Dear BTL,
Lisa Keen's excellent article regarding marriage litigation in last week's issue makes the important point that litigation is just one strategy in our fight for equality, just as it was in other civil rights movements. Telling our stories can go a long way toward educating the general public how LGBT people are harmed through discrimination and inequality in laws and public policies. Organizing both our community and our allies can create a powerful political force that has an impact on our elected officials. Litigation in civil rights movements has always been strategic (including during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s). Legal decisions can last longer than current public opinion and the harmful effect from bad decisions can be difficult to undo, even when society has changed. We want to move forward through litigation. As several of those interviewed in the article state, there are plenty of things in addition to litigation that our community be engaged in.
Jay Kaplan,
ACLU of Michigan's LGBT Project
