> Nathan won't like it, but heck, his method imploded,
> so we need a Plan B.
>
> http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Okla-Gay-Marriage-Ban.html
I realize, Brian, that in the best of all possible worlds, we should all just go forth and boldly file our lawsuits and pack the courts with rational pleas for equal recognition and justice. Yes, it's the brave thing, the bold thing, the "dammit, we're not going to wait" thing and the "darn it, I know there are people who really like me!" thing in a Stuart Smalley vision of life bespeckled with rainbows.
But is it a strategic thing?
Strategy is something that seems to be sorely lacking in all of this.
We still don't get it. We're still living our activist lives in a McGive-it-to-me-now mode of thought. The conservative movement makes strategic plans... 5 year, 10 year, 20 year plans. They move slowly and with baby steps until - wham - suddenly everyone is wondering how Bush got re-elected.
And the Left? The queer Left?
We've got lesbians in Oklahoma giving themselves to the most conservative administration - and Congress - in recent memory as poster children for why a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is needed. Pass this amendment, folks, and there won't be a need for this wasteful litigation.
In the mean time, gays and lesbians can still be fired from their *jobs* just for being gay in many states. ENDA and similar legislation, is for all practical purposes, dead. Hate crime legislation is endanger of being repealed under this administration's watch in various jurisdictions. Domestic partner benefits are endangered in Ohio. Single or coupled gay/lesbian citizens who want to adopt or foster a child are being legislated out of contention.
And you want this lesbian to get excited about some Okie dykes filing a lawsuit over gay marriage... still?
I'm sorry. I can't. The strategy (or lack thereof) seems self-serving and blindly naive. It's putting the marriage cart before the basic survival horse and parking both in front of an oncoming train.
But then I am one weird dyke. I have this silly notion that I'd rather be able to keep my job without reprisals and keep the DP benefits than lose my job, DP benefits AND be banned with extreme prejudice from marrying.
- Deborah