Advertisement

Return of the culture wars

by Jennifer Vanasco

I thought the culture wars were over. I did. It seemed to me that we had moved away from the days when gays and lesbians were used as objects of fear in order to win big national elections.
All the Democrats in the primary were on board with gay rights to some degree. John McCain is awful on our issues, but wasn't using them as a springboard to votes, or as a play to the Republican social conservative wing.
And we seemed to be advancing, if not exactly quietly, at least not with the raging tug-of-war that we had seen in previous years. California got marriage. Massachusetts extended it to everyone. New York said it would recognize marriages that were legal elsewhere.
The news was filled with happy gay couples, not vicious protests. Evangelicals started making noises about focusing on poverty and war instead of gays and guns. It seemed a little like everyone in the country had kind of come to an agreement – maybe not everyone agreed that gays and lesbians should have equal rights, but maybe gay rights shouldn't be the focus of a troubled country, either.
Then came Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin, whose church supports the ex-gay movement. Sarah Palin, who asked her town librarian about book-banning, including a book that welcomed gays and lesbians into the church.
Suddenly, at warp speed, we were thrown back to 2004, when marriage amendments banning gays from participating in this most crucial of social institutions passed in 11 states.
Social conservative confidence came back. Progressive confidence ebbed a bit. And suddenly, there we were in coded language about family and marriage.
I am banging my head against my desk.
The culture wars were terrible for our country. They were about prejudice, not people. They inflamed emotions and polarized both sides. It's difficult to have a conversation if both people are shouting.
It is much better if gay people are given the time and the space to make inroads by gaining supporters one by one, through friendship, personal example and legal changes that make it clear that gay rights wont lead to some kind of moral explosion of depravity.
McCain and Obama themselves seem to be staying away from our issues. Obama has avoided speaking out against Proposition 8 in California, which would revoke equal marriage there. When asked by the Gay History Project about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," his commitment to revoking it seemed less than firm.
A couple months ago, this policy of avoidance made sense. If neither candidate was talking about our issues (or not talking about them very much) then we could continue to slide under the radar, making quiet gains in addition to noisy gay marriage ones.
But Sarah Palin has energized the socially conservative right, and energized means votes.
It also means money.
Just over $16 million has been funneled to California to end gay marriage there. The gay side has raised $11 million.
If Sarah Palin and her ex-gay posse is going to fight, then we need to fight back. We cannot afford more conservative judges on the Supreme Court, or more conservative legislators sweeping back into Congress.
Sarah Palin scares me, because she seems like a new hero to the right. And for the first time in a few years, I can envision a scenario where a rollback of our rights is possible.
People who resort to re-igniting the culture wars do so because they have no good ideas. They don't know how to fix the economy or withdraw from the war. They don't know how to re-invent America's standing in the world, or fulfill this country's promise of equal opportunity.
But Sarah Palin is a shot across our bow. Her danger to gay and lesbian civil rights is real.
And she cannot be ignored, not by us and not by Barack Obama.
This is the time when we need the Democratic candidate to speak out against hate. To do the thing he does so well – explain to the country how individual diversity creates strength, not weakness. Remind us all that despite our differences, we all deserve each other's respect.
The culture wars have returned. It is time to get out our wallets, take to the streets, and fight.

Advertisement
Topics: Opinions
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Compromised of musicians from across the state who support equality for LGBT citizens. We perform…
Learn More
Directory default
Adults, adolescents, individuals, couples. Relationship, work and family issues, anxiety,…
Learn More
Directory default
A fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, The HOPE Fund is dedicated to funding…
Learn More
MOM BG
Serving Wayne and Oakland Counties!
Learn More
Advertisement