CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Two weeks ago Monday, I moved back to Washington, D.C. That Wednesday, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act -- which I had worked on when I lived in D.C. more than 10 years ago in the '90s -- became law.
A week later, the U.S. Senate held a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which had received a vote -- albeit an unsuccessful one -- in the Senate before I had left D.C. in 1998. There are hopes now that the House could soon vote on the bill, which now is inclusive of both gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination, and that the Senate could take up the bill early next year.
On Tuesday, D.C. City Council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary reported out of committee the marriage equality bill introduced by openly gay councilman David Catania -- who was first elected to the city council back in 1997 -- and take another step toward passing marriage equality in the District.
Of course, this past Tuesday -- despite successes in Washington state and Kalamazoo, Mich. -- ended with another defeat for marriage equality at the ballot box in Maine. I was reminded that night of another fight from the '90s, when Maine voters narrowly rejected a nondiscrimination measure. The nondiscrimination measure, defeated at the polls in 1998, became law in 2005.
Also on Tuesday, though, the country saw extraordinary successes for openly LGBT candidates, from Houston, Texas, to Canton, Ohio. As the Victory Fund noted, it was the most successful non-federal election year in history for LGBT candidates, with more than 60 winning their races and several others -- including Annise Parker in the Houston mayor's race -- advancing to run-off elections.
Read more on next page...
Progress is being made, and despite the outcome in Maine, we really are better off now than we were one year ago. And if we keep working, we will be better off next year than we are now.
As shown by the glacial progress made during the 11 years since I had left D.C. in 1998, though, the progress that we are making comes slowly -- more slowly than we deserve and certainly more slowly than we want. But we are at a point now -- a time that everyone, allies or not, sees -- where change is happening more quickly than ever before and when smart decisions in the short run could lead to fantastic, permanent gains toward full equality for LGBT citizens.
Then on Monday, the folks at AmericaBlog -- with some support, at least in name, from a few other liberal bloggers and activists -- decided to launch a campaign to urge people to stop giving donations to Democratic candidates or the Democratic National Committee until ENDA is passed and the Defense of Marriage Act is repealed.
This is ill-informed to the point of recklessness, and all equality advocates should be offended that John Aravosis would use his influence, such as it is, to attack the most pro-equality environment we've ever seen in this country.
Was the DNC right in failing to provide much-needed financial support for the No on 1 campaign in Maine? No. Should people sit down and find out what happened and why and publicly demand accountability? Yes. Is President Obama right in maintaining his campaign position opposing marriage equality? No. Should the LGBT community continue to push the president to fulfill his campaign promises that would advance LGBT equality? Of course.
Parting ways or disengaging with the DNC and Obama and his campaign apparatus right now could have tragic results. In the coming months, we expect action on ENDA and want support for D.C. marriage equality, should it occur. Will this AmericaBlog action help us gain support in either of those immediate goals? I suspect not. In a not altogether surprising way, the more successful Aravosis's efforts at this boycott are, the less likely we could be to see quick action on ENDA. As with his earlier position opposing the inclusion of gender identity protections in ENDA, Aravosis again could be a wrench in the passage of nondiscrimination protections for our communities.
Read more on next page...
What's more, the absolute lack of a good-faith basis behind this stunt is clear from the inclusion of DOMA's repeal in AmericaBlog's demands. There's not a single member of Congress or an honest LGBT activist who actually believed that a repeal of DOMA was possible in this Congress this January. By including it, Aravosis guarantees that this effort can continue indefinitely.
Two weeks after returning to our nation's capital, I sat down this evening to answer the question, "Where are we?"
LGBT equality advocates finally have reached a point where real, long-term successes are possible if we continue on a forceful, but smart, path forward. The only way we could ruin that is by allowing anti-equality forces to win -- or by abandoning pro-equality people who, despite flaws, have long supported our efforts.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Biden sacrifices LGBTQ+ Pride flags at U.S. embassies to pass 'critical' spending bill
March 22 2024 12:37 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM
Out Congress members outraged as anti-LGBTQ+ bills advance
March 21 2024 6:59 PM
RuPaul shades 'masculine white gay men' who project 'internalized homophobia'
March 21 2024 5:43 PM
Alabama forces universities to implement trans bathroom ban while outlawing DEI
March 21 2024 3:55 PM
'Cruel' Nebraska senator investigated after using colleague's name in a rape scene
March 21 2024 3:51 PM
Police arrest Russian nightclub employees over drag show
March 21 2024 2:24 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedUnleash your fiery spirit with The Pride Store’s Aries gift guide
March 21 2024 2:08 PM
Cable news coverage of 2023 anti-trans bills lacked trans voices: Media Matters
March 21 2024 12:45 PM