Pictured Thanks to Russ Klettke for finding this 1968 poll on inter-racial marriage, New York Times Nov. 10, 1968. "Do you approve of marriage between whites and non-whites?" U.S.? Just 20%. Sweden was tops at 67%.
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Marriage Matters
Why should marriage matter for the GLBT community? There are dozens of other priorities that have to do with everyday survival that are more important. In fact, I would have to say I am against same-sex marriage because marriage itself is a faulty institution, whose patriarchal roots are based on ownership of women. It has a 50% failure rate, and even questionable benefits when it comes to raising children. ( Raise your hands, those of you from dysfunctional two-opposite-sex-parents families. )
But there are two realities we can't deny.
First, the more than 1,000 legal and tax benefits conferred on heterosexually married partners.
Second, the tremendous social impact of the legalization of same-sex marriage. It is a line in the sand that, once crossed, equalizes gays and lesbians in a way that hundreds of gay TV show characters can't do.
Less than 40 years ago, this country's majority opposed interracial marriages. It took a socially progressive court system to overturn archaic laws banning those loving partners from marrying. The courts had to lead the fight because our elected officials always follow the polls.
Civil rights must not be determined by surveys and attitudes. And marriage, unfortunately, is an institution that must be treated as a "civil right" since it confers benefits. Maybe, in the end, the entire institution of marriage must be dismantled—so the law and IRS do not discriminate against single people.
Playing Games
As a member of the original group which bid on hosting the Gay Games in Chicago in 2006, I am happy to also be involved in plans to take the decision to the community and city over the next few weeks.
All I really want to see is not a knee-jerk automatic "no way." There is a way to host the Gay Games in Chicago in 2006, if the sports and culture community steps up to the plate with their time and interest.
The Gay Games is really a much more basic institution than many host cities have made it out to be. It is about the athletes, plus two cultural events ( band and choral ) . Everything else, the parties and dances and all, are ancillary to the Gay Games movement.
Chicago's sports community already hosts a half dozen major tournaments and races a year, and many gays also compete in mainstream sporting events here such as the marathon and triathlon. The expertise is there to run the 26 or so sporting events, and attract thousands of athletes to continue the Gay Games movement in the name of founder Tom Waddell.
Every day in Chicago, there are also amazing cultural and social events. If a Gay Games organization just focused on the minimum requirements for a Gay Games ( the sports and two culture events ) , the community itself can run the others as benefits or for businesses.
LCCP and Chix Mix could do a women's dance, Hearts Foundation a circuit party, TPAN a health fair, Mountain Moving a Women's Music Fest, C.C. Carter a poetry slam, Equality Illinois a reception for worldwide GLBT elected officials, About Face and Bailiwick can run theatre festivals, and the Lesbian and Gay Film Fest and International Mr. Leather could run events.
Chicago already has the capacity and expertise. Chicago can put itself on the worldwide map as an amazing GLBT destination. And it can be done on a much smaller scale that not only lowers the risk, it re-focuses the Gay Games on what they are really about—athletes and performers.
Montreal will go ahead with their plans. There are dozens of major events like this around the world, such at Hotlanta, Eurogames, the Gay World Series, and much more. The community is strong enough to support all of these.
The answer has not been decided about whether Chicago will bid again. There will be a public meeting this month [ see next week's gay press for details ] , and meetings are being held with government officials.
The bottom line is that this could be a major boost for the Chicago GLBT community and the city's reputation for business, sports, culture and diversity. But only with the support of many key leaders working together to complete the dream.
Dems and Dose
How shocking. Politics won out yet again in the Illinois Senate. Pate Philip, the former Senate President, was the culprit the Democrats blamed for years for holding up a vote on the state gay-rights bill. Philip, a Republican, would not even allow the bill out of committee for a vote.
Well, the Democrats said they needed a House and Senate majority, as well as a Dem in the governor's mansion, to pass gay rights. Now they have it. They can pass a sweetheart phone company deal in hours. They can even pass much-loathed [ by pols ] ethics reforms. But they don't have the power to pass civil-rights legislation?
After a much-touted news conference where Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones said it is time for the bill to pass, maybe the truth is they really just didn't want it after all.
The community needs a vote. Even if it fails, we need to know who is truly on our side when the votes are being counted, and who scurries when the lights are turned on.
When the city gay-rights bill continued to languish for years, a failed vote actually finally gave the community clarity—who was with us, who was against us. If members of the Democratic leadership do not have the backbone to back the community, they should at least have the guts to say it to our faces.
Yes or no. It's all we ask.
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