don't think we should have the same rights just because we are wired a certain way. But that's the truth of it and we need to recognize that, pick ourselves up and march forward.
We will need to do this ourselves. We can't expect anything from the next administration. They have too much else to deal with. We can't expect it from the courts. Much like the great work that the Pride Agenda is doing in New York but on a national level, we need to reach out to religious leaders, unions and workplaces. We need to educate, build bridges and alliances. We need to work, we need to spend money and we need to put in the time.
We need to go out there and educate people about why denying us equality is wrong. But it will take time, money and most importantly; commitment from our own community.
This article can also be found at www.davidmixner.com
Frank Selvaggi is Co Chair of the Empire State Pride Agenda and is an
activist for marriage equality. He lives in North Salem and works out of New York
City. He and his husband, Bill Shea, were married in Massachusetts and were
major donors to the No On 8 campaign.
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Frank Selvaggia asked "Where Do We Go From Here?" - There is NO OTHER choice now - The U.S. government crossed a VERY serious line with PROP 8. Children's sense of safety and belongingness were and have been threatened by Proposition 8 in California.
Regardless of THIS particular fight, there are too many fights on too many fronts to conquer piecemeal. NOW is the time to DRAW A NEW LINE in the sand, and demand from President Obama and our representatives FULL EQUALITY on all fronts. We are EQUAL SOULS in HUMAN BODIES.
So Americans want to continue denying us what they have already deemed as essential. And many want us to wait 2, 5, 10, 20, or 30 more years, depending on the "civil right". As Americans can't we agree that there are MANY other important issues to address (like the economy, health care, poverty & homelessness, Iraq/Afghanistan), and solving those problems is more urgent than having "EQUALITY ISSUES" tie up the courts for another 30+ years?
Will you join me on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009, and inform the government that WE are eager to be included in the federal tax base as soon as THEY include us in society's laws?
I don't blame you for feeling a sense of outrage, but saying that the U.S. government, implying the federal government, crossed a line is wrong. It was the California voters and legislature (who failed to protect your civil rights) that let you down. I hail from Massachusetts where same sex marriage is legal, although regrettably only for Massachusetts residents, and that right has been protected by the legislature despite challenges from the opposition. In addition, the Massachusetts legislature is considering submitting a question to the voters that, if passed, would amend the state constitution to prohibit ballot initiatives dealing with the curtailment of "civil rights" or "matters of equal protection
Civil disobedience is the ONLY answer for myself - regardless of whether 1 single person joins me, I will refuse to be taxed unfairly as an American. I deserved these rights at BIRTH.
Great. We need to spend MORE MONEY? I think I have lost my mind. Or is this what happens to a sane person when he or she is surrounded by complete legal insanity?
Since PROP HATE passed our very expensive gay organizations are planning to sign MORE petitions "demanding marriage rights and equal protection under the law" and plan MORE "marches on Washington, D.C." Yeah...tho
Doesn't anyone realize how their tax money is the MOST powerful thing they control?
Doesn't anyone feel sick when they pay FULL taxes for UNEQUAL rights, confirming they are society's most worthless?
FACT - Government is RESPONSIBLE to ALL of its citizens, yet we have embraced our role as SUB-Americans so well that we are oblivious to how pathetic it is to beg-plead-donate money for a right we ALREADY deserve...
When I tell America to "PAY MY TAXES", I also include my fellow LGBTQ Americans who seem to have NO PROBLEM with taxation without equality. Do you REALLY think you deserve rights....
Too harsh? I apologize - I am no longer able to march or donate or hold signs. All I have are my words and my tax dollars; I AM STILL IN CONTROL of those 2 things.
The whole purpose of marriage in society is the declaration of a new breeding pair. I've never been anti-gayrights before but I don't see them as a hard done to minority this time, I just see them as being unreasonable. Stand together, protect the meaning of our ancient institutions, marriage is not a tax break or a ticket to citizenship.
I am interested to here people's response to my opinion. Now, I lived as a lez for a while, had my son with a woman etc so it is not biggotry..
That is what people want. Other than that they need to take it up with their prospective religious groups. It is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Why not take the middle path and get what you want (which is much more attainable) vs trying to push a label on something that does nothing but make people uncomfortable? I am practical. I choose the former. Call it what you want..... people should have equal rights under a government that is (supposed to be) divided between church and state.
I think the LBGTQ community is taking the wrong approach in this issue.
"Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival..
http://en.
I can almost guarantee that when Warren Burger wrote this in 1967 he was not thinking of same-sex marriage. Note that he said "fundamental to our very existence and survival". That's about procreation. I'm pretty sure that today's SCOTUS would agree with me.
That's why the LGBT should focus on getting the government to ONLY recognize Civil Unions and leave "marriage" up to the churches. Let the churches have their word as long as you get equal rights.
