Advertisement

LGBT community will not be scapegoats

{ITAL If you listen to the spin doctors discussing the results of the 2004 election not only are gays destroying the institution of marriage but we also caused Kerry to lose the election.
The news of the day is that exit polling found that "moral values" was the number one concern of voters.}
If you listen to the spin doctors discussing the results of the 2004 election not only are gays destroying the institution of marriage but we also caused Kerry to lose the election.
The news of the day is that exit polling found that "moral values" was the number one concern of voters.
And, of course, many immediately connected the idea of "moral values" with "gay marriage" (or, rather, opposition to equal marriage rights as well as abortion). They came to the conclusion that because Bush stood for "traditional marriage" and against gay and lesbian families, this is the issue that won him the election.
Not so fast.
First of all, Bush and Kerry's positions on marriage equality were relatively similar. Both supported civil unions and opposed marriage. The only difference was on the FMA, which Bush supported and Kerry opposed.
Kerry was hardly felled by the gay marriage ax. In fact, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert said in the Nov. 8 edition that he believes that ignorance played as large a role in the election as moral values. Herbert cites a recent survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland that found that the American people are woefully uninformed about what's really going on. Seventy percent the folks who voted for Bush believe that Saddam had ties to Al Qaeda, and a large percentage believe that we found WMDs in Iraq and that the majority of the world supported our invasion.
For the record: um, not quite. "There's a fair amount of cluelessness in the ranks of the values crowd," writes Herbert.
Furthermore, Bush's win was hardly a landslide and when you look at the numbers, states that had anti-gay ballot initiatives didn't show stronger support for the President. According to emergingdemocraticmajority.com, "In 11 states with gay marriage referenda on the ballot, the president increased his share of the vote from an average of 55.4 percent in 2000 to an average of 58 percent in 2004 – an improvement of 2.6 percentage points. However, in the rest of the country the president increased his share of the vote from an average of 48.1 percent in 2000 to an average of 51 percent in 2004 – an improvement of 2.9 percentage points."
There's hope. More people voted against Bush than any sitting president in history. This election was not, as Bush has said, a mandate.
Concluding that "moral values" equals opposition to marriage equality and abortion is particularly frustrating considering the many moral lapses of this administration.
Furthermore, those crying that the gays ruined it for everyone aren't reporting the full extent of the exit poll data. The same poll that showed "moral values" as a priority also showed that 60 percent of voters were in favor of some kind of legal recognition for gay and lesbian relationships: 25 percent were in favor or marriage and 35 percent were in favor of civil unions. Only 37 percent said they were opposed to all protections. Half of those in favor of civil unions voted for Bush.
The LGBT community faced setbacks and disappointments this election, of that there is no doubt. But what we didn't do is cost John Kerry the presidency or invite this backlash by being "overzealous" in our fight for equality. It is, after all, a fight, and those against us would like nothing more than for us to slink off with our tails between our legs. We're opening closet doors, thank you very much, not building new closets.
Don't let anyone tell you that our fight for equality lost this election for anybody. History is on our side. Justice is on our side. We will win this battle. We've made amazing gains in the last few years, and we've only just begun.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
We represent the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, + Ally Business Community in Southeastern…
Learn More
Directory default
Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce MemberBollinger Motors is developing the world’s most…
Learn More
Directory default
Menjo's Complex (or just Menjo's for short) has been a gathering place for the gay community of…
Learn More
Advertisement