Sandra Neish
Jack Manhattan
Harvey Wallbanger
This week we have seen some very promising movement in the issues of same-sex rights. Though the last few years have seen bigoted and purposefully misleading groups advance their agenda against the LGBT community, most notably with passages of state constitutional amendments that either ban same-sex marriage (rather overkill as far as this writer is concerned, considering these states all had laws against it already), they are slowly being pushed back.
Just as the German blitzkrieg virtually overran Europe with a great show of force and seemed to meet little resistance, these bigots steamrolled these votes with far more force and fear mongering than necessary. Slowly, though, they are losing ground inch by inch, then foot by foot, then state by state. They have no Constitutionally sound ground to stand on, nor the force of public opinion as the younger generations come up and gain leadership positions.
This week in New Hampshire, the latest state to allow gay marriage, the New Hampshire Assembly voted, by a good majority, 201-135, to reject the proposed ban on same-sex marriages, with only a slight difference in favour of delaying the vote. Earlier in the week, Rep. Nancy Elliott gave a graphic, clinical and unnecessary description of male homosexual sex in a public hearing. Her point was that children were being shown graphic images of male homosexual sex. Wednesday, she recanted. Further proof that these people are having to resort to sensationalism to keep the steam in their organizations.
The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear arguments on the funding of Referendum 71 that passed in Washington State. The “everything but marriage” law was opposed by the usual suspects. And because they are so moral and upright, they want the names of donors kept hidden for fear of reprisals. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case on April 28. Ironic that those opposed to LGBT rights have hidden themselves in the closet!
By far the greatest coup for the equality movement are the remarks the Conservative MP Nick Herbert is expected to voice at the Cato Institute. Herbert is in the Shadow Cabinet, is openly gay and partnered. He states,
”I am not here to preach or to interfere in your affairs. I am here neither to tea party nor to go clubbing. But I can tell you what happens to a party when it closes the door to sections of our society and is reduced to its core vote. It’s no fun being in opposition for thirteen years. I’m one of two Conservative MPs who have taken out a civil partnership – thanks to legislation which – to their credit – the current Labour government introduced. And our party leader, David Cameron, has publicly apologised for Section 28, legislation introduced by a previous Conservative government which effectively prohibited the teaching of the validity of gay relationships in schools, a law which was deeply unpopular not just amongst gay people, but with those who saw it as a divisive and unpleasant sign of state intolerance. We needed to say sorry for a stance that was wrong. The truth is that there are millions of people who we drove away but who share our values and want to join us.”
This is a great blow to the Evangelical movement that infiltrated the Republican Party in the 1970s. The Republicans were the conservative party before this time, however they were not morally and Christian conservatives. No, they wanted smaller government and lower taxes. Conservative is not, despite what the Evangelical Taliban will have you believe, the same as their version. Conservatives in the United Kingdom have clearly realized that they need to jettison values that are not core to the conservative values. Morals are not for legislation or for public vote.
As good as this news seems, there is still a long way to go. The DADT debate rages on, even as HRC the largest gay advocacy group shuffles along behind President Obama in dragging their feet. Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell “opposes discrimination and released a policy he recently sent to staff members and Cabinet secretaries indicating that his office would not discriminate ‘for any reason.” Yet he signed an executive order that specifically excluded LGBT persons from anti-discrimination laws in his state.
We have a long road ahead, but those first steps have been taken. We will emerge victorious. The time it takes is in your hands, my dear Bar Flies. Only you can take to the streets. Only you can vote out the bigots, and tell your elected officials that you will not stand for discriminatory laws, or you will not stand for them on election day. Only you. And only me.
