The Republican Party platform states, “We believe that marriage, the union of one man and one woman must be upheld as the national standard, a goal to stand for, encourage and promote through laws governing marriage.”
Make-up for Miss Piggy, stat! Bring the lipstick, Republican red!
In spite of the Republican Party position, during the last two weeks the judicial system has done its job guaranteeing one of the essential principles of the U.S. Constitution; equal protection under the law.
Just two short weeks ago, only 19 states plus the District of Columbia had same-sex marriage. Then the U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear appeals from states where same-sex marriage bans were ruled unconstitutional allowed the lower court rulings to stand. This essentially paved the road for same-sex marriage in an additional 11 states.
A few days later the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional in Nevada and Idaho. Add in the additional states under the Ninth Circuit and same-sex marriage will be legal in 35 states in short order.
Today, nearly 55 percent of the U.S. population lives where there is marriage equality; once the pesky little legal challenges are resolved in the last few states where federal appellate courts have ruled in favor of marriage equality, that number will grow to over 64 percent. Phenomenal.
Of course, revisionist history has already begun. I laughed at how quickly the moderate, younger members of the Republican Party were attempting to put lipstick on a pig. Recent polls indicate that 59 percent of the Republican Party is against same-sex marriage. The discriminatory view is personified by Republican Party leaders like House Speaker John Boehner, Congressman Ted Cruz, likely 2016 presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee and Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus.
Younger Republicans could be seen on the weekend political shows indicating this was not the view of those in their party under 50. It was not the view of the grassroots leaders in the party. It was not even an important issue to the vast majority of their party. I guess the 59 percent was made up of old, crotchety Republicans who are sitting at home thinking about how much they hate the “gays.” No, wait. The 59 percent of Republicans against same-sex marriage must have read the Party platform which was reaffirmed by the Republican National Committee just 18 months ago.
Begrudgingly, I have to respect the Boehners and Huckabees of the world; at least they have conviction to their wrong-headed beliefs. It is the Republicans that say “I am fiscally conservative but socially liberal” that cause concern. The fact that we don’t have equal rights does not factor in their voting decision. These Republicans say they believe the LGBT community should have equal rights but when it comes down to it, income tax policy is more important than our ability to live freely and marry the person we love. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s the truth.
I was on the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) when the marriage issue came to the forefront in Hawaii in the mid ‘90s. HRC raised the $1 million needed to wage a reasonable fight in Hawaii. Many in the community thought it was a waste of valuable resources; they have been proven wrong. Though we lost the initial fight in Hawaii, it put the issue front and center within our community and on the national stage. 20 years later and we have same-sex marriage in the majority of America. That is unprecedented speedy progress that cannot be matched by any other civil rights movement in history.
It is the American people who have made marriage equality a reality with the help of the leadership of the Democratic Party. Yes, there are some Republicans or Independents who helped, but in the end Democrats deserve the vast majority of the credit. All of the hard working people within our movement also should take a bow for changing hearts and minds. And dare I say it, President Obama.
As those who were on the forefront of the fight against marriage equality attempt to downplay their roles, don’t be fooled. They want the voter to do what they always do, forget the facts. I for one will not forget. Nov. 4, I’m dancing with the guys and gals who brought me here –President Obama and the Democratic Party. Not with the Republican Party who blocked the front door of the dance, asked for five types of identification and still denied me entry.
As the song goes …
“You got to dance with who brung you, swing with who swung you,
Life ain’t no forty-yard dash, be in it for the long run,
’cause in the long run you’ll have more fun, if you dance with who brung you to the bash.” (Lyrics: Ray Benson)
STAMPP CORBIN
PUBLISHER
San Diego LGBT Weekly
