Salon.com Declares Culture War Over, Gay Rights the Winners
Tuesday 10th June 2008
In a year that the Republicans look primed to take a beating in the American elections so bad that even the Republican presidential candidate is refusing to allow himself to be painted in line with his own base, at least one media outlet has gone chasing another story: Salon has declared the culture wars over in America, and that the liberals have won.
Although political figures like former New York Mayor Ed Koch, seen here at the New York Pride in 2007, are supporting gay rights, the battle is far from over. Image by Boss Tweed.
While most of the piece is entertaining, funny, and hard to disagree with—it’s permanently endearing about the time it calls conservatives stupid, and reminds us how few of them there are left—there is one line worthy of taking issue with.
From the article: "What is more, in 2003 the Supreme Court struck down anti-gay sodomy laws nationwide. Conservatives responded by successfully supporting many state laws or state constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, in addition to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) enacted in the Clinton years. The recent state Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage in California may yet be overturned by a popular initiative. But many of the goals of the gay rights movement have been achieved far sooner than anyone could have imagined as recently as the 1990s"
Call it a reach on our part, but it may just yet be too soon to declare the wild and complete success of the gay rights movement in America. Yes, polling indicates that the majority of the country supports some form of gay marriage for the first time; but that’s not the change the LBGT community is looking for.
Pooling data means nothing until it’s translated into action, and as long as the Defense of Marriage Act is on the federal books, and 45 states are allowed to amend their constitutions and pass hateful laws to define marriage in ways that they see fit, there are miles to go.
As long as the Governor of Florida feels the need to release a tape of himself making out with an actress because if he were gay he wouldn’t seem “Vice-Presidential” there are miles to go.
As long as the American media takes no notice at all when a dictator openly declares genocide against homosexuals, there are miles and miles to go.
Public perception is one thing. The law, and the reality of life in a society, is another entirely. And Salon, by overstating the progress—or not qualifying it, at least, in a desire to make the “culture wars” look like a rout—of the LBGT community, has made a dramatic error.
Original article can be read here
Article by Pinke.biz writer Ben Ray. Check out What's Required, his blog on Kentucky/American politics.
Although political figures like former New York Mayor Ed Koch, seen here at the New York Pride in 2007, are supporting gay rights, the battle is far from over. Image by Boss Tweed.
While most of the piece is entertaining, funny, and hard to disagree with—it’s permanently endearing about the time it calls conservatives stupid, and reminds us how few of them there are left—there is one line worthy of taking issue with.
From the article: "What is more, in 2003 the Supreme Court struck down anti-gay sodomy laws nationwide. Conservatives responded by successfully supporting many state laws or state constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, in addition to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) enacted in the Clinton years. The recent state Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage in California may yet be overturned by a popular initiative. But many of the goals of the gay rights movement have been achieved far sooner than anyone could have imagined as recently as the 1990s"
Call it a reach on our part, but it may just yet be too soon to declare the wild and complete success of the gay rights movement in America. Yes, polling indicates that the majority of the country supports some form of gay marriage for the first time; but that’s not the change the LBGT community is looking for.
Pooling data means nothing until it’s translated into action, and as long as the Defense of Marriage Act is on the federal books, and 45 states are allowed to amend their constitutions and pass hateful laws to define marriage in ways that they see fit, there are miles to go.
As long as the Governor of Florida feels the need to release a tape of himself making out with an actress because if he were gay he wouldn’t seem “Vice-Presidential” there are miles to go.
As long as the American media takes no notice at all when a dictator openly declares genocide against homosexuals, there are miles and miles to go.
Public perception is one thing. The law, and the reality of life in a society, is another entirely. And Salon, by overstating the progress—or not qualifying it, at least, in a desire to make the “culture wars” look like a rout—of the LBGT community, has made a dramatic error.
Original article can be read here
Article by Pinke.biz writer Ben Ray. Check out What's Required, his blog on Kentucky/American politics.
