I Said It,

I said that trans people and drag queens were just the beginning that the far right-wing evangelicals has marriage equality in their sights.

America Got Gay Marriage, but It Came at a Cost
New York Times
By Omar G. Encarnación
June 24, 2024

It’s a strange time for gay rights in America. As the country nears the 10th anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage nationwide, support for same-sex unions has risen to 70 percent of the American public. But at the same time, L.G.B.T.Q. people are being targeted in ways not seen since the days of Save Our Children, Anita Bryant’s infamous 1977 campaign against gay rights that depicted gay men as human garbage and pedophiles.

In recent years, Republican-controlled state legislatures have banned drag shows, gender-affirming care for minors and adults, and the teaching of sexual orientation from kindergarten through the third grade, including the passage of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Panic about “grooming,” a homophobic slur that exploits people’s worst fears about gay people and children, is having a moment.

Even Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nationally, is under attack. In 2020, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas cast doubt on the legality of the ruling, which could yet go the same way as Roe v. Wade. The Respect for Marriage Act, passed by Congress in 2022, did not codify the ruling into law and would provide scant protection.

We all knew this was coming, the hand writing was on the wall… they hate anything LGBTQ+ they want us wiped off the face of the earth, they want to bring back pre-Stonewall.

To be sure, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples was a major step for American society. But it did not require Americans to question their fundamental assumptions about L.G.B.T.Q. people. And despite its modesty, the campaign didn’t stop backlash or the sense among conservative activists and lawmakers that attacking L.G.B.T.Q. people is a low-risk proposition.

Yeah, the Republicans know that not many people will stand by us, that we were easy pickings to distract the people from the real issues in the world today… war, poverty, the gap between the have’s and the have’s not.

The author sees the way we worked to get marriage equality and our human rights as working against us now,

Inspired by the civil rights movement’s struggle for equality under the law, the campaign — which ran for roughly two decades until the ruling in 2015 — was framed around rights and benefits. It spotlighted the rights denied to same-sex couples, including tax deductions, inheritance provisions and hospital visitation privileges.

But the message backfired, coming across as sterile, materialistic and unpersuasive. It also invited the criticism that gay people were comparing their struggle for marriage to the fight against racial discrimination by African Americans. A different message, centered on love and commitment, was introduced late in the campaign to show that same-sex couples wanted marriage for the same reasons heterosexuals do.

Neither messaging, however, made the case for L.G.B.T.Q. equality beyond pleading for opening the institution of marriage to same-sex couples. For the most part, gay marriage activists did not defend the morality of homosexual unions. Nor did they refute the claim by the Christian right that gay marriage was a threat to the family and religious freedom.

Um… I don’t know… I think he is off base.

But just because the conditions surrounding the struggle for gay marriage were different abroad does not mean that there’s nothing for American gay activists to learn. After all, the culture war over gay marriage in countries like Spain, Brazil and Ireland was won with smaller and less seasoned gay rights movements than in the United States and against formidable opponents like the Catholic Church and the evangelical movement.

I think this guy is way out in left field. If you look at the polls you will see strong support for LGBTQ+ community. According to Gallup...

Same-sex marriage: 69% of Americans believe that marriage between same-sex couples should be legal, according to a Gallup poll conducted in May 2024. This is near the record high of 71% recorded in 2022 and 2023.

And according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) as reported by the Guardian,

Nondiscrimination protections: Support for policies protecting LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations fell slightly from 80% in 2022 to 76% in 2023.

There is strong support for our rights by Democrats, and independents, but even among Republicans there is some support. It is the far right-wing agenda that wants to do away with us, unfortunately that is the cult that is controlling the Republican party right now. But the PRRI survey shows the Republican lies are having the effect on public opinion. We need to better educate the public about healthcare for minors and counter their lies about puberty blockers, and surgery for minors. The Times article ends with,

American gay activists would be wise to recalibrate their activism, shifting from a rights-based approach, with its emphasis on litigation, to one more oriented toward citizenship and dignity. They may also want to embrace a more ambitious and idealistic mind-set, aiming squarely at public persuasion. Modesty has its virtues, of course. But when it comes to struggles for fairness and equality, it pays to go big and aim high.

Um… sir. We have been doing that. But if you follow the news you would know that the Republicans just don’t care about public opinion, they care about radicalizing their evangelical base.