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sparkindarknessLet us begin with the good news
Gay friendly and openly gay people win in NC and Houston.
Kalamazoo protects GBLT people from discrimination
Washington expands GBLT rights
Then the awfully bad news.
And there was a deeply disappointing and wounding defeat in Maine Again the love and families of gay people have been cast aside by the forces of hate and bigotry. The campaign against such simple need for love and security was virulent and poisonous. Homophobia struck a strong blow.
And it’s not just marriage rights. It’s the message that has been said. Maine cannot say that they disapprove of gay people being treated as second class, they cannot say they disapprove of or condemn gays being devalued or othered - because their own law books say it’s ok. You can’t say that gay people are equal - in rights, value or as citizens - if your laws are bigoted against gays. The messages don’t match. And on the back of such messages, the othered and devalued homosexuals suffer.
Like California, Arizona, Florida and so many others, the people of Maine have legitimised homophobia. And that is terrifying.
Rights should not be subject to mob rule
And this is wrong. ALL of it is wrong. From Kalamazoo to Washington to Maine (not including the gay friendly and openly gay candidates since that’s separate). GBLT people should not be having to fight for basic human rights through the ballot box. Rights should not be subject to popular vote! Mob rule should not be able to strip people of their rights, their protections and their equality - that’s what human rights are FOR. Last night, GBLT people should not have been on the edges of their seat worrying about whether the majority would allow them to be treated like equal citizens or not.
I have said this before. The empowered majority does not NEED rights not to be discriminated against. Those who dominate the land do not need rights to protect them from discrimination. They do not need rights to ensure they are treated as well as their fellow citizens.
Because they’re the ones in power. They are protected, as a group, through their privilege.
Rights against discrimination exist to protect those who are marginalised, who face bigotry and prejudice on a wide scale. Rights against discrimination exist to protect the minorities, the weak, the hated from the dominant, the powerful, the majority. There’s a reason why equal rights battles are fought through courts and legislatures and not referendums - because if the majority of the people respected our rights and our equality WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO FIGHT.
To put these rights up for the vote makes a mockery of the very concept of these rights. There is no right if it can be brushed aside by mob rule. These votes - even the victories - create the dangerous ground where the safety, equality and rights of marginalised people last only so long as the privileged allow them to.
Keep Fighting
Remember, there were more victories than defeats yesterday. And yes, the Maine defeat is heartbreaking but the margin was close! The momentum is still very much pro-GBLT. It's not going as smoothly as it could - but it is going. Step by step
'Fierce advocacy'
It’s also disappointing to see how little support the campaign received from the ‘fierce advocate’
It’s reported that the DNC not only added neither money nor endorsement to the anti-gay marriage law but also worked to encourage Mainers to get involved in New Jersey’s elections
Gay friendly and openly gay people win in NC and Houston.
Kalamazoo protects GBLT people from discrimination
Washington expands GBLT rights
Then the awfully bad news.
And there was a deeply disappointing and wounding defeat in Maine Again the love and families of gay people have been cast aside by the forces of hate and bigotry. The campaign against such simple need for love and security was virulent and poisonous. Homophobia struck a strong blow.
And it’s not just marriage rights. It’s the message that has been said. Maine cannot say that they disapprove of gay people being treated as second class, they cannot say they disapprove of or condemn gays being devalued or othered - because their own law books say it’s ok. You can’t say that gay people are equal - in rights, value or as citizens - if your laws are bigoted against gays. The messages don’t match. And on the back of such messages, the othered and devalued homosexuals suffer.
Like California, Arizona, Florida and so many others, the people of Maine have legitimised homophobia. And that is terrifying.
Rights should not be subject to mob rule
And this is wrong. ALL of it is wrong. From Kalamazoo to Washington to Maine (not including the gay friendly and openly gay candidates since that’s separate). GBLT people should not be having to fight for basic human rights through the ballot box. Rights should not be subject to popular vote! Mob rule should not be able to strip people of their rights, their protections and their equality - that’s what human rights are FOR. Last night, GBLT people should not have been on the edges of their seat worrying about whether the majority would allow them to be treated like equal citizens or not.
I have said this before. The empowered majority does not NEED rights not to be discriminated against. Those who dominate the land do not need rights to protect them from discrimination. They do not need rights to ensure they are treated as well as their fellow citizens.
Because they’re the ones in power. They are protected, as a group, through their privilege.
Rights against discrimination exist to protect those who are marginalised, who face bigotry and prejudice on a wide scale. Rights against discrimination exist to protect the minorities, the weak, the hated from the dominant, the powerful, the majority. There’s a reason why equal rights battles are fought through courts and legislatures and not referendums - because if the majority of the people respected our rights and our equality WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO FIGHT.
To put these rights up for the vote makes a mockery of the very concept of these rights. There is no right if it can be brushed aside by mob rule. These votes - even the victories - create the dangerous ground where the safety, equality and rights of marginalised people last only so long as the privileged allow them to.
Keep Fighting
Remember, there were more victories than defeats yesterday. And yes, the Maine defeat is heartbreaking but the margin was close! The momentum is still very much pro-GBLT. It's not going as smoothly as it could - but it is going. Step by step
'Fierce advocacy'
It’s also disappointing to see how little support the campaign received from the ‘fierce advocate’
It’s reported that the DNC not only added neither money nor endorsement to the anti-gay marriage law but also worked to encourage Mainers to get involved in New Jersey’s elections