By Joshua Daniel Hershfield 11/9/06
The mid-term elections may have been a victory for the
Democrats, but in the struggle for equality, we did not come out as
victorious. In a meditated attack on
equality in the United States,
Wisconsin, Virginia,
Tennessee, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Idaho,
and Colorado
have banned gay marriage. The amendments
that passed define marriage as a contract between one man and one woman, and
most state that heterosexual marriage is the only legal and recognized form of
civil union and the only form of union that will be given any rights or
benefits. Arizona voted 51% to 49% to not ban gay
marriage, being the first state to vote down such a law.
The
United States advertises itself as a country of equal opportunity, a country
that does not discriminate, but honors all its citizens as equals.
Nevertheless, it took years of protest and civil disobedience, and endured
brutality and abuse, for women to get the right to vote. Police beat and killed
workers with bullets and batons for demanding an eight hour work day. The
civil rights movement fought against murderers, rapists, Christian
fundamentalists, and an entire political apparatus, for the equality of people
regardless of color. And still, people and politicians in the United States
in 2006 think it’s alright to discriminate against people because of who they
love. What arrogant madness.
What’s
interesting – and enraging – is that the people trying to prevent gay marriage
use the same arguments as the people who tried to prevent integration. If
this was 1860 they would be talking about “protecting the institution of
slavery.” They are the people who believe that “traditional values” are
good, even if they include keeping people of color “in their place,” or
women “in their place.” Banning gay marriage is just another way of
keeping gay people “in their place.” In other words, oppressed as
second-class citizens.
Furthermore,
the Bush administration and all their fascist, right wing, fundamentalist
supporters, aren’t going to stop with banning gay marriage. How long do
you think it will be before gay clubs are illegal? What about gay rights
groups? How long until homosexuality, or any sexuality other than
stringent heterosexuality, is against the law?
People
did not vote on the issue of women’s right to vote. We did not vote for
the end of segregation. We did not vote for the eight hour work
day. We hit the streets. We shut down our workplaces. We shut
down our schools. We occupied news rooms and we shouted in the face of
our society. We lifted our heads to the politicians and priests and
police and we said, “This ends here and now.”