Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyThis commentary is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect that of other authors at Box Turtle Bulletin.
December 5th, 2008
One of the strategies of the Democratic Party has been to bring together otherwise powerless minorities into a coalition of bodies that can work together to collectively protect their individual interests. And gays and lesbians, as sexual minorities, have been welcomed as part of the coalition.
However, while that initiative has served the gay community well in some states, in other places it appears that gay and lesbians are the ugly red-headed stepchildren in the Democratic family. While they are asked to be supportive of the agenda of other members of the family, the needs of gay citizens can be subject to the whims of anyone who might object.
We see this in Maryland where one legislator, who is undoubtedly a valuable advocate for his constituency, also was unyielding in his efforts to block any measure of protection for same-sex couples. Due in great part to the efforts of Sen. Muse – and the absolute unwillingness of the Party to call him on his championing of discrimination – gay Maryland couples have but the barest of almost-inconsequential rights, far less than is supported by Maryland’s population at large.
And now it appears that a similar situation has evolved in New York.
The voters in New York State support rights for same-sex couples. The Assembly in the State has voted for marriage equality, the Governor is an advocate, and it was a common belief that if only the Senate were in Democratic hands then gay people would have their place at the table as equals.
And it was this belief that led to substatial contributions to Democratic Senate candidates from gay men and women.
And the Democrats won a majority. Which should have been good news.
But Senator Rubén DÃaz Sr., a Democrat from the Bronx, led a rebellion of three Senators and refused to support the leadership unless his conditions were met. He demanded, among other things, that there be no vote allowed to be brought to the floor that could advance marriage equality:
Diaz, a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, has said he won’t back anyone for majority leader unless that person pledges in writing not to put marriage legislation up for a vote.
Well now the Democratic leadership has reached an agreement with Diaz, Pedro Espada, and Carl Kruger. Guess who wins and guess who loses.
Yesterday Elizabeth Benjamin reported in the Daily News
Today she clarifies:
It now appears fairly certain that legislation to legalize gay marriage is on indefinite hold in the Senate as the result of the deal brokered by Senate Majority Leader-in-waiting Malcolm Smith and the Gang of Three.
A source close to the gang said the plan is to have the same-sex marriage bill introduced, determined to have fiscal implications (although I’m not exactly certain what those might be) and referred to the Finance Committee, which, assuming the agreement between the gang and Smith sticks, will be headed by Sen. Carl Kruger, who could stop the measure in its tracks.
And in addition to this sell-out of the gay community by the Senate leadership, the Governor seems to be back-pedaling as well.
“I supported same-sex marriage legislation when I was running for lieutenant governor with Governor Spitzer, and we had advocated for its passage and we are ready to have it passed at any time. But now my role is not as a legislator but is to sign the bill when and if the Legislature ever passes it, which I will do.”
As Benjamin notes, this is far less supportive than Gov. Spitzer who presented a “program bill” and proactively sought marriage equality. And it is also far less than the promises that Paterson has made in the past.
I recognize the difficulty that faced Malcolm Smith (top right) in his efforts to wrest control of the New York State Senate from the Republicans. But I am convinced that no other minority group’s rights would have ever been allowed to even be considered as a bargaining tool.
So the Democratic Party leadership has made clear the position of the gay community in the coalition family. We may attend the celebration feast, but our place is at the kiddies table. And we are welcome to campaign and contribute funds but we should know that our rights are not of equal importance and will be considered last.
And while some minority groups have increased their influence through the empowerment of the Democratic Party coalition, our minority status has ensured that we will get “special treatment” – a very special promise that our equality will not even be considered.
Latest Posts
Featured Reports
In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.
When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.
In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.
On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.
Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"
At last, the truth can now be told.
Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!
And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.
Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.
Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.
Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.
The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.
“Google” is a trademark of Google Inc.
© Box Turtle Bulletin. All Rights Reserved.
Posts 
Posts via daily email:
Pomo
December 5th, 2008
Damn the democratic party… and damn all the gay minons who blindly follow them without any critical thought and who critisize any gay person who dare not wave a flag in support of the democrat party.
Their may be some democrats who are our friends but there are also some republicans who are our friends. The democrat party as a whole is not our ally.
David C.
December 5th, 2008
Forget the damn states.
Time to amend the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include LGBT people, and then it’s “game over” for all the damn fool little demagogues.
cooner
December 5th, 2008
I’m not up on New York politics … how does a cluster of three senators hold this much power over leadership? Is the Senate that small? Or is their majority that tenuous?
Timothy Kincaid
December 5th, 2008
Cooner,
check out the link to the earlier article. Their majority is that tenuous.
cd
December 5th, 2008
As far as I have been able to put it together, from sites like thealbanyproject.com, the math in the NY state Senate goes something like this:
1. New York state government has more than enough to do with more basic problems during the next year: their budget, cleaning up government, lots of management issues.
