>
> On Apr 28, 2010, at 10:36 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
>
> In social movement literature it is called "frame bridging." What it
>> means is that movement activists try to link their cause to those of other
>> participants. Gay marriage may have nothing to do with capital, but if
>> you
>> "bridge" their cause to a an anti-capitalist agenda and thus broaden your
>> anti-capitalist movement.
>>
>
> But that's just not true. Aside from the fact that it looks opportunistic -
> and, as Shag says, the assumption is that no leftists are gay and want to
> get married, or know people who are, is off base - same-sexers who want to
> get married don't necessarily have a beef with the broader society. They
> just want to be a fuller part of it. Of course, GLBTers are, on average, to
> the left of straight society, but I don't see the marriage movement as
> speaking to that. And there's a sex radical critique of the focus on
> marriage too.
>
> Doug
>
> I'm pretty sure this is my stance as well but I want to see if I can
distill it.
There are at least acceptable, if not just plain old good, reasons to join in civil rights-y integrationist struggles - like gay marriage and many environmental justice struggles - in non-instrumental ways, despite knowing their limits, much less radical critiques of the emphases of these collective efforts. At the same time, it is necessary for someone who is on the left to keep those limits and critiques in mind - and raise them with some frequency - in and as part of the the process of committed engagement, intending all the while to build connections, engage in dialogues, expand the realm of critique and maintain movement momentum towards loftier/leftier goals...
I get stuff wrong, leave things out and forget stuff all the time, whatya think?