Log Cabin Republicans push back

It's about time. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4491610/

>It's about time. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4491610/

That's great news. Now when are Democratic gay groups going to start attacking Kerry for advocating the position that gay citizens ought to be excluded from the legal institution of marriage (which, by the way, was the same position advocated by Howard Dean), and when will they start attacking him for advocating an amendment to the Mass. State Constitution providing that marriage shall be between a man and a woman only?

>Now when are Democratic gay groups going

>to start attacking Kerry for advocating the position that gay

>citizens ought to be excluded from the legal institution of

>marriage (which, by the way, was the same position advocated

>by Howard Dean), and when will they start attacking him for

>advocating an amendment to the Mass. State Constitution

>providing that marriage shall be between a man and a woman

>only?

Ummm...I asked Miss Cleo and she said, "Next Wednesday, mon."

>gay

>citizens ought to be excluded from the legal institution of

>marriage (which, by the way, was the same position advocated

>by Howard Dean

From Dean's website: "Governor Dean believes the “Defense of Marriage Act” is unconstitutional and will support legal challenges to its validity."

>From Dean's website: "Governor Dean believes the “Defense of

>Marriage Act” is unconstitutional and will support legal

>challenges to its validity."

That's fascinating, really - but has nothing to do with what I said.

I was commenting upon the bigoted viewpoint that the Government should only recognize marriages which are between a man and a woman, and that it should not ever recognize marriages which are between people of the same sex. That's Howard Dean's view, and it's also John Kerry's view. And George Bush's.

It's called the STRAIGHT CITIZENS ONLY policy - marriage is for straight citizens only. Howard Dean embraces that view. In response, you can start talking about DOMA again if you want (and if you do, you should not forget to mention that John Kerry was one of only1 14 Senators to vote against it), but that has nothing to do with Howard Dean's belief that marriage is for straight citizens only.

>It's called the STRAIGHT CITIZENS ONLY policy -

Duh, I'm so out of it. I didn't know it was called "the STRAIGHT CITIZENS ONLY policy." Now I'll know what they mean when I see the acronym SCOP. Thanks, Doug. :-)

I'm as impatient as the next guy when it comes to wanting full and unambiguous rights.

And, at the same time, I acknowledge the learning curve that the less enlightened must travel and that we must tolerate.

The Mayors of San Francisco and New Paltz, the Mayor of Chicago, the officials in Seattle, Asbury Park, New Mexico, Nyack, et al., are putting their very tender feet into very hot water, and their feet will be scorched. They will also be honored in history books, gay and straight. And so, I imagine, will Howard Dean and whichever President and lawmakers actually say for the first time: I admire and support marriage between two people who love each other: man and man, woman and woman, woman and man.

But I don't blame others for endorsing half measures (civil unions, which, a year ago, we hailed as huge triumphs), especially those with gigantic constituencies with many competing issues. It's a polling fact: The country is not ready for gays to marry at this particular moment in time. Those over 65 are very largely against gay marriage. Those under 30 are largely for it.

Keep marching, keep writing, keep voting, but recognize that time is on our side.

It took decades for interracial marriage to become legal. When I think about the sweep of history, I recognize that immediate demands aren't always met. Outcries for immediate action must be made, but will not be met with the action demanded until the world affected is ready.

I think, in a year or two, we will be shocked, stunned, astonished, sitting in our homes saying "what the fuck." We will be in a place we never imagined. But we have to be patient and temperate with, and instructive to, the people we need to bring into our camp.

Time--and HISTORY--are on our side.

K