Last Night's Gay "Debate"

Blah Blah Blah. Blah Blah Blah.

The only two Democratic candidates who unequivocally believe in full equality are the ones with no real shot of winning, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel.

It is ironic that candidate after candidate got up there and said that he or she supported equality, yet when pressed on the issue was unwilling to support gay marriage using lame excuses such as "the country's not there yet." As if guaranteed civil rights of a minority group should be decided by a bigoted majority. And as if in our post-1984 world "equality" doesn't really mean "equality" after all!


I give Obama props for making the "marriage" versus "all the rights that go along with marriage distinction." Everyone needs to recognize that gay people don't want churches to be forced to marry gays, we just want the 1,000 legal and financial benefits that married people get.

Well that's how I feel anyway. I sure as hell won't be running to the Catholic Church anytime soon to make my wedding plans.


Blah Blah Blah. Marriage equality is an easy moral issue. It's cut and dry. It's a simple question of equality. And, frankly, I'm tired of "the debate," mainly because the other side doesn't have much in the way of arguments against gay marriage. You can't reason with bigoted people, especially bigoted people who use religious beliefs as the basis for their arguments. And, it's unfortunate that our politicians are so scared of being labeled anti-Christian or atheist or anti-family values that they continue to let these bigots have a voice that denies equality for all Americans.

Some day........


I read this article on CNN this morning about the debates. This text from the article is sure to rile up the masses:

"While just 3 percent of voters in the 2006 election identified themselves as gay or lesbian, the community has outsized influence, particularly among Democrats, because it is politically active and a source of campaign contributions."


What this quote implies is that LGBT persons are an elite, rich, and powerful minority group who through their connections to Democratic politicians are seeking special rights and privileges. You know, "special" rights like hate crimes laws that dissuade people from stringing you up like a scarecrow and leaving you for dead on the side of the road because you're gay. Or "special" visitation rights like being able to visit your partner in the hospital who is dying of cancer.

But I get what the author is getting at. Only 3% of voters are gay and lesbian, yet they have more influence on politicians than do other groups, like say, Middle America. But, since only 3% of voters are LGBT, their concerns aren't as important as they would lead you to believe. You know, like how Blacks are only 12% of the population and Latinos/as are only 14% of the population so their rights don't matter either.


And I strongly question that "3%" figure's accuracy.


Moving on... all candidates strongly supported the right of gay people to be cannon fodder. We're making real headway now!