Proposition 8

So, this weekend there are prop 8 protests all over the place. There’s one in Houston. I find myself with mixed feelings about this.

Most at hand, I am not at all clear what is being protested. I am sad about the results also, but I don’t really think the proposition was illegal, or corrupt in its counting etc. I generally support the idea of change by proposition, and while I don’t like the idea of majorities voting on rights of minorities, that would be too difficult to regulate in my opinion, and it’s not law now anyway. So, given that you think gay people should have the right to marry, I think the change we need is in people’s minds. I don’t see that protests will accomplish this, but maybe.

My bigger concern is with this issue at all. This is an issue that I think resonates with straight people, and homosexuals in Hollywood.

Did you know, that in 30 states gay people can be fired from their job for being gay? In 37 states they can face housing discrimination with no legal recourse. They can be kicked out of the military (more and more this is based on politics with selective enforcement, as there are an increasing number of open gay people in the military) They can’t donate blood. etc etc.

These wouldn’t be as hard a fight. 86% of Americans feel that gay people should not face employment discrimination for example. Pushing on these issues would be significantly easier, require less convincing, and be much more helpful to the actual liberty and equality of most gay people.

Why then, do gay rights groups focus on things like marriage, when their “constituency” can be fired, evicted, and discharged for being gay? Simple, poor gays are not their constituency. The people that do donate to gay groups are rich professionals, whose biggest concern is getting married. HRC doesn’t raise much money in Laramie, but they do raise a lot of money in their black tie galas in San Francisco. The attendees of which are about as likely to be kicked out of the army or be evicted as they are to attend a NASCAR race.