I’m seeing a lot of petitions going around here on the East coast in reaction to Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, most with vague calls to “repeal Prop 8” and no specific indication of how or even to whom the petition will ultimately be sent. Young liberals are fired up and ready to fight for gay rights, but for the most part the movement seems directionless and unorganized.
There’s something about the intense focus on Prop 8 that bugs me, though. I agree with the principles, but I can’t help but wonder if we’d seem the same passion for gay rights if Prop 8 hadn’t passed. What about Prop 1 in Arkansas, which essentially banned gays from adopting, or Prop 2 in Florida and Prop 102 in Arizona, which also banned gay marriage? These equally-repressive amendments have been all but overlooked by liberals outside of the respective states. I understand the symbolism of Prop 8 and the unique circumstance in which gay marriage had previously been legal in California. But I’m also a bit unsettled by liberals’ indifference to the rights of gays in the “flyover” states. If we’re talking about a civil rights issue, shouldn’t the amendments in Florida, Arkansas, and Arizona be just as offensive as the one in California?
Is this just smugness from the blue coasts? “Why campaign for gay rights in Arkansas and Arizona? It’s just red states being red states, right?” Or is it because of the lack of leadership? For the most part, the part-time activists don’t seem to have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish. Is their goal simply to repeal Prop 8? If so, they’re missing the bigger picture and the movement is nothing more than a passing fad. I assume most people concerned about Prop 8 also, deep down, care about gay rights in all states. Even so, no one seems to have an idea for how to achieve that, so they’re making a stand in California.
Now is the perfect time for gay rights activists to develop clearer goals. Should they fight marriage amendments state by state? Is a national solution eventually the answer? If so, how? The courts? Federal legislation? The answer isn’t to model a movement after the protests and petitions of the 1960s; the model is the Obama campaign. Reach out to red states and religious organizations, rather than help drive the wedge further. Donate money and time, even if in small amounts. That’s how you bring about change these days.