the ch!cktionary — Obama's Plan for Gay Rights

22 Jun 2009
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13 notes

I was a late Obama convert, if you could even call it that. I ended up casting a ballot for him, but I was rather suspicious of his unwillingness to support same-sex marriage outright. I can’t tell you how many times I heard Obama supporters insist that he couldn’t afford to take a strong stance on gay rights until after he won the election. How many of them, I wonder, had to bite their tongue every time their hero said “civil unions” instead of marriage? Since I was unsure about how he’d handle the issue, I took a “we’ll see” attitude about his presidency and didn’t buy into all the post-election fandom. Trust me, it was pretty alienating out there. And now? Well, unlike the economy, this is not a matter that’s completely out of his hands and yet, he’s made little to no progress toward recognizing the civil liberties of one of the most visible and marginalized groups in the nation. When it comes to DOMA, he’s actually contributed to the further marginalization of LGBT people. The Department of Justice brief was ludicrous, unnecessary, and full of arguments oddly reminiscent of those I’ve heard from the religious right. (All this is especially hypocritical given that Obama loudly touted his opposition to DOMA when running for office.)

Sure, I voted for him and it’s not like I’d prefer McCain, but this is an incredibly sad case of choosing the lesser of two evils. Obama was supposed to be the messiah, and now it’s become abundantly clear that he’s just another politician. Her husband’s frustrating non-contributions aside, Hillary Clinton would have been a far superior LGBT advocate had she won the Democratic nomination and the presidential race. For one, she wouldn’t make astoundingly stupid and obvious PR mistakes like asking Rick Warren to deliver the invocation. Second, she’s been a very public advocate for years and was the first person in the Obama administration to actually do something that expanded gay rights.

The extension of benefits to partners of federal employees is a nice courtesy and all, but this comes incredibly late in the game and is hardly the earth-shattering change promised just a few months ago. Given the timing (the anniversary of Stonewall, the DNC’s LGBT Fundraiser), I’m going to call this a poorly disguised, eleventh-hour political maneuver.

This isn’t to say that marriage is some great thing that we should all try to get our gay pals to sign up for. I will never get married because it is a (historically and religiously speaking) bullshit institution based on exclusion of those who don’t fit the parameters of acceptable relationships. My ideal America wouldn’t even involve marriage. I’d be happy with civil unions if they were given to everyone (including straights) and not a second-best option for those a little too queer to be accepted into the same club as everyone else. Unfortunately, the dissolution of marriage would probably provoke outcry among pro-family groups and aspiring Bridezillas.

In conclusion, I should move to Europe, where this type of stuff is taken for granted. Seriously, America, get with the program. The entire Western world is ahead of you on this one.