Why do they think our rights can wait?
THE MEDIA is buzzing about the heckling that President Obama received during his recent speech stumping for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
It appears that GetEQUAL a group co-founded by Lt. Dan Choi--an openly gay serviceman challenging the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy--was vocalizing its less-than-thrilled feelings about President Obama, Sen. Boxer and the Democrats as a whole. President Obama seemed somewhat annoyed and pestered by the group and allowed the crowd to try to drown them out with chants of "Yes we can!"
Come to think of it, that's pretty symbolic of how the Obama administration and Democrats (even the openly gay members of Congress like Barney Frank) seem to feel about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights movement in general. There is a sense of "get in line and wait your turn" when it comes to gay rights.
It leaves members of the LGBT community frustrated, with a feeling of betrayal. The LGBT community came out in droves to vote the Democratic Party into the majority and emptied their pockets as well. Our money was needed immediately, but our rights can wait another five or so years.
We voted the Democratic Party in because they promised equality in the workplace, repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and at least a strong support for civil unions. What we have gotten is the message that the Democrats have bigger fish to fry now.
As the clock ticks down to November, and the best-case scenario is the Democrats will have a smaller majority than they do now, the question of where did "the urgency of now" that Obama and the Democrats capitalized on in 2008 go two years later? The LGBT community was seen as a great donor base and got a lot of rhetoric, but has seen very-little-to-no action. Throwing pittances at us like allowing hospital visitation rights seems, at this point, demeaning, and borders on condescending.
This is the frustrating thing about a two-party system. It always seems to be black and white. What one party is for, the other must be against. But that is not so. The Republicans are openly against LGBT rights--and it seems the Democrats are for them only in words. Since I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words, when you "listen" carefully, both parties are saying the same thing: no equality for LGBT Americans.
I have seen how the Tea Party movement has taken the Republican Party on and, in all honesty, I envy them. In an already center-right political environment, they have taken the Republican Party and moved them even further to the right. They have made them afraid of not supporting their causes.
I think it's a lesson the left could learn from. It's been a long time since the left stirred some fear of flight from the Democratic Party. It's time for LGBT rights advocates, women's rights advocates, progressives, socialists and all on the left to push further left. It is long overdue for people to "come out" as liberal, progressive and in favor of true equality and laws that rectify inequalities.
It would really be a great day if we could break this two-party system and have several viable parties like they do in all other democracies. GetEQUAL's protest against Obama was a welcome sign that perhaps the left is taking a lesson from the Tea Party movement and is refusing to wait in line any longer for our agenda to be passed--not half-assed health care "reform," or a sprinkling of LGBT rights with talks of "assessing" marriage equality and LGBT inclusion in the military--but true reform for equality in the social and economic arenas.
I hope that after they left the stage someone told Obama and Boxer, "You know, I think that's the sound of you losing your base." They won't get much further without them, but at this point, that could be a good thing.
Evan Davidoff, from the Internet
