This week the California Supreme Court ruled that the laws banning Gay Marriage in California were unconstitutional per the California State Constitution. This was a historic day in the history the GLBT struggle for Equal Rights and in the struggle for Equal Rights for All People.
The Republicans are already trying to use this to rally their ultra conservative base to help elect John McCain and reelect some of the worst Republican Senators and Congressmen. This was to be expected. What was not expected was the cry from many progressives on so many blogs.
It’s bad timing.
It will only help the Republicans.
It will help John McCain.
It will hurt Democrats in the fall.
It should have waited till after November.
It will do the same as Gay Marriage did in 2004.
The people saying these things are not progressives. They are the same people who told Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to wait for a better time. The people who told Mildred Loving not to buck the law and file a law suit to end laws that prevented interracial couples from marrying or living in any state. These are the same people who told the suffragettes to wait for the vote. It would happen some day…maybe tomorrow.
Cross posted at Texas Kaos, Daily Kos, Doing My Part For The Left
I was never so disgusted with so called progressives than when they tried to lay the blame for Kerry’s loss in 2004 at the door of the GLBT Community except maybe as they kept telling me that we should wait. Be Patient. There is always tomorrow.
Well, Tomorrow never comes unless you fight. There has never been a civil right awarded just because someone felt good about doing it. No election has been won just because it felt right to vote for the person and no war has been ended just because it was tomorrow.
There is no better time than right now to demand Equal Rights for All Americans. There is no better time than right now to guarantee the right of every American to vote. There is also no better time to protest the war that is killing Americans.
As a dear blogger , shirlstars , commented in an incredible diary about the California decision at Booman Tribune.
“Please, with love, kindness and allowance of your opinion, please get beyond it. I remember when we gays were blamed the day after the 2004 election. It was our fault for wanting civil rights that Kerry lost. And that was on the Big Orange, people who mouthed the words, we support you, we want you to have your rights and then turned immediately to blame.
As I recall I didn’t have anything to do with the lies the rebugs told and continue to spew to try to bring fear to the hearts of american citizens. As I recall I have never asked for nor expected anything other than the same civil rights for everyone, every citizen.
I am not particularly a proponent of marriage, that would be marriage for anyone, straight, gay or otherwise, but if it is a right or a privilege that the government wants to give to citizens, then it must be to all citizens.
We told the African Americans, not yet, be quiet, don’t make waves, it will come. . .sometime. . .and it took hundreds of years. Now we want to tell GLBT, not yet, be quiet, don’t make waves, it will come. . .sometime, just STFU.
Please! Stop living in fear. This country is further along than you think. They will bring change in a wave no one will believe possible. Yes, the repugs will use this issue and every other slimeball, dirty, nasty, lying thing they can come up with. We have a candidate that can and will stand up to them and do it with strength, truth and integrity, not to mention amazing eloquence.
Try to move towards hope and away from fear.
I have to agree with Shirl. The time for living in fear and always waiting for Tomorrow is over. The progressives need to wake up and quit asking the GLBT Community or any other Minority Community to wait till tomorrow. If you can not move beyond your insecurities and fears and actually fight for what is right and celebrate the victories as they happen, then please do not rain on our parade as we move forward instead of backwards. Tomorrow is Here and we are not waiting any more.