Soon after Obama�s historic statement in
favor of gay marriage, I watched the traffic on Facebook.
Overall, the responses were very positive, even where
people had questions as to the relative strength of the
statement. But then I started seeing comments that questioned
the sincerity of the statement. My immediate response
was simple: who cares about his sincerity?
Ever since the 2008 campaign, the focus
of too many Left and progressive individuals has been
on the level of sincerity that Obama has on any number
of issues. Such concerns miss the point. The question
should be who stands to gain by different overtures, statutes,
policies, etc.?
Consider this for a moment. The President
has opened up a discussion not just about same-sex marriage
but about democracy and tolerance unlike anything we have
had in years. The right-wing is gearing up for a major
campaign against Obama with the focal point being his
stand on same-sex marriage. So, regardless of what Obama
did or why, we now have a moment to speak with millions
of people about the rights of LGBTQ folks and also about
the sort of country that the political Right seems intent
on constructing. We also have an opportunity to speak
about broader issues of equality. With regard to this
latter point, this is why we should not focus on whether
there are allegedly more important issues facing the LGBTQ
community. We should not expect Obama to do our work for
us.
How many times do we have to be reminded
that Obama is not a leftist and is not a representative
of the progressive movement? He was not elected as part
of a progressive slate. He was elected to lead the United States and he has been a corporate liberal
throughout. Yes, many people invested expectations in
him, but therein lies the problem; expectations without
the requisite political pressure.
So, now, in the face of Obama�s announced
position on same-sex marriage, the wrong thing to do would
be to sit back and see what more he does. The thing to
do is to make use of this statement and that of other
members of his administration to push and to push hard
for more. This is the time to push hard for legislation,
beginning at the state level, against any and all forms
of discrimination against the LGBTQ population. It is
also the time to take on the Right. My favorite way is
to remind them of Deuteronomy Chapter 22 every time they
start talking about God, The Bible and marriage.
Haven�t read Deuteronomy Chapter 22 recently? Take a look and then let�s talk about marriage and family
values.
BlackCommentator.com
Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher,
Jr., is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president
of TransAfricaForum and
co-author of Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path
toward Social Justice (University of California Press), which examines the crisis of organized
labor in the USA. Click here
to contact Mr. Fletcher.
