I am very curious why you didn’t respond to the rest of my reply–are you in agreement?

The issue of same-sex marriage was forced upon us by the far right–but then again, it seems that people who are fighting for same-sex marriage appear to be used to having the far right drive the debate, when it should be us who’s forcing the issues that need to be raised. That’s been a major problem–with a lack of clear leadership, those who are organized will speak for us. Personally, I’m sick of people who are for queer rights who just react–instead of act.

So recognizing that, what does that mean? It’s not like we can just pull ourselves out of this issue. It has to be fought to its logical conclusion–whatever that means.

Personally, I find it disconcerting that in the drive for same-sex marriage in California that other more basic rights are not protected for queers. Same-sex marriage is all well and good, but if I can still be fired from my job for having a same-sex partner or looking like the “wrong” gender; if my kids can be harrassed by fellow students and administrators without any sort of state protection because they’re perceived to be queer; if my elders have to hide their orientation or gender presentation in an elder care home for fear of discrimination, then what’s the point?

Personally, I feel that a government-sanctioned couple should be completely independent of marriage. It honestly feels for me that for many conservatives, the issue is one of semantics–while many of them were howling about the use of “gay marriage”, they were also quietly pushing for the strongest civil union partnerships in the US before same-sex marriage happened in Massachusetts.

Claims that Gay liberation and the civil rights movement are analogous is a “slap in the face” to black people are false. Pointing out obvious likenesses between the two social movements is not the same as saying the movements are the same.

Another false claim: gay marriage is not a civil rights issue. For the record, rightfully categorizing gay marriage as a civil right is not the same as saying gay marriage is the civil rights movement. Civil rights refer to protection against public (government) and or private sector discrimination. Period. One more time: civil rights are not exclusively tied to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Civil rights are not the exclusive purview of black America.

Finally to suggest gay marriage is a top priority of white, elitist gay men is WRONG. The marriage debate’s exigence was created by religious and state organizations preemptively legislating anti-gay discrimination. This fact is the bittersweet irony of the gay marriage debate. Homophobes put the issue on gay radar. When the US Supreme Court overturned sodomy bans, I distinctly remember religious leaders suggesting gay marriage would be the next “battle.” Gay people, across the board, have been cornered into the gay marriage debate. Keep in mind, gay marriage is incommensurable with the goals of radical feminism and the queer movement. Several people who identify as “queer” have had to rethink their stance on identity politics because of all this.

addtionally from NPR:

Another poll by the Center for the Study of L.A. found in Los Angeles, just over half of blacks supported Prop 8. Fernando Guerra directs the center at Loyola Marymount University. He told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that he doubts black opposition to the measure was as large as has been reported.

Fernando Guerra: Seventeen-and-a-half percent of all blacks in state of California live and vote in city of L.A. – so neither one of ours could be correct because for us to get only 52 percent – and statewide 70 percent, all blacks outside the city of Los Angeles would have had to support that proposition by 75 percent, so it makes it even higher.”

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/210299/november-11-2008/proposition-8-protests—dan-savage

Hilarious clip too since Dan Savage makes Colbert crack up!

@Ernie – http://www.fivethirtyeight.com rocks! One of the many sites I followed during the election season…

I mean, I’m sure those groups were not just sitting around waiting for someone to ask them for their perspective and assistance. I’m sure they must have tried to get involved but were ignored and turned away as irrelevant, right? I’m just curious how this actually went down.