It's simple - seperate is not equal!!! It's similar to denying black folks the right to vote by classifying them under the law as only 2/3 of a human being. It's also similar to the laws that used to exist prohibitng a a person of color from marrying a white person. Thank god we came to our senses as a nation and stopped that! Discrimination against gays is still discrimination. If we allow it our group (insert your cause here) could be the ones discriminated against tomorrow!
If gay people pay the same amount of taxes they should have the right to marry! It's illegal to tax without equal representation under the law.
"It's illegal to tax without equal representation under the law."
Really? Tell that to non-citizens in this country who work (legally) and pay taxes but don't get to vote.
And can you point to a law that states it's illegal to tax without equal representation?
If you're still a lesbian you should know better. If you're not than it's really no longer your issue.
Nope... have had this opinion my whole life... I am pragmatic.
And frankly I think if your religious institution won't marry you, then you need to find a better religion or change it or something.
I think this should be instituted for both gay and strayt marriages. Separation of church and state.
“But it will take time, money and most importantly; commitment from our own community.
Haven’t we been doing this already? How much more is needed? I’m sick and tired of never getting there. I’m sick and tired of waiting for opinions to change. So I’m angry. I’ve always been rational, level-headed, but I just don’t care anymore. I’m tired of trying to build bridges and coalitions and blah, blah, blah. I’m ready to get in someone’s face—if they want MY respect, they’d sure as hell better give me theirs, too.
http://www
Mildred Loving's statement about freedom to marry. Everyone should read it. If you don't cry when you read it, you're not a human being. Please use your favorite social sites to buzz it up.
There is only one cure for ignorance - and that's education.
http://www
Let's Blame the victim!
Asking bullies for mercy is fruitless and demeaning.
If we had put civil rights for blacks up to a vote, they STILL would be second class citizens.
Like the AAs, our ONLY defense is the US constitution and THE COURTS!
Its time for a class action suit against all the states that have legislated discrimination.
NONE of these statutes would stand up to a U S Supreme Court constitutional challenge.
Quit wasting time trying to charm the enemy.
Precedent:
http://en.
http://en.
http://en.
All of these support overturning Prop 8.
Is that your stance? It is a good one.
Also, The California Supreme court ruled that marriage rights applied to every Californian regardless of orientation; Prop 8 strips rights previously given by law. It will not stand any scrutiny or debate, it will be overturned.
Absolutely - don't get mad - and don't whine - get organized - and get it done.
As it happens there's a bunch of folks who just organized the most successful grass-roots campaign in American political history that are suddenly at a loose end just now. How about hooking up with some of those folks and finding out how they did it - and whether they'll help to get this next thing done.
Keep the faith.
Alin
For years I've always felt the national LGBT leadership was pushing things. They were pushing for gays in the military back in 1992 and now pushing for gay marriage. I thought since most people in this country support ending discrimination in the workplace, we should start there. Let's get a victory, for a change, on an issue we can win. Then we have momentum on our side for the other things. I have friends in CA and they worked very hard on the "no on prop 8" campaign. When I hear people say they didn't work hard enough, it upsets me.
They did a lot, there was just not enough outreach in minority areas.
The misinformation campaign waged against the LGBT community was massive and in every media, Limbaugh used his ditto head army to help spread disinformation.
Well said Frank. It's very difficult because the gay rights movement is still in its infancy and it's going to take a long time for bigoted attitudes to change. You are true to the cause of human rights and your activism will one day manifest itself with equal rights for everyone including the LGBT community. Keep up the good work!
INFANCY?!?!?!?
Stonewall was FORTY YEARS AGO!
http://en.
People have been indoctrinated by their religious leaders since birth to thing of the LGBT community as sub human and not worthy of God's love.
Almost every religion preaches against it even though the Ten Commandments superseded Leviticus and the New Testament superseded the old, the Evangelicals preach fire and damnation for all 'Deviants" that includes any one different from them.
This is a generational culture war that does not and cannot directly mirror the AA civil rights movement. It is a civil rights issue, not a moral issue.
Republicans voted against the Civil Rights Act because they did not want to "Legislate Morality" and yet that is what they have done. Under the tyranny of majority legislated their religious morality over the civil rights of others.
Yes, infancy. Consider that what we know as the civil rights movement actually has its roots in the larger abolitionist movement from the 1700s. It took until 1865 and a Civil War to end slavery, and even with the post-war constitutional amendments, the progressive forces suffered stinging court defeats at all levels including the SCOTUS. Brown v. Bd of Educ. in 1954 (separate is inherently unequal) took nearly 60 years to undo the evil of 1898's Plessy v. Ferguson (separate but equal). Our public schools & residential areas are STILL highly segregated and the racial inequalities in all facets of our society are still rampant.
It took women well over a century to earn the right to vote. Look at the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Comparatively, the LGBT-rights movement is still just a baby. We've got a long ways to go and the fact that we've accomplished this much in just 40 years is amazing in and of itself. Without struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand and we have to keep on fighting.
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