Free to submit to the ties that bind
Having been married once, your blogstress has never been one to beat the gay-marriage drum so loudly. While she understands that there are no equal rights for queer folk until we are free to marry within our own gender frames, it is an issue with such improbable personal ramifications for your Webwench that she has scarely ever worked up a dewy glow over it. Marriage is marriage, with all the attendant dynamics, and once was enough for your ecrivaine. She simply doesn't see where being married to a woman would be much of an improvement on that shopworn theme.
That said, today's decision from the California Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage is a mind-blower. It's good stuff on the rights front. Gonna be evil in the presidential election.
My solution? Keep the state out of the marriage biz altogether. Marriage is the business of the churches.
Comments
You make important comments regarding the lesbian and gay population's quest for equal marriage in your May 15, 2008 blog.
But I would like to expand the conversation by bringing up the fact that I've noticed that some White advoctes for the Gay and Lesbia community compare their gender inequality and mistreatment to the holacust of the enslavement of African people and the violent, economic, and political racism African Americans have experienced in the United States. I know that gays and lesbians have been historic victims of violence and that they are oppresed in many ways, particularly by most employers which should be fought against as African Americans and women have struggled to do in the courts.
Plus, although I support equal marriage, I'm not too sure equal marriage will resolve issues regarding employment and
healthcare for the gay and lesbian community. Employers have always found ways to get around whatever they want to unless a law suit is filed.
But to compare the deprivation and cruelty that Blacks have received stemming from the racist and dehuminized enslaved africans with the same oppression of gays means that perhaps there should be dialog regarding this issue.
Obviously, those who represent the gay community lack a real analytical understanding of racism and capitalism in America.
More importantly,using the misery of African Americans as an argument to help justify equal marriage without even encouraging conversation to take place in communities populated by people of color may cause a serious backlash.
On February 23, a credible civil rights organization sent out a press release titled "NAACP EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE’S CHALLENGE TO PROP. 8, CALLS FOR ITS OVERTURN," which is a powerful statement coming from an historic African American Organization.
But the truth of the matter is that this movement is coming from the top and the organization's membership at the bottom are outraged about the press release because the National office of the NAACP has never held dialog within the organization about it beyond their board. They have not encouraged conversations about the gay and lesbian communities in their branch chapters or even mentioned it in their Crises Magazine.
Many people in the African American community, particularly in the churches need to engage in conversation about homosexuality because they are incensitive when it comes to understanding that gays and lesbians in our community have a right to life, liberty in persuit of happiness too, and they too are children of God, which is why having dialog specifically dealing with the issues in their communities are very important.
I think we the people have a right to ask questions about equal marriage and what makes the white gay population advocate for it using the misery of blacks by comparing their inequalities with the evil wicked institution of enslavement and the extenduating violent and racist circumstances black people have been faced with up until today.
The gay population are human beings just like everybody else but they have not been treated the same as African Americans in this country. However, the argument that some of our gay and lesbian white brothers and sisters are using by signifying that they have been treated the same as African Americans in this country is divisive and just plan stupid.