While the struggles of gays and African Americans share comparisons it is wrong to view them under one movement. Today there are no fire hoses or police dogs attacking gay activists, and while hate crimes do take place, we are assured that our judicial system will bring the appropriate punishment to the perpetrators. But it is also wrong to think the Civil Rights struggle should only encompass African Americans. The term “faggot” and phrase “that’s so gay” have replaced the “n-word” as the most socially acceptable derogatory slur that stems from the degradation of a minority group. Additionally, both movements depict a minority fighting for equality and while we are told that such minority interests are protected against the majority under the Constitution, this is clearly not the case in California.
By a simple majority vote, California passed Proposition 8, easily adding another amendment to the longest State Constitution in the US. Although there have already been three laws suits stating Proposition 8 was an illegal Constitution revision rather than an amendment because it fundamentally alters the guarantee of equal protection, these are projected to fail.
Many prop 8 opponents, especially first time younger voters who mostly opposed the initiative, awoke to this news Wednesday morning in disbelief. How could the most liberally progressive state uphold discrimination and inequality? The answer is fairly simple though: religion. Religion has been used to oppress minorities and restrict civil liberties since the early days of our Nation. Of the seven in ten voters who described themselves as Christian, two-thirds of them voted in favor of the ban. A Los Angeles Times article highlights another factor of the ban.
“Jeffrey Jackson of Lynwood said he struggled with how he would vote on Proposition 8. On the one hand, as a black man casting his ballot for Obama, he said he had a deep and personal reverence for civil rights. On the other, he is a Pentecostal Christian. In the end, it was that religious faith that guided his decision. "It's straight biblical," said Jackson, 46. "It's just not right."
To my surprise and disappointment it was ultimately the California black vote that decided the Prop 8 outcome. Exit polls showed that will Asian Americans opposed the measure and Whites and Latinos split evenly, Blacks heavily favored a ban on same-sex marriage by roughly 70 to 75 percent. Even though Obama himself opposed Prop 8, this was not widely advertised most likely for fear of affecting key swing states.
Blacks are not only passing the Civil Rights torch to the LGBT community, but also helping to throw it even farther back.
Since his 2004 keynote speech I have actively followed the career of Senator Barack Obama and am truly elated about his election. Yet, November 4th will also mark the day in which a right was taken away and equality was pushed back in the closet.
3 comments:
You've nailed the issue on the head: religion is a divisive factor in the issue of civil rights, because people use religion to discriminate on the basis of race, gender and most recently, sexual orientation.
I believe LGBT rights is a new civil rights issue in America, but not only because of the "marriage question."
Marriage is the issue most often presented to the public when relating to the LGBT community.
Their civil rights issues have been around for decades: revolving around not being treated equally--not allowed to date who they want, present themselves how they want, take a date to the prom, start a school club, get a job, the list goes on.
There is alot of hate crime, homophobia, and even police violence against gays in America despite the fact we think it has decreased. In fact, a recent report by the FBI claims hate crimes against gay people have gone up.
As much as the media accepts the LGBT community and as much as those of us liberal, city dwellers accept the LGBT community, most of America hasn't caught up yet.
That's who we need to be targeting these civil rights pleas to. We need to go to states with little civil protections for LGBT couples--where gay teens and gay adults can't go to school or get a job without getting accosted-- and advocate for changes in policy.
California is very well off right now--they have some of the best protections for LGBT people (domestic partnership laws) in the country. While we still should focus on the fight to protect LGBT Californians right to marry, I think we should have a larger goal of securing LGBT Americans basic rights in those places where Americans don't feel safe yet.
Let's not forget, it was also because of religion many of our most progressive movements have occured. After all, the Civil Rights Movement was led by a strongly religious leader, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Remember, religion is just a crutch to prop 8 opposers. The Bible says lots of things even the strictest Christians don't follow or ignore. Religion just makes a great cover up for a disgust factor.
i find your article very interesting...isn't religion about bringing people to God, not shunning them from his house? The church is so backwards these days, i've lost touch...
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