It’s been a rough year for many, myself included. And it seems more prevalent than ever that divisions are being drawn deeper and deeper. I know that these divisions are old and strong but let me ask you why they persist now? We are all Americans and should be able to agree on at least some key issues. Those in power however have been spending this past year trying to get us to divide further and drive us against our natural desire to live by the kindness of our fellow Americans and not by their animosity.
Im here to say that there are issues that independent of who you are or what you believe, right leaning or left leaning we should all be in agreement. And to be a patriot and to be a moral person you must at least be open to consideration of these issues. To start here is an important one, gay rights.
Why This Matters
We have had only 2 years of progress as a nation since the Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that allowed and recognized same sex marriage. Why is it that we think homophobia is dead? Is it really any surprise that in 28 states you can still be fired for being gay? This basic protection is not extended to the community in a majority of states. Is it more shocking that the number of states that have codified actions like this has been going up since 2010? Can we honestly say that it is surprising that one out of five LGBT workers have reported some form of bias motivated workplace hostility? Are we supposed to be surprised when the arguments we see against the extension of these basic rights is in large part based on the idea that the community seemingly doesn’t deserve them in the eyes of many politicians? To quote the new Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said that extending hate crime protection to the LGBT community “has been said to cheapen the civil rights movement.” This hate crime protection by the way is only found in 32 states, which means that in 18 states it is not a hate crime to attack someone for being gay. The difference of course being that while yes assault is still illegal, it is for the most part a misdemeanor, where as a bias motivated assault that is designated as a hate crime is a felony charge.
Where It Matters
Let’s make an example of a certain state, let’s imagine that this state has since 2008 denied that bias motivated attacks on LGBT people are hate crimes on the grounds that they are protecting the state from “thought crime”. Let’s imagine a state where it is not a hate crime to beat two gay men while shouting homophobic slurs. To break one of their jaws and leave them bleeding on the sidewalk after a cowardly gang attack. How long should their attackers go to jail? Well if you guess 5–10 months you’d be correct. Let’s picture a state where 74% of trans students report harassment, 23% report physical assault, and 9% report some form of sexual violence. Would it be concerning that these problems exist? Assuming you haven’t already clicked the sources for my claims, what state do you think this is? You think it’s some empty fly over state like Wyoming where half of the population is scarecrows? Or some deep southern state that, just for laughs still has the confederate flag embedded into it’s state flag like Mississippi? Well you won the game if you guessed historically liberal Pennsylvania. Lets look at a different issue and a different state. For all of the arguments being held right now by Republicans and