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Tomorrow The Dems Had Better Begin To Listen To The LGBT Community
11/02/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
What does this mean for the LGBT Community? That is, of course, what people will want to know. What does this mean for us. Unfortunately, the Republicans having taken the House probably, or pretty much means that the Employment Nondiscrimination Act is dead for at least two years, as is any repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. It might be time for President Barack Obama to finally figure out that the is not in Chicago and Chicago style politics does not work in Washington. In fact, he should be glad that he got rid of Rahm Emanuel before he was forced to fire him. He should be asking Governor Tim Kaine to step down as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and beg for Governor Howard Dean to replace him since Dean, unlike Kaine, has a stronger ability to work with less money and being outspent than Kaine does.
President Barack Obama has doen everything that he could to lose this election. Let us be blunt about that. From angering the LGBT Community with his decisions to push the appeals when the courts ruled against the constitutionality of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to not explaining his positions in a manner that the average American could understand to not getting down in the trenches and fighting hard for those laws which he so wanted passed, Obama failed to meet his own high expectations.
It is time now for the Democratic Party to heed the fact that the LGBT Community is an important part of the Democratic umbrella. It is time for the Democrats to push and push hard for LGBT rights. They must do what they can with the House in the hands of the Republicans and be seen doing so. It is time for them to work for the rights of a minority that equals and even exceeds the numbers of people who are within other minorities.
The Democrats must work to push the rights of the LGBT Community if they want to get our votes. It is hard for Republicans to justify siding with the LGBT Community. Despite the claims out of the Tea Party groups that this is about small government and less spending, the reality is the Tea Party is pretty much just a front for the Republican Party and that means that many of the social issues such as LGBT Rights and Women’s Rights will be put on the chopping block because they will want to continue to hold onto the Christian Right.
The problem really will be that this Congress going forward will be chaos- pure and simple. This election cycle has been chaotic, and now that the Republicans have the House, it is likely to be even more chaotic than it has been in the past. The Tea Party interests will drive the Republicans to try and do things which will, probably, shut down the government, or force them to do things that they will have to try and explain away such as raising the debt ceiling. They will be targeting Obama for a variety of different things including trying to impeach him for some oddball reason which will not be totally and completely rational. The ensuing chaos will be hard on America and things will get worse.
For the LGBT Community, that means that things will be really hard. We will bear the brunt along with many of the minorities in the nation. Because we do not have the same rights as every American- both actual and perceived- we will be hurt because of the worsening situation in the United States.
We will also bear the brunt of those who seek to scapegoat someone- anyone- for the deteriorating situation in this country. They will blame the LGBT Community for the deterioration in the United States as they have already tried to. They will say that same-sex marriage, equality, and even homosexuality in and of itself is going to be what has dragged this nation down. They will look to the 1950′s and even further back to the 1920′s and beyond into this nostalgic rosy world that they have created when women stayed home and men went to work. They will look to a time when Blacks were held as unequal and lesbians and gays were seen as deviants and homosexuality was illegal.
The next two years and even beyond will be hard. It is time for the LGBT Community to begin to fight. And it is time that the Democrats listen to us and know that without us they are in deep trouble electorally.
12 Responses to Tomorrow The Dems Had Better Begin To Listen To The LGBT Community
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Chip
November 3, 2010 at 11:29 pm
My bipolar husband committed suicide in May by blowing his brains out. I came home and found him. When I called the police, I spent the next hour in handcufffs while the paramedics walked out laughing and the cop shouted. SORRY YOUR FRIEND HAS EXPIRED! Then I spent weeks trying to find out what happened to his body and didn’t find out until a month and a half later the state had cremated him. Since I was in Florida, every agency I contacted was very eager to remind me our Canadian marriage wasn’t recognized. I finally got his ashes and a watered down death certificate but am having issues closing our joint bank account and putting our car in my name.
Thank GOD I am a peaceful man. Hearing about these homophones being elected to office, and the so called Christians rejoicing at the Judges being ousted in Iowa make me want to punch someone. I miss my husband so much right now, but am so glad he isn’t alive to be hurt by this anymore!
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
November 3, 2010 at 11:47 pm
I am sorry for your loss. I have always hated how many of those who claim to be religious are so lacking in empathy, love, and understanding. What you went through was wrong. The pain of losses like yours are built into this site. There are so many stories, and so many of them are painful. Yet, it feels as if those out there do not listen because we are ‘different’.
“prick us, do we not bleed”- William Shakespeare.
