GAY MARRIAGE
by the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network
The debate over gay marriage in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered community often polarizes around two mistaken views.
On the one hand there are those who view gay marriage as an irrelevant piece of government issued paper. So long as we can freely cohabitate with whom we wish, goes the argument, why should we get worked up over gay marriage?
Secondly, there are those who view advocacy of the right to marry as a direct threat to "queer culture," an assimilationist impulse to be resisted, lest LGBT people mimic the worst of heterosexist culture and thus reinforce our oppression. This is the not the place to debate LGBT culture; suffice it to say that supporting the right wing's straight jacket on gay marriage violates the liberationist impulses at the heart of our struggle for freedom.
While the first view endorses complacency, the second view actively opposes fighting for equal marriage rights, and thus sides with the anti-gay right.
Why Support the Right to Gay Marriage?
&emdash; The ban on Lesbian and Gay marriage is an affront to human rights. A common goal of many heterosexual couples is outlawed for a whole class of people.
&emdash; We are official, second-class citizens as long as any legal rights are denied us. Government endorsed inequality is an official sanction for anti-gay hate, an implicit "stamp of approval" for other forms of discrimination, even violence. One cannot consistently oppose gay-bashing without opposing all forms of discrimination which encourage it.
&emdash; Given the number of prominent adulterers and divorcees amongst the anti-gay marriage crowd&emdash;Henry Hyde, Dan Burton, Helen Chenoweth, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, to name a few&emdash;clearly their main concern is not "protecting" heterosexual marriage. The ban on same-sex marriage is a calculated insult against all LGBT people, a "wedge issue" which anti-gay bigots use to attack a whole host of our rights. The bigots' inability to make as much headway on issues such as opposing equal LGBT employment rights means they shift to taking on hot button issues such as gay marriage, hoping that "success" in this field will pave the way for attacks on our other rights.
&emdash; Outlawing same-sex marriage typically means many material rights are denied us&emdash;the right to adopt, visitation in hospitals, access to a spouse's medical benefits, Social Security and pension survivors benefits, to name a few. One need not embrace the traditional, unequal concept of marriage to realize the importance of these material benefits that come with the right to marry.
&emdash; Domestic-partner benefits and Vermont's Civil Union legislation, while important gains, are no substitute for full equal marriage rights. To accept anything less than full equality is to accept a "back of the bus" agreement. We will not rest until our status as equal human beings is embraced and guaranteed.
&emdash; This issue concerns everyone&emdash;whether you are Lesbian, Gay, or not&emdash;regardless of whether you ever wish to be part of a same-sex marriage yourself. An attack on the civil rights of one group threatens the civil rights of all. United we are stronger. Therefore everyone, gay and non-gay, should participate in this fight for basic human rights.
Why Protest?
&emdash; No people's civil rights were ever freely given from "on high" by politicians or the wealthy. Civil rights always have been won by grassroots struggles of the people who bore the discrimination, allied with other "ordinary people" who support justice.
&emdash; With polls showing most Americans opposed to the right to gay marriage, our movement needs to ask itself how we can win over the majority to supporting equal rights. A look at history shows how. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s not only won significant, specific gains for African-Americans, it forced a wholesale change in attitudes of many Americans of all races. Many African-Americans were emboldened to no longer quietly accept insults which had been routine, and many whites were won over to the belief that American society is racist and needed to be changed.
&emdash; Our movement has to get back to basics. For several years now, our side has largely depended on the courts and "friendly" politicians to fight our battles, and, with the partial exception of Vermont, the result has been defeat&emdash;the Defense of Marriage Act, the Hawaii constitutional amendment, the Knight Initiative in California, the Nebraska referendum.
&emdash; The gains we have seen in the past few years&emdash;such as the marginalization of anti-gay bigot "Dr." Laura Schlessinger and forcing Al Gore to loosen restrictions on low-priced AIDS drugs for Africa&emdash;are the direct result of grassroots protest, not polite lobbying. Rather than over-priced, glitzy media campaigns or attempts to persuade politicians who are the chief perpretrators of measures like the Defense of Marriage Act, we need to organize the sort of protests which create a political climate wherein those who push anti-gay measures "commit political suicide."
&emdash; Many cynics say it is impossible to win gay marriage rights. But the recent victory in The Netherlands, despite opposition from anti-gay politicians and the Pope, shows differently.
Help Protest FOR Gay Marriage!
The Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, in concert with other activist groups around the country, is organizing a protest on National Freedom to Marry Day&emdash; Wednesday, Feb. 14. We will meet in front of the City/County Building, 118 N. Clark at noon that day and then go to the Cook County Marriage License Bureau, located in the Lower Level of the building, and demand licenses for same-sex couples.
Don't quietly accept second-class citizenship. We encourage all who support equal rights to join in this protest. For information, contact CABN at ( 773 ) 878-3697 or ( 773 ) 878-4781, or CABNstopthehate@aol.com .
