Pink- Sober at VMA's

Just wanted to upload this performance- i thought it was fantastic and definitely the highlight among a lot of craziness which threatened to overshadow this fantastic performance.

Has the battle for gay marriage been won already?

"We've Already Won the Battle over Gay Marriage" (Paul Waldman, April 14th 2009, the 'Prospect')

I recently read the above article by Paul Waldman and was amazed at the delusional optimism portrayed in this article. I believe that the battle will only be won once every same sex marriage is universally acknowledged as equal to opposite sex marriages throughout the entire country, both on a state level and a federal level. I am going to assess how far we, as a country, have come to achieving this goal- Are we as close as Mr. Walman would lead us to believe, or is there a long struggle ahead for same sex couples to have their unions recognized as a fully fledged marriage?

There are fifty six official territories that claim US citizenship, including the fifty states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin and Northern Mariana Islands. Thus far, four states legally recognize gay marriage- Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and Iowa (in September 2009). New Hampshire looks certain to join this list to become the fifth state in January 2010, while the status in Maine is pending a November state wide-vote. While this is a huge step forward in a very short space of time (in November 2008 only one of these states offered same sex marriage), it is still a very small proportion  the United States.

Also, considering that these states are all, bar Iowa, in the historically ultra-liberal north eastern region of the country, it cannot be used as an accurate analysis of how the country stands on this issue. In terms of population, these five states make up less than 5%. To put that into perspective, Florida could match this within their state alone and still have a few million to spare. This is a vital issue when it comes to a democratic system such as the one that Americans have implemented. The entire constitution dictates the majority vote always wins. This means that for the gay community to have any chance of achieving equal rights, they must get the votes in some populous states to stand any chance.

The top five largest states( in terms of population) are (from 2008 estimates):

1. California (36.75 million),
2. Texas (24.3 million),
3. New York (19.5 million),
4. Florida (18.3 million)
5. Illinois (12.9 million).

Together these states hold more than a third of the total population of the USA. Not one of these states recognizes gay marriage, which is devastating to the case hoping to appeal the DOMA act (which states that the federal government cannot recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex). The passing of Prop 8 was a huge blow for the gay rights movement, which has only been slightly softened by the surge of movement towards gay marriage in New England states.

In order for the federal government to be able to consider repealing the DOMA act, gay rights campaigners need to turn the tide in California or New York (considering that Texas and Florida are very unlikely to support gay marriage in the near future due to the high proportion of religious conservatives voters in those states). Since California has only just passed its only same sex marriage ban in the form of Proposition 8, the more realistic target is New York, which has a bill currently waiting to be voted on by the NY senate, which has been backed by the New York governor David Patterson. Victory in New York would be massive to gay rights, as it makes it more difficult for federal government to continue to withhold rights to such a large population who are demanding it.

Another vital victory for gay marriage would be Washington DC. As the political control centre of the USA and the location of all 3 federal government branches, it would be extremely difficult to impose a law over the country if it was undermined by the very place where the laws are made. Also considering that the US congress has a unique control over DC, where they decide on laws governing DC more than any self government within the territory itself. Therefore, if gay marriage is made legal to be performed in DC (any marriage performed outside of DC are currently recognized), it would give a very good indication of how congress would vote on a federal repeal.

Due to the huge level of power within Washington DC, it would be a battle in which every gay rights supporter should be concentrating on, as it would be the biggest step to achieving marriage equality within the gay rights movement.

The third place which would be considered a huge victory for gay rights is being included not because of its population or power. Nevada is being included because it contains the 'Marriage Capital of the world'. Nevada is the one state which has the power to grant same sex couples the right to have a 'quickie' marriage (as exercised by many famous celebrities).
If same sex couples were able to get married in Vegas it would give a right that has long been taken for granted by heterosexual couples, and culturally give homosexual couples a far better chance of being viewed as equal in the eyes of the people, rather than just the law (consider how many movies, television shows or books have featured a couple getting married in Vegas- imagine if it became as 'normal' to see same sex couples jetting down to Vegas to marry).

Another battle still to be resolved is that of public opinion, which is possibly the biggest obstacle to achieving same sex marriage equality. Currently the religious right is a powerful force when it comes to the ballot box (gay marriage has yet to achieve a majority in any national or state-wide vote ever). Gay rights activist cannot ignore their right to protest gay marriage, as it completely undermines the very message of everyone being equal. A better approach would be to stress that these voters (led by organizations like National organization of Marriage) DO have the right to oppose same sex marriage, or even homosexuality, if they so choose.

What they do not have the right to do is define the rights of other people who do not share their views. I believe that the traditional marriage supporters believe that the passage of gay marriage law would force them to support such marriages. This is not the case! Take the example of smoking laws- smoking is legal throughout the country, yet there is a huge population of people who find the habit 'disgusting' and object to it. Yet there is no mainstream campaign to make smoking illegal or have the right to smoke taken away. This can be applied to gay marriage- it provides rights, but it does not force anyone to support or endorse any of these unions. I believe that gay rights supporters need to stress this message- they can passionately hate homosexuality, without feeling the need to impose this view on a country of over 300 million residents, with 300 million different perspectives.

Appealing to the sense of reason will help convince many 'middle of the road' voters, which is the group that needs to be targeted, rather than isolate them with attacks on religious campaigners, who they may follow. The attacks on religious leaders, churches and organizations does very little to attract support to the cause. It tends to push people further towards the other side of argument, as it causes them to oppose any legislation that empowers these people. The strategy needs to be shifted from one of anger to one of trying to release oppression and fulfilling rights for a substantial number of couples throughout the country.

In conclusion, Marriage equality has been taking huge steps recently, with 5 states passing legislation in late 2008/9, but it is far from over- there will be many battle grounds ahead and many setbacks before same-sex couples are truly considered equal, legally and socially. This is a battle that will last for many more years before it can truly be declared over. There will be more tears of heartbreak and jubilation on both sides before it will resolved. The air of inevitability is causing many to feel superior to their opposition, which is exactly what will cause a shift in the current momentum that seems to be heading towards marriage equality. Remember- everyone has the right to opinions, and have their opinions recognized- what no-one has the right to do, on either side, is to impose their view on anyone who doesn't subscribe to their way of thinking.

by,

Ash Stronge, MA

Coming up...

 

Articles discusinng impact on society of such issues as:

 

• Gay marriage
• Abortion
• Universal Healthcare
• Race
• Nationalism and Unionism in Ireland
• Liberalism and conservatism
• Sexism
• Censorship
• Music trends
• Demographic change
• Perspective
• Politics
• Sex
• Television
• Celebrity/paparatzi culture
• Drugs/alcohol
• and many more