A recent diary makes mention of LGBT issues (among others) as important to keeping the left in support of President Obama.
That would make for a neat clip if the electorate really worked that way, especially when it comes to LGBT equality. If the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats continue to fall in the range of timid to ham-handed with regard to equality, they don't just threaten their standing with the "angry gay left".
They lose with many, many others. I know quite a number of examples.
First, let's talk about my friend John. John lives in California plans to return to our home state of Texas. John's gay, so one would imagine he sees these issues as personally important -- and he does. But John is a self-described "Log Cabin Republican". While I just can't seem to pull the lever (sadly metaphorically speaking) next to a candidate with an "R" attached to her/his name, John doesn't see that "R" the same way. His priorities are a little different. John's a close friend, and we've had many a contentious, but cordial, discussion of politics because of all this. But the fact that the Democrats had lately held promise on our rights had John's ear, especially with his usual chosen party's ugly rhetoric on civil rights during the campaign and in the prior years. Obama's promises on our rights opened up communication on politics that John and I haven't had in a decade. He's been listening.
Second, let's talk about Colleen. She's straight. She lives in Minnesota, and her family are very, very conservative Christians -- dyed-in-the-wool Pawlenty voters. Since Colleen and I are good friends and were at one time roommates, they've gotten to know me well (and they're what I think of as true followers of Jesus -- if they thought ugly things of me for being gay, you'd never know it from how well they've always treated me). Colleen attended my wedding, and she talked with her family at length about it. Colleen tends to vote conservatively, but I worked hard to get her to consider Obama this past fall. In part because of his promises with regard to equality and recognition for the relationship Colleen witnessed solemnized legally in California, she was open to discussion, and more willing to listen than she's ever been to this message.
Third, let's talk about my mother and father, straight, longtime Republican voters living in Arizona. My parents are what I consider old-guard, Ford-style Republicans -- social libertarians and fiscal conservatives. They find the Republican rhetoric on choice and on civil rights offensive and worthless; but when Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain's VP choice last fall, they paid attention. They believe in women's rights, and my mother was a Hillary fan. But when I told my mother what kind of conservative Palin was on social issues, and she watched Palin through the campaign, her vote -- and likely my father's, as a result -- was turned toward Obama. His promises with regard to equality for my husband and me mattered a great deal to my Republican-leaning parents, and that swayed votes.
Fourth, let's talk about my former co-worker Michelle. She's in her early thirties, a straight "soccer mom" type living in suburbia with a husband and three kids. She had never cast a vote for president, and thought she says she's a yellow-dog Democrat, she told me she wasn't about to cast one for Obama. As much as I pushed last fall, she kept to what I'll lightly describe as a racist point of view on him. When I pointed out his promises on LGBT equality, she asked more questions. She pointed out to me that "he doesn't support gay marriage -- why would you vote for him?" I told her there was more to equality than marriage, and that although I see no moderate position on equality, the Obama campaign called for significant advances for her many gay and lesbian friends and co-workers. The last day of early voting, I got a text from Michelle. She had cast her first vote for president -- and it was for Barack Obama. Promises of equality for her friends and co-workers had overcome her racist, small-town Texas upbringing. She was excited about change.
Finally, let me bring up another former co-worker and friend, Alison. Alison is another straight soccer mom who lives in suburban North Carolina. Alison, too, has many gay friends and co-workers, and considers herself a "gay man in a woman's body". Alison, however, lives in a Fox News echo chamber, to a certain extent, and we had very heated discussions about the presidential election. Alison, too, cited Obama's lack of support for my marriage as a reason I should vote McCain; but when I took her to the Obama website and pointed out the promises listed there with regard to our rights, right there, in writing, unequivocal, Alison was quiet. She wanted to know more, and for a few minutes, Fox News wasn't playing in her head. I still think she probably voted McCain, but that conversation has continued since the election. After Prop 8 was certified and the Join the Impact protests broke out, Alison took her husband and daughter to the protest in Raleigh to add their voices to the national discussion, and she's remained plugged-in since the election. She's watching the Obama administration, her Congressional delegation, and her state government on equality issues.
Many of these people live in states that are swing states, or on the marginal side of blue or red. Minnesota was among the narrower wins for Obama among the Kerry/Gore states. North Carolina, we know, went narrowly blue. McCain was the only reason Arizona wasn't a hotly-contested swing state, and even THEN it wavered. And Texas is slowly headed into swing territory; it may become the next decade's biggest swing state.
Not only do they live in crucial states, none of these people are part of what we could traditionally describe as "The Left". In fact, many of them are very much elsewhere on the political spectrum, and they demonstrate what Obama said about this country -- the people of the United States aren't just black, brown, white, red, blue, Republican, Democratic, northern, southern -- we're Americans, and "American" is not a partisan designation. Well, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aren't partisan, either, and our civil rights aren't a partisan concept. Neither is support for those rights.
As polls on a variety of LBGT issues have shown, support is growing nationwide for equality. A recent CBS News poll showed that two thirds of Americans don't equate our relationships with incest or child rape, but instead believe those relationships should have legal recognition. A May 27th Gallup poll finds that younger voters, 18-29 years of age, favor marriage equality by a large margin. Is that a group Democrats are just dying to show how they can break promises? When it comes to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the latest Gallup numbers show 69% of Americans in favor of an end to the policy, including 58% of conservatives. Polls regarding prohibition of workplace discrimination against LGBT -- the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- show even higher support (89% in the May, 2007, Gallup poll). These numbers aren't all liberals on the leftmost fringe, people. These numbers include large proportions of the population. Obama may have a lot of Clinton-era advisers, it's not 1993 anymore.
There's plenty of time for progress yet to be made, but so far, the strongest "action" has been in reverse. I believe the Obama administration and the 111th United States Congress can and will do a lot of great things for this nation; if you can't see why I'm beginning to question whether they'll address the inequalities that stand do leave us LGBT folks behind if recovery takes hold, I'm surprised.
As you've seen from my diaries and those of many others here, we've learned that we have to come out, reach out, and speak out -- and talk to people about what our very average American lives are like lived in the shadow of discrimination. In being anywhere from timid to clumsy to outright obstructionist on LGBT civil rights, what the Obama administration and federal Democrats stand to lose isn't just gay voters, or the "angry left". Here's a reminder of what many people see when they see our fight for equality:
(forward to about 3:15 for the part that makes me cry everytime)
Most voters aren't one-issue voters, but sometimes one issue is enough to open a mind and an ear. They see a promise made, and a promise kept, with real actual effect for people they know and care about -- or they don't. For all the fair-minded people of many political persuasions who know us, love us, and support us, that's what this is. When federal Democrats make promises and then drop the ball, that's what Democrats nationwide stand to lose.