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prop 8

Gay Rights in America: What will the Outcome be?

by Alex David Jimenez

With the unofficial start of summer having come and gone, June is quickly approaching. For those fighting in favor of gay rights a great and ominous question is now beginning to ruminate: What will be the Supreme Court’s rulings for the United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry cases argued at the end of March?

Edie Windsor & her late wife Thea Spyer © ACLU
Edie Windsor & her late wife Thea Spyer © ACLU

Opinions are varied. Many will argue that the time of justice for the LGBT community is here. The United States cannot afford to further delay the institution of equality among varied sexual identities. By contrast, many have said the event of great change is well ahead of its time. While public opinion appears to suggest that America is leaning towards a more modern understanding of homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality and gender identity, therein remains the argument of morality. Morality, though relative, often wins, which suggests that while America is listening more, they don’t yet wholly accept it.

In New York, there has been a significant rise in crimes against the gay community – especially involving violent crimes against gay men. Several openly gay men, including activists and well-known members of the community, have been taunted with callous gay slurs and in some cases beaten, leaving them hospital-bound. In one case on May 17th a young man was in fact killed after being taunted by hate-mongering bullies for being gay. The word of homicide quickly spread through the community and put everyone on very high alert.

This rise in crime has been said to be a psychological backlash against the growing support for gay rights, including gay marriage. Twelve states have officially recognized gay marriage as legitimate and fully legal, including New York itself. This spread of success for the gay community has left those in its opposition with a sense of failure and fear that they are losing the battle. It can be said that fear breeds anger and hate, which is what we are seeing more prominently with every equal rights milestone.

Hollingsworth v. Perry plaintiffs Sandra B. Stier and Kristin M. Perry (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Hollingsworth v. Perry plaintiffs Sandra B. Stier and Kristin M. Perry (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

The Supreme Court’s official rulings for United States v. Windsor, which includes the upholding or the dismissal of DOMA, and Hollingsworth v. Perry, which includes the upholding or dismissal of California’s Proposition 8, are both expected at the end of June this year. What is to be expected?

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy © Wikipedia
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy © Wikipedia

Many experts say it could be a tight ruling. The liberal and conservative extremes among the collective justices do not seem to necessarily be playing a major role in the direction with which they lean. Many conservatives have been outspoken in favor of gay rights, while many liberals have argued against it. It has been implied as of recent that the swing vote could be Justice Anthony Kennedy. Justice Kennedy has been the swing vote for several cases in the recent past. Since the initial hearing in March, three U.S. states and three countries, including France, have passed gay marriage. It is certainly realistic that these landmark events have influenced Justice Kennedy, as well as others, in favor of striking down DOMA and Proposition 8 this June.

 

Filed Under: POLITICS, U.S. Tagged With: doma, equal rights, gay, gay rights, NEW YORK, politics, prop 8, United States

Gay Marriage debate- you silly bible thumpers

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Facebook
Credit to: Facebook

Two days ago my Facebook News Feed was flooded with red and more red and more red.  The constant change of several gay and straight friend’s profile pictures was a significant eye opening experience as the DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) and the ban on California’s Prop 8 have come into severe play on the Supreme Court.  What made it so amazing to me is how many of my personal friends and thousands of others are for the ban and challenge of both acts and propositions and really how the support for gays in this country has increased exponentially in the past ten to fifteen years.

The funniest part of this whole thing is the opposition.  Now, I always do my best to come into things with a mature look on both angles regardless if I happen to be biased on one side.  This time around, there is no defense for the conservative bible thumpers who ONLY have one defense in this whole thing- the bible itself.  Really people, you take one line in an entire book and turn it into something that is so beyond catastrophically stupid that we even have these ridiculous and time consuming debates, court cases and millions of people feeling like second class citizens.

I will only speak from my experience here.  I always get the sense that these right-wing, old fashioned homophobic people view gay men in particular as only one way.  They fear us for several reasons and blame a lot of what they think we are on their own huge insecurities.  It wasn’t too long ago that interracial marriage was banned, now that is over.  It wasn’t too long ago that white and black people drank from separate water fountains, now that is over.  These things are all over because people stood up for what they believed was right (and actually was), spoke the fuck up and silenced the morons that were raised on their own bigotry because their parents and people around them taught to be hateful, simple minded jackasses.

This has even gotten to a point where the most right wing, conservative people like Bill O’Reilly and Karl Rove have stated somewhat in jest but really saying that gay marriage should happen.  Yes, Bill O’Reilly and Karl Rove.  Several other conservatives have stepped forward, in particular ones that thanks to Andrew Cuomo were a big part in legalizing gay marriage here in New York.  I am fortunate, because I live in one of the states that when I do get married (gotta find the guy first, hit me up I’m cute) I can do it in a legal fashion and not have to tip-toe around a civil union or drive thousands of miles to another state to make it real.  If this issue has become that drastic where the most conservative of conservatives are siding with gay and gay friendly people on this matter, then I don’t see why this whole process can be taken care of, prop 8 thrown away, DOMA taken down, and that EVERY MOTHER FUCKING STATE legalizes gay marriage.  Everyone, and I mean EVERY PERSON deserves equal rights.  This has become our civil rights movement, and we deserve what everyone else has.

As Miranda Priestly puts it so easily yet to the point, “That’s All”.

Credit to: The Sewing Space
Credit to: The Sewing Space

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, OPINION, POLITICS, REVIEWS Tagged With: bible, bible thumpers, bill o'reilly, black, california, conservative, doma, gay, gay marriage, gay men, interracial marriage, karl rove, NEW YORK, prop 8, right wing, white

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