2. The expectation is of several more Republican state Senators resigning or giving up on running for reelection during the next couple of months. For reasons of age, lack of control, ethics problems, and inability to deliver the mandatory amount of pork. But that takes a united Democratic majority that deprives them of pork, victories, and exposes them.
3. The state Assembly and governor will easily pass/sign a gay marriage legalization bill. There arent the votes for it there in the state Senate without a lot of wheeling, dealing, and armtwisting to gain four or five. What Senate Republicans will do is try to bargain out as much of a reprieve for their votes as possible.
4. Prop.8 fallout or backlash has to subside and the polling numbers settle in NY before the political math is clear enough for the state Senate Democratic leadership.
For Maryland, the state simply is not more liberal than California. This fellow’s obstructionism (like Schwarzenegger’s) is a good cover for the Maryland legislature to wait and do nothing until the polling numbers improve to where the equivalent of Prop 8 won’t pass.
Steve
December 5th, 2008
I can only hope the Democrats get their act together soon about the equal rights battle of our generation. If they don’t a libertarian faction may raise in the Republican party in the next 10-20 years and win the solid support of the up-and-coming generation that simply wants rights for their friends.
Pierre
December 5th, 2008
This is exactly the reason I no longer financially support the Democrats. I only give money to gay groups and gay politicians, or politicians.
cd
December 6th, 2008
If they don’t a libertarian faction may raise in the Republican party in the next 10-20 years
At this point there is no faction of the Republican Party that harbors any love for Section 1 of the 14th Amendment. That shared stance is (pretty much) what unites and defines Republicans constitutionwise.
The history so far is that around 1995 the Hawai’i efforts got Democratic liberals on board for gay marriage/civil unions. Vermont in 2000 led to the Democratic Left faction coming on board. Massachusetts persuaded moderate Democrats in 2005.
Now it’s a fight for the support of centrists and it is at least partly tied to California’s legalization and (?)delegalization in 2008. I’m watching pollings to see if by itself that will do it; often it takes two big affairs and a couple of years of backlash effects/fadeout to win that very big bloc over on Culture War issues. (Maybe a Californian referendum vote in 2010 is the second event. Quien sabe.) But when the centrists tip to the liberal side, the conservative side has to retreat to deeply Red states.
Winning over moderate Republicans to support of the liberal-associated point of view is when a supermajority is formed and Culture War issues end. (Things like no fault divorce and school prayer iirc have reached that point.) Usually some Right factional leader will decide to go over and his following then gets very quiet about the issue before then. Eventually some significant social conservative (aka Religious Right) person will do so too. And then suddenly people seem conveniently not to really remember things ever having been different.
All the loud conservative claims about the evil of divorce and it being the province of dissolute liberals became a murmur when Reagan became the Republican nominee in 1980. When Tammy Faye Baker divorced Jim Baker in iirc 1986 the silence about divorce became deafening. And Religious Right people have since pretended their heated and hypocritical rhetoric about divorce never happened.
So keep a good eye on Mary Cheney and her parents longterm but keep very silent. Be nice to her. Sooner or later she is going to muster the courage and marry her partner and her parents are going to show up for it. And suddenly a chunk of the Right is going to go as dumb as fish about gay marriage. And sometime after that some major Religious Right leader’s kid is going to do it too.
Aaron
December 6th, 2008
You know, we actually need to do something about this. It infuriates me that this one, petty man is able to use our families to further his career. We need to organize something to hold him accountable and to make the Senate Democrats miserable until they change course. State legislators never get the sort of attention national politicians get from constituents and they wouldn’t know what hit them if we were able to raise a real protest like we did in the wake of Prop 8. If we make this a big enough issue, we can force them to take up our rights. We can’t let little Ruben Diaz screw us around like this. I nominate this website to start promoting a massive protest, letter writing, and phone call campaign — or something even more impactful if you can think of it. This isn’t the sort of thing we should just resign ourselves to, we should fight this bastard.
Chris
December 6th, 2008
There are already a couple of Facebook groups getting started. And one is organizing a protest on Christmas day at Diaz’s office.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=46163031097
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=39366464226
Ephilei
December 6th, 2008
The problem with coalitions is that members join because they get something out of it, not because they’re loyal to its foundation. I support often democrats because I’m transgender, but I will never support abortion and I don’t feel I’m a hypocrite for doing so.
Gays aren’t last. There are smaller minorities that are so far behind they’re not even mentioned.
There are ways around this problem. 1) Go to the federal level. 2) Ignore same-sex marriage but eliminate marriage from the books and enact civil unions for every New Yorker; let couples decide if they’re union is marriage or not. 3) Eliminate sex from the books. If the state does not recognize you as female or male, they cannot discriminate against you in anyway. 2 and 3 are far too libertarian to swallow, but they’d work.
Leave A Comment