Thursday, Jun. 23, 2011

Gay marriage becoming political wedge again

Chris Rudisill.

 

As New Yorkers gear up for one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world, it's still unknown (as of press time) whether this year will also be a celebration for marriage equality or one of disappointment. As of Monday, same sex marriage was only one vote away from approval in the state of New York, a move that could affect marriage equality across the country as one of the most populous states in the nation, slightly behind California (which is still in marriage equality limbo) and Texas. Monday night, Reuters reported that the N.Y. Senate Republican majority had once again delayed a vote on the controversial measure, "citing concerns over exemptions for religious organizations." This means that the vote could come mid-week.

The past few days have been filled with rallies and heated debate over the issue, which previously passed in the New York State Assembly with a vote of 80 to 63. Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-New York) has made gay marriage a top priority.

Timing is poignant marking the anniversary week of the Stonewall Riots that are seen as the starting point for the American Gay Rights Movement. The series of violent demonstrations between police and residents primarily of the Greenwich Village neighborhood took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. The following year, Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York commemorating the anniversary and today gay pride events are held throughout the world near the end of June to honor that date.

The issue also comes up as the 2012 GOP presidential campaigns are gearing up and along with recent debates in Iowa and New Hampshire for a call from the religious right to end same-sex marriage - it seems primed to be the official political wedge of 2012.

According to Steve Peoples of Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper that reports on the legislative and political ins and outs in Washington, primarily during Congressional session, "It's a marked shift from the 2010 election cycle, which largely ignored social issues." "The timing in some ways feels more like 2004," continues Peoples, "when national Republican operatives made sure key swing states had marriage initiatives on the ballot to drive turnout among socially conservative voters, helping the GOP and then-President George W. Bush."

It has the potential to help some prospective presidential candidates too. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (Penn.) told Roll Call that "family is vitally important to the future of our country and the stability of our society." He is also infamously remembered in the gay community for his 2003 comparison of homosexual acts to "man on child, man on dog" relationships. An official ban on same-sex marriage through constitutional amendment has failed to pass, however, in Santorum's own state of Pennsylvania. A constitutional amendment requires approval by both houses of the state legislature for two successive two-year sessions by means of a majority vote before going before voters in a referendum. According to 2011 Public Policy Poll, 63 percent of Pennsylvania voters actually support legal recognition of same-sex couples.

Tea Party doyenne and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and GOP frontrunner Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty would also likely welcome the issue at the polls. They have both spoken out in favor of constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. Bachman has even referred to LGBT people as dysfunctional and in need of help and compassion. Just not equality - right? Pawlenty said that the state shouldn't "sanction or elevate their (LGBT) behavior" with marriage during a debate over the issue in 1997. The Minnesota House of Representatives just voted to place the issue on the ballot in 2012, leaving the decision up to the voters to decide if legal marriage should be limited to heterosexual couples.

Not all GOP candidates are pushing for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. During CNN's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire, candidates Herman Cain and Rep. Ron Paul opposed a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Cain saying the matter should be left up to individual states, much as it is today and Paul taking the Libertarian approach that the government should not be in the business of marriage at all. In addition, the first openly gay Republican candidate, Fred Karger, who is not surprisingly in favor of marriage equality, was not invited to the debate. According to R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans, "The lack of pro-gay candidate participation in the debate perpetuates the myth that Republicans are uniform in their opinions on social issues - a myth which hurts the Republican Party among independents, moderates and younger voters."

Gary Johnson, another candidate, was also not invited to participate.

The former New Mexico governor compared gay rights to the "freedom and liberty" we should all be believing in during an interview in February with CBS News.

Cooper is right about the image this portrays for the Republican party - continuing to paint the group as a bunch of right-wing religious nuts. Those images are continuing to push people away from the Republican party, especially among women and young voters - something that was clearly visible in the 2008 elections. Renewed focus on social issues could continue to divide the country.

Take a look at New Hampshire and the recent debate there. A University of New Hampshire poll released earlier in the month revealed that 29 percent of voters there support the repeal of same-sex marriage while 62 percent oppose repeal. Looking more closely at the numbers, a strong majority of independents, 65 percent, oppose repeal. And surprisingly, even 38 percent of Republicans oppose repeal. Republicans and independents can vote in New Hampshire's primary elections.

Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, said "I would think any potential candidate coming through New Hampshire should know that one in three Republicans and 66 percent of independents support marriage equality here," she said. "New Hampshire's marriage law is popular...People here don't want to hurt their neighbors, co-workers and friends. Eliminating the freedom to marry is not in keeping with New Hampshire's 'live free or die' values."

The same goes with the national trend. Last month, a Gallup poll found that 53 percent of respondents believe "marriages between same-sex couples" should be legal, "with the same rights as traditional marriages." It's the first time that a majority were in favor of gay marriage. Other reports have generated similar results in the past few months, including a CNN poll that found 51 percent support, a Washington Post/ABC poll that found 53 percent support and another CNN poll that found 52 percent support.

While the GOP mastered getting its peeps out to vote against social issues back in the Bush days - this time it may backfire and push more and more toward Obama. Issues such as abortion, immigration and family values may make energetic headlines and interesting fodder for news channels but when it comes to reaching the voters - the big issue still remains - the economy, and shoving social issues up often seems like grasping at straws to divert people's attention from the real issue.

OUT & ABOUT

June 25 & June 27: Monday, June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and more events are scheduled to raise awareness and encourage testing. There will be free HIV testing, an HIV positive speaker and refreshments at Salem Missionary Baptist Church, 11112 Freewoods Road in Myrtle Beach from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday (June 25). Come out for free HIV testing, free blood pressure checks, diabetes screening and free nutritional analysis at the Carver Street Extravaganza, 1403 Carver Street in Myrtle Beach, from 3 - 7 p.m. Monday. Careteam will give individuals a $10 gift card when they return for their results at both events. For more information, visit www.careteamsc.org or call 236-9000.

Have a thought, comment or Out & About event? Send Chris Rudisill an e-mail to SouthernGayWriter@gmail.com. You can also follow along on Facebook.com@SouthernGayWriter for more news and events.