Who Sets The Priorities?

As we struggle for Human Rights, who determines what the priorities are? A few day ago there was an article in the New York Times by Dan Savage and in the article he sets forth a number of goals. He is not along, in many of the national blogs that I read the same goals are stated, unfortunately they are not my goals. They are good goals, but they are very narrow goals that only effect only a few people. What are the goals? They are to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and marriage equality, and they throw us a bone by listing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) way down on the list. He said,

A Gay Agenda for Everyone
By DAN SAVAGE
Published: January 22, 2011
New York Times

I’m not an idiot: Now that the Republicans hold the House, only wishful thinkers and the deeply delusional expect to see any movement on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legislative agenda this year or next. Nevertheless, President Obama should address gay rights in his State of the Union speech this week, and he should tackle the biggest, most meaningful right of them all: the right to marry.

Way down in the article he writes…

Gay Americans are eventually going to win on marriage just like we won on military service, the president should tell Congress, so why not save everyone on both sides of the debate a lot of time, trouble and money by approving the entire gay rights agenda? Send the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Student Non-Discrimination Act, the Uniting American Families Act and the repeal of the odious Defense of Marriage Act to his desk for his signature.

Notice something about what he writes, he starts out saying, “movement on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legislative agenda”, but then it becomes “gay rights” and “Gay Americans”, I think that is quite telling.

A rebuttal to Dan Savage’s editorial said,

Dan Savage’s ‘Gay Agenda’ Isn’t My LGBTQ Agenda
Campus Progress
By Jessica Mowles
January 24th, 2011

To hear Dan Savage tell it in yesterday's New York Times, all the United States must do to secure the full spectrum of human rights for its LGBTQ citizens is pass three bills and repeal another. Savage's op ed, one among a handful of thought leaders' opinions on President Barack Obama's remarks in tomorrow's State of the Union, was notable in the simple fact that an LGBTQ voice was given a place at the elite table of the NYT Opinion section. For me, the congratulations end here.

Savage opens with the declaration that Obama “should tackle the biggest, most meaningful right of them all: the right to marry.” While marriage equality is a hot-button cultural, political, and fundraising issue, we've heard again and again why it's not the most important issue for every LGBTQ person or even most LGBTQ people. The LGBTQ activist movement, or the “gay agenda,” as Savage dubs it, consists of millions of people of all genders, sexualities, abilities, races, and socio-economic statuses. Its members need and want a variety of measures to ensure their human rights, the right to marry one among many on a very, very long list. Naming marriage equality as the number one issue among LGBTQ Americans is dishonest at best and divisive at worst. Marriage equality isn't a panacea, and to frame it as such undermines the dire importance of other LGBT human rights measures.
[…]
…Kudos on looking beyond marriage, but is this really the entire package of legislation that will make life better, easier, and discrimination-free for LGBTQ folks? What about access to appropriate, respectful health care? Or mandated school curriculum that acknowledges LGBTQ history alongside civil rights and women's rights movements? How about housing non-discrimination measures, in addition to employment, and how about making all those non-discrimination acts trans-inclusive?...

Jessica… Right On!

What good is marriage if you cannot have a job? What good is marriage if you cannot have a roof over your head? What good is marriage if you cannot feed your family? What good is marriage if you cannot get health care for your family? What good is marriage if you can never go anywhere without being thrown out? LGBTQ people need protection in employment, housing, public accommodation and credit; once that is achieved, then we can demand marriage equality. Let’s not let Gay Inc. set the agenda.