[photo by Fritz Liess, all rights reserved to Liess, Monterey, Nov. 15th]Yesterday, demonstrations took place across the US. "Unite for LGBTQ equality!" proclaimed Join The Impact. The actions followed election day homophobia expressed by voters in Arkansas, Arizona, California and Florida. But, as Join The Impact explained, "This is not a four-state issue."
Which is why the demonstrations took place in states across the country. Dan X. McGraw (Dallas Morning News) reports:
Louise Young never cast a vote on Proposition 8, but the measure changed her life. Married three months ago in California, Ms. Young and Vivienne Armstrong, her partner, joined more than 1,200 other Dallas-area residents who gathered outside of Dallas City Hall on Saturday to peacefully protest California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state.
"This is not a religious issue," said Ms. Young, 61, of Dallas. "This is about legal rights. This isn't right."
No it is not a religious issue and part of the rise in homophobia comes from the ignorant and the liars who try to tell you otherwise. Let's go with the head liar there, Barack Obama.
And let's drop back to Ava and C.I. breaking it down here back in January:
Loving v. Virginia was a breakthrough, a legal landmark, for the United States. In a debate, Barack Obama was asked, "Senator Obama, the laws banning interracial marriage in the United States were ruled unconstitutional in 1967. What is the difference between a ban on interracial marriage and a ban on gay marriage?" Obama mouthed a lot of nonsense about 'equality' and then went on to state it's a decision for different denominations to make. There should have been a gasp heard round the country.
Barack is a lawyer, a trained legal mind. Though we find it difficult to believe he's never studied Loving v. Virginia (as difficult to believe as Clarence Thomas Senate testimony that he'd never thought about Roe v. Wade), we'll allow that maybe it fell into some gap in his education. But as a trained legal mind, he does grasp court billing. "v. Virginia" means versus state. Not versus a denomination.
In that historic case, the Supreme Court of the United States found the laws of the state of Virginia to be unconstitutional and illegal. That finding meant that all states could no longer refuse to issue marriage certificates to couples of different races. Obama's weak-ass response should have been considered weak ass. (John Edwards also embarrassed himself in that debate noting he was against "gay marriage" and "I do not" support it leading us to shout back at the screen, "Gee, John, we weren't aware you were being inundated with proposals!") But it was also dishonest. A law student, forget the former president of the Harvard Law Review, grasps that Loving v. Virginia was not about whether "denominations" could make a decision, it was about what the government could do. To provide perspective, imagine the issue was illegal search and seizure on the part of the government (forbidden by the Constitution) and Obama had responded, "I think it's up to denominations." The government was discriminating and the Supreme Court stood up for the rights of all.
That is what it comes down to. It is not about churches, it is not about denominations. The state marries you, the government. The same body that can divorce you. Marriage isn't about a religion, anyone male-female coupling can head down to their county courthouse and get married without ever stepping into a church. It's a lie and a dangerous one to say that it's an issue for churches.
And that's the lie Barack's pushed in his effort to court the 'vangical voters. There was always going to be blowback. You can't let homophobia out of the bottle and then expect it to waft back in. Barack Obama's campaign unleashed homophobia and was not called out for it. The campaign said homophobia was "okay" and the media backed it up.
Big Media, Small Media. Take Panhandle Media's token lesbian, Laura Flanders. At a time when Barack was putting homophobes onstage in South Carolina, what was Our Lady of Self-Loathing doing? Writing an advice column to Barack: "Obama Be Bold: Break with a Backer on Torture." Search through that October 29, 2007 nonsense for any mention of Barack using homophobia. You won't find it. [ "Nonsense" because Barack and Michelle Obama both have long standing ties to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, consider him a personal friend and would never break with someone so powerful in the midst of an election.] She had no time for it nor did anyone else at The Nation. Amy Goodman never had time to call it out on Democracy Now! or even note it -- not even when she was interviewing the co-author of an article in The Progressive on the topic of Barack. All Things Media Big and Small played silent on homophobia.*
Barack used homophobia and the press was too busy making like Kenny Loggins singing "Celebrate Me Home" to call him out on it thereby sending the message to one and all that homophobia was okay.
If it wasn't okay, well it would be called out when a presidential candidate repeatedly uses it!
Right?
Barack set the stage for all that happened. In California, Proposition 8 was a measure to overturn same-sex marriage. Robocalls in California used his soundbytes about how he was opposed to same-sex marriage. He didn't call it out. As Debra Sweet points out, "While Obama said he did not support Prop 8, he stated publicly many times that marriage should be between heterosexuals only. Instead of straddling the fence, he should have called for people to vote against Prop 8. Obama in fact has pledged to extend Bush's faith-based initiatives that have granted over $2.2 billion to religious organizations."
Though LGBTQ Americans should have the same legal rights as any straight American, the reality is that they don't. The reality is that they are discriminated against and they are targeted. But the media that supposedly exists to hold the powerful accountable and give voice to the powerless wasn't interested in calling out the homophobia appearing on the campaign trail. They weren't interested in confronting Barack on his use of homophobia.
If they had been, maybe he would have been forced to step up and maybe those measures (that passed with the votes of Barack supporters) wouldn't have passed?
But the measure did pass and homophobia appears to be on the rise. So the people have to do what the press refused to, they have to make it clear that they don't support discrimination.
And they did that across the country yesterday.
