It was the night of Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005 – one of the hardest days I had to live through. Texas had tallied its votes for the
constitutional election held that day and saw that Proposition 2 passed overwhelmingly with 76 percent of the vote.
Texas enshrined in its constitution the right to ban same-sex marriage, which was already illegal in the state thanks to an
existing state law and a federal law known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Future enlightened legislatures would
now have a hard time undoing what a weak turnout of 1.7 million Texans who voted in the affirmative (less than 17 percent of
the Texas voting population) had decided that night.
I was let down by Texas “Blue Dog” Democrats and People of Color who either didn't bother to vote in the election or felt
Gays should be happy we can live in Texas and not rock the boat. I was also let down by LGBT Texans who simply chose to
stay home and accepted things the way they are.
Governor Rick Perry spent weeks prior to the vote signing “ceremonial documents” of the same-sex marriage ban at
churches throughout Texas, which also served as unofficial campaign stops ahead of his 2006 re-election season.
Gay activists throughout Texas worked so hard to correct the lies he and his culture warriors spread about our community.
That somehow, we were the reason why “traditional” marriages and the family unit were breaking down.
Fast forward seven years and that same, sad night befell on North Carolina on May 8, 2012. Once again, the rights of a small
minority (around 10 percent of the general population) was put on the ballot and decided by 90 percent of the community.
North Carolina voters became social engineers overnight and affirmed the state’s right to tell others how families are
formed. The last time North Carolina voters decided by constitution how families were to be formed was back in 1875 when
interracial marriage was banned.
North Carolina, like Texas, already had a law banning same-sex marriage. The state also adheres to DOMA. Using the
marriage rights of Gays and Lesbians as a wedge issue is nothing new. The LGBT community is a popular boogeyman in
the Republican election toolbox used to help distract voters from the real issues of the day. In early 2004, GOP strategists
devised a plan to shore up support for a failing presidency by introducing ballot initiatives that banned same-sex marriage in
11 states, which were to be decided conveniently on the same day we picked a president. All 11 of them passed and Bush
was re-elected thanks to a heavy evangelical turnout.
I wish North Carolinians had the foresight of asking Texans if passing a same-sex marriage constitutional ban actually:
Although things are different from that horrible night in 2005, the LGBT community still has a long way to go. But what was
supposed to be a horrible week in the history of our civil rights movement was rewritten for the ages within 24 hours. Barack
Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to support Marriage Equality on the afternoon of May 9, 2012. After years of
supporting the LGBT community (mandating hospital visitation rights, signing an Anti-Hate Crimes Bill, repealing Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell and initiating other recognitions), the holy grail of LGBT civil rights measures – Marriage Equality – was finally
endorsed by the most powerful person on the planet.
Some LGBT people criticized the President for taking so long, while others gave him props for taking the political risk of
announcing support now -- just months from a tight election.
President Obama made a daring choice and will now have to deal with the consequences. Nothing has ever been easy for
this president. The bar is always set higher for a person of color, and that holds true for America’s first Black President who
inherited two wars and an economic mess. He may have saved an economy from crashing, ended a war, successfully
ordered the capture of America’s greatest enemy, passed health care legislation, and championed historic civil rights acts,
but for single-issue voters it is never enough and current polls reflect a tight race.
We should give President Obama credit, though, for taking a wedge issue that was once off-limits for mainstream America
(even some within the Democratic Party) and making it a civil rights cause for all to embrace. Those long, overdue talks
about Marriage Equality are now taking place at kitchen tables across America.
The right wing sees President Obama’s support for Marriage Equality as a gift. Talking points have already been distributed
to those who embrace “Traditional Marriage.” I am just waiting to hear how Republican heavy hitters and sworn Obama
enemies like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch – all who have been
married three times – will address the issue without sounding hypocritical.
As for President Obama (who will celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with his first and only wife Michelle on Oct. 2), he
can take solace that immediately after announcing his support for Marriage Equality, an ABC News poll of Americans
showed that 51 percent supported his decision.
President Obama now joins an American majority who believes Gays and Lesbians should have the right to marry their
partners. Gallup polls over the last 15 years have shown dramatic increases toward acceptance. In 1996, only 27 percent
believed same-sex marriage should be illegal. In 2011, that number sits at 53 percent. But what was very telling was the 18
to 34 demographic, which supports gay marriage by 70 percent.
The LGBT community needs to remember its choices. In the span of eight days, President Obama and his Vice President
Joe Biden announced support for Marriage Equality while opponent Mitt Romney allowed a Gay staffer to leave his
presidential campaign after pressure from the far right, chuckled and downplayed his bullying of a non-confirming student
back in his high school days, and spoke at an anti-gay university where he delivered his support for a ban on same-sex
marriages.
For all those LGBT civil rights activists who I have marched, cried and protested with since that fateful Texas night in 2005,
we may have not won the battle in seven years ago but we may win the war in 2012 with the re-election of a President that
gets to decide one or two Supreme Court justices in the next four years, who supports the repeal of DOMA and the passage
of the Employee Non Discrimination Act. Let's make this happen!
constitutional election held that day and saw that Proposition 2 passed overwhelmingly with 76 percent of the vote.