Janice
November 4, 2010 at 10:33 am
Chip,
I too am so sorry to hear of your loss. It is beyond me how a human being can be so badly treated and disregarded in this situation just because we are not recognized as being equal.
My partner and I live in North Carolina, and we’re not so naive to think that we would be treated with any form of compassion in anything like this.
This is absolutely deplorable! How dare they treat you and your husband this way!!!
Bless you Chip. I hope you find peace soon.
To those who think this sort of thing doesn’t affect them (does not include the many out there who are working hard to make a difference – LGBT or straight):
Things are going to get worse people if we don’t stand up and do something about it!
If you think you’re never going to go through anything like this, then just wait! One day you’ll be affected in some way or another, and you’ll look back and wish you had acted sooner in support of others who were suffering at the time.
“There but for the grace of God go I”
Janice
November 3, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Rep. Nadler……..how the hell could I forget Jerrold Nadler???
It’s been a long day!
Janice
November 3, 2010 at 6:15 pm
I have said it again and again in response after response……when are we going to realize that while we put up and shut up they will continue to throw us under the bus.
Empty promise after empty promise………what we hoped for was never going to happen that quickly, if at all, because the Dems had got the election results they wanted two years ago……..we were used.
Having said that, I do not include the likes of Senators Leahy, and Gillibrand and Reps like Honda……yes I know there are more, but my brain is blank right now. They have worked tirelessly to support……..at least some haven’t forgotten the promises that were made to us.
Who know what is going to happen exactly, but I have a very uneasy feeling about it all.
Words are not enough on either side anymore. Should we riot? I don’t know, but I do know that we should fight like we’ve never fought before.
For God’s sake stand together everyone! We’re not getting anywhere sitting on our butts assuming someone else will do it for us!
Eric SF
November 3, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Until we riot nothing will happen
Chung
November 3, 2010 at 4:22 am
We are outnumbered, and we have always been outnumbered. We consist about 5 percent of the whole American population, and now GOP has taken over the house. The worst nightmare has become a reality. We have to hold democrats accountable, we all know that, but we are just simply not important and do not have enough cloud to influence dems’ agenda or power, Democrats are a whole bunch of spineless creatures, but they are only allies, that is the sad part. It would not do us any good to warn dems, and also GOP has really zero support for gay rights, so we are in catch 22. The only thing we can do and we have to do is lean democrats, and maybe, put pressure on congress and senate to push through major legislation during the lame duck session before January. Maybe the senators who will be out in January will listen to us since it won’t make much difference to their political career after Jan. Once GOP takes over the house, you can forget UAFA, you can forget DADT and repeal of DOMA!!
Anthony
November 3, 2010 at 1:29 am
Well, I guess this officially means that I will apply for permanent residency in South Africa and at some point take a SA passport, because my American one is no longer worth anything.
FAEN
November 2, 2010 at 11:12 pm
What does this mean for the GLBT community? What it always means….were screwed…AGAIN!
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
November 2, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Well, I could have said that, but it would have been a very short editorial.
Chung
November 3, 2010 at 4:29 am
Nobody cares about LGBT community. Our community doesn’t have a bigger picture. When Dan Choy cried out and said Harry Reid is a pussy that bleeds once a month. I started to think that he represent the stupid and ignorant mentality of LGBT community. They like to cut their own noses off to spit their faces. We hate dems, but,,do we have a choice??? So Harry Reid is a pussy that bleeds, and who would have been a better candidate? The Tea Party, anti gay witch Sharon Angle??(Thank god, she lost). We don’t have that many allies, we need to stick to dems, and hold them accountable. It is futile to warn DEMS because we are not strong enough, and we are outnumbered and we can’t afford to influence dems. So stop whining and let’s put pressure in Congress and Senate during the same duck session before January. Once GOP takes over the house,goodbye to all the gay rights!!!!
Please wake up!
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
November 3, 2010 at 9:03 am
Chung-
The lesbian and gay contingents of the LGBT Community amount to seven and a half percent. If you add in the B and T (bisexual and transgender) along with the Queer and Intersexed we probably account for at least ten percent if not twelve. That makes us as strong as any other minority in the country- if not stronger. The problem is that we are very diverse, very disunified, and too prone to fight amongst ourselves- as Lt. Choi illustrated.
The Dems do need to fight for us not against us, which is what they have been doing. It is time that they have a backbone and fight hard for what they believe in. That is why they lost tonight.