Sarah Gantz (Boston Globe) reports that "intermittent rain" didn't prevent approximately 4,000 from demonstrating in front of Boston City Hall. Jeff Gammage (Philadelphia Inquirer) notes the Philadelphia march "stretched three-quarters of the way around City Hall." Christopher Dela Cruz (Star-Ledger) highlights Bernie Bernbrock, his partner Glenn Vatasin and their daughter Abby who were among the 120 demonstrating in Montclair, New Jersey. Susan Jacobson (Orlando Sentinel) quotes Human Rights Campaign's Jason Lambert, one of over a thousand demonstrating in Orlando City Hall Plaza, stating, "Time is on our side, and our rights will not be denied." Vince Bond Jr. (Lansing State Journal) reports on the 100 demonstrators at Michigan State University including Tod McMillen-Oakley, married to his spouse Tom three months ago in California, who says, "All we want is to be recognized for the love that we share. We're not asking for a special right. We're asking for an equal right."
And that is all it is. It is a right, a legal right. It has nothing to do with churches. Churches are not forced to marry anyone they don't wish to marry. Were that not the case, the Catholic Church would have been dragged through the courts for years over their refusal to perform weddings where one or both partners is divorced. It is not about churches. The state can grant universal marriage for all adult couples and it doesn't impact on what a church does or does not do.
Josh Rosenson (Foster's Daily Democrat) reports the 100 or so demonstrators at Portsmouth's Market Square chanted, "Gay, straight, black or white, marriage is a civil right." The chant went
out in New Hampshire and across the country including Reno where Jen Jackson (KTVN Channel 2) estimates the demonstrators numbered 300. Approximately 200 was the number in Lousiville Kentucky and Peter Smith (Courier-Journal) explains they included Pam Becker who once protested against recognizing universal rights but now supports them and same-sex marriage as a result of new information: ""My son coming out. I have to support my child." 120 demonstrated in downtown Denton, Texas and Candace Carlisle (Denton Record-Chronicle) quotes Stonewall Democrats of Denton County's John McClelland walking it through on the realities, "If you take away the rights of one, you can take away anything from anyone." They rallied in Indianapolis and Tim Evans (Indianapolis Star) spoke with the event's organizer, Aaron Brown, who declared, "We feel it is important to show unity throughout the gay community and support for our brothers and sisters in California and the other states where these laws were passed." And they were walking in Memphis, over 150 despite "chilly winds," Linda Moore (Memphis Commercial Appeal) observes and quotes Mike McVicker who states, "I'm not big on marriage, but it's part of our civil rights" and Mid-South Peace and Justice Center's Amy Livingston: "Because of our history in civil rights we felt it was particularly important for Memphis' voice to be heard." In Macon, Georgia where over fifty turned out and the organizer Alex Webb told Ashley Tusan Joyner (Macon Telegraph), "Today’s protest is a small piece of the puzzle. This started off as an online movement and has become a national and international phenomenon. There are people in London standing with us right now ... standing with us against our treatment as second-class citizens, standing for equal rights for all."
Equal rights. Legal rights. It has nothing to do with churches or with religions and, in fact, the only legal principle should apply here is separation of Church and State. But that's apparently too difficult for some to grasp. It's about equality and legality. It has nothing to do with 'churches' which can choose to participate in same-sex marriages or not the same way the Catholic Church has refused to marry (and continues to refuse) any person who is divorced.** The facts are on our side. But the lies pop out of the mouths of alleged allies. From Patrick Healy's "Hopefuls Differ as They Reject Gay Marriage" (New York Times, November 1st):
Several gay friends and wealthy gay donors to Senator Barack Obama have asked him over the years why, as a matter of logic and fairness, he opposes same-sex marriage even though he has condemned old miscegenation laws that would have barred his black father from marrying his white mother.
The difference, Mr. Obama has told them, is religion.
As a Christian -- he is a member of the United Church of Christ -- Mr. Obama believes that marriage is a sacred union, a blessing from God, and one that is intended for a man and a woman exclusively, according to these supporters and Obama campaign advisers.
You can't use religious bigotry to deny legal rights. And a Constitutional scholar should damn well know that.
Fortunately, the people are always smarter than any of their leaders which is why the people turned out all across the country yesterday. From the 25,000 in San Diego to the 7 in Montgomery. And praise for those seven in Montgomery. It's really easy for those of us on the coasts and in large cities to participate in large rallies. It takes a lot of character and courage to be one of seven standing up in public.
It's going to take brave people like the seven, strong people, to fight this battle. And it will require awareness and information, not fan club bulletins. Pay attention to Debra Sweet's "Going Forward in Stopping the Crimes of Your Government" (World Can't Wait):
How can we feel Obama is "for the people" when he put all his backing behind the bailout of Wall Street banks, but tells the people only to have faith in their leaders? When he supports the notoriously racist death penalty, and blames Black people themselves for the huge prison population? When he finds "common ground" with the most rabid Christian fundamentalist plans to do away with abortion and gay marriage? The ban on gay marriage passed in California, benefiting from Obama's expressed opposition to gay marriage.
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Notes
Photo is by Fritz Liess, protected under a Creative Commons Lic., more photos by Liess can be found at Fritz Liess' photostream.
*) No, we aren't forgetting the silence of the useless NOW and Women's Media Center. We called those wasted opportunities out repeatedly already and pointed out that feminist organizations have no excuse for staying silent on homophobia being used in a presidential campaign; however, they did stay silent and they need to be held accountable.
**) Do not e-mail us saying, "Divorced people can get marry in the Catholic Church if they get a Catholic Annulment of their marriage first!" If they do that, their marriage is annulled and it's no longer a case of divorce.