Texas enshrined in its constitution the right to ban same-sex marriage, which was already illegal in the state thanks to an
existing state law and a federal law known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Future enlightened legislatures would
now have a hard time undoing what a weak turnout of 1.7 million Texans who voted in the affirmative (less than 17 percent of
the Texas voting population) had decided that night.
I was let down by Texas “Blue Dog” Democrats and People of Color who either didn't bother to vote in the election or felt
Gays should be happy we can live in Texas and not rock the boat. I was also let down by LGBT Texans who simply chose to
stay home and accepted things the way they are.
Governor Rick Perry spent weeks prior to the vote signing “ceremonial documents” of the same-sex marriage ban at
churches throughout Texas, which also served as unofficial campaign stops ahead of his 2006 re-election season.
Gay activists throughout Texas worked so hard to correct the lies he and his culture warriors spread about our community.
That somehow, we were the reason why “traditional” marriages and the family unit were breaking down.
Fast forward seven years and that same, sad night befell on North Carolina on May 8, 2012. Once again, the rights of a small
minority (around 10 percent of the general population) was put on the ballot and decided by 90 percent of the community.
North Carolina voters became social engineers overnight and affirmed the state’s right to tell others how families are
formed. The last time North Carolina voters decided by constitution how families were to be formed was back in 1875 when
interracial marriage was banned.
North Carolina, like Texas, already had a law banning same-sex marriage. The state also adheres to DOMA. Using the
marriage rights of Gays and Lesbians as a wedge issue is nothing new. The LGBT community is a popular boogeyman in
the Republican election toolbox used to help distract voters from the real issues of the day. In early 2004, GOP strategists
devised a plan to shore up support for a failing presidency by introducing ballot initiatives that banned same-sex marriage in
11 states, which were to be decided conveniently on the same day we picked a president. All 11 of them passed and Bush
was re-elected thanks to a heavy evangelical turnout.
I wish North Carolinians had the foresight of asking Texans if passing a same-sex marriage constitutional ban actually:
- Saved Marriages? Today, Texas still has one of the highest divorce rates.
- Improved Education? Today, Texas surpasses national averages in student dropouts.
- Put food on the table? Today, Texas has the second highest hunger rates in the nation.
- Raised Community Standards? Today, Texas leads the nation in worst health care access.
Although things are different from that horrible night in 2005, the LGBT community still has a long way to go. But what was
supposed to be a horrible week in the history of our civil rights movement was rewritten for the ages within 24 hours. Barack
Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to support Marriage Equality on the afternoon of May 9, 2012. After years of
supporting the LGBT community (mandating hospital visitation rights, signing an Anti-Hate Crimes Bill, repealing Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell and initiating other recognitions), the holy grail of LGBT civil rights measures – Marriage Equality – was finally
endorsed by the most powerful person on the planet.
Some LGBT people criticized the President for taking so long, while others gave him props for taking the political risk of
announcing support now -- just months from a tight election.
President Obama made a daring choice and will now have to deal with the consequences. Nothing has ever been easy for
this president. The bar is always set higher for a person of color, and that holds true for America’s first Black President who
inherited two wars and an economic mess. He may have saved an economy from crashing, ended a war, successfully
ordered the capture of America’s greatest enemy, passed health care legislation, and championed historic civil rights acts,
but for single-issue voters it is never enough and current polls reflect a tight race.
We should give President Obama credit, though, for taking a wedge issue that was once off-limits for mainstream America
(even some within the Democratic Party) and making it a civil rights cause for all to embrace. Those long, overdue talks
about Marriage Equality are now taking place at kitchen tables across America.
The right wing sees President Obama’s support for Marriage Equality as a gift. Talking points have already been distributed
to those who embrace “Traditional Marriage.” I am just waiting to hear how Republican heavy hitters and sworn Obama
enemies like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch – all who have been
married three times – will address the issue without sounding hypocritical.
As for President Obama (who will celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with his first and only wife Michelle on Oct. 2), he
can take solace that immediately after announcing his support for Marriage Equality, an ABC News poll of Americans
showed that 51 percent supported his decision.
President Obama now joins an American majority who believes Gays and Lesbians should have the right to marry their
partners. Gallup polls over the last 15 years have shown dramatic increases toward acceptance. In 1996, only 27 percent
believed same-sex marriage should be illegal. In 2011, that number sits at 53 percent. But what was very telling was the 18
to 34 demographic, which supports gay marriage by 70 percent.
The LGBT community needs to remember its choices. In the span of eight days, President Obama and his Vice President
Joe Biden announced support for Marriage Equality while opponent Mitt Romney allowed a Gay staffer to leave his
presidential campaign after pressure from the far right, chuckled and downplayed his bullying of a non-confirming student
back in his high school days, and spoke at an anti-gay university where he delivered his support for a ban on same-sex
marriages.
For all those LGBT civil rights activists who I have marched, cried and protested with since that fateful Texas night in 2005,
we may have not won the battle in seven years ago but we may win the war in 2012 with the re-election of a President that
gets to decide one or two Supreme Court justices in the next four years, who supports the repeal of DOMA and the passage
of the Employee Non Discrimination Act. Let's make this happen!
Welcome
Thank You Mr. President
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| How a Wedge Issue Finally Became a Civil Rights Cause for All By Jesse Garcia |