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A July Day to Remember – While We Seek Basic Civil Rights

Re-examining our LGBT Rights and the future of our Movement.

Melanie Nathan – 7-30-2010 -Today may be a good day to do just that!  On Friday, July 30, 1993, peace and civil rights activist David Mixner, who had done more than any other gay person to help elect President Clinton, was arrested in front of the White House along with 26 others, including NOW President Patricia Ireland and gay activists Diane Abbitt, Mel White, and Roberta Bennett, protesting the conversion of the ban against gays in the military into DADT after months of being assured by administration shills such as George Stephanopoulos that the ban would be lifted.

Well, then came DOMA – and where are we now?

17 years later – LGBT rights indeed entered the back door,  – well hallelujah!  However did we forget to open the front?  LGBT rights are domained out at a price -highest price has been at cost to our LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS movement.  The lack-lustre approach to a requisite benchmark – a Universal GOAL.

LGBT rights now  morphed into a  cottage industry, celebrating fundraisers as if victory, as we continue to push along -chug-chug- for piecemeal legislation.

Support for LGBT rights as a Civil Rights Issue has been laid on the table for us, by the Mr. Julian Bond of the NAACP.  The Civil Rights pursuit – means an amendment to The 1964 Civil Rights Act, where we ask for inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity.  Its purely a non-discrimination clause.

While of course gay marriage will follow, and DOMA’s lack of constitutional validity will be more pure than it is now, it indeed takes the issues out of the rights.  In other words, Gay Marriage will no longer be an issue.  The closest we have seen to this idea is the recent promotion of the grass root generated American Equality Bill,  which seeks to Amend to effect such.

I would prefer to see simple language in the Civil Rights Act – similar to that in the South African Constitution. Plain and simple – the right thing to do.

When the Prop 8 judgment comes down soon and it is my feeling that it will favor NO on 8.  That in itself will speak to us as a minority, and albeit State and local, it sets a tone.  A minority lacking rights – we must be included in the Civil Rights Act.  This is different to the  quest for an Equal Protection Amendment, which is justified too for other reasons – because I personally do not view women as a minority.

After sexual orientation et al, finds its fair space in The Civil Rights Act, all will follow organically be it through legislation, the Courts, or even an omnibus such as the American Equality Bill.

Can it be done – well that is up to us. Its not up for critics to weigh up and down.  It IS the front door. Short of the front door, we are bait for marginalization.  It is a benchmark and critical to a unified movement.   trying to estimate its chances at success is completely irrelevant and harms the opportunity for a Dr. MLKesque  Civil Rights approach.

Is setting a benchmark a dramatic leap.  Well, yes and no.  Yes if you think its not possible to attain and no if you believe that man made it to the moon!

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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