Beyond "Gay Marriage": Getting Back on Track

Now that "gay marriage" has been defeated in Tennessee and in most of the United States, it is time for the "gay rights movement" to get back on track and quit following into the anti-gay Christian right's political traps. "Gay Marriage" was a distraction, politically timed to divide the Democratic Party, mobilize conservative Christian voters, and elect Republicans. The issue is so unpopular and political dangerous, even most Democratic candidates opposed it (i.e. Harold Ford Jr. and Barack Obama..)

Now it is time for the Democratic Party, as the majority party in control of Congress now, to prove it deserves the support of gay voters. It is time to fight discrimination against gays by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (to protect gays from employment discrimination) and end the miltary's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy which has been a disaster for the military and for gays in the military. Clinton should never have "compromised" with the anti-gay military establishment and enshrined anti-gay bigotry in military policy (which still considers homosexuality to be a "disorder"). DADT has ended the careers of thousands of gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. (DADT makes it a crime to publicly acknowledge being gay or lesbian, and requires gays and lesbians to be celibate and keep their identity a secret.)

While there seems to be enough Democratic support to pass ENDA, not many Democratic leaders have been willing to call for and end to DADT and allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military, even though recent polls show a strong majority favor allowing gays to serve in the military.

We must also confront the hypocrisey of "liberals" who claim to support gay rights, but who do NOT support giving gay and lesbian couples EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS. That is still an issue that Democrats are divided on and even many liberals cannot seem to embrace. Unfortunately, marriage equality will require challenging irrational religious dogmas that should not have anything to do with public policy, and a strong defense of the separation of church and state, which many Democrats (i.e. Harold Ford Jr., Barack Obama, etc.) do not respect.

Will the Democrats defend the separation of church and state, and equal civil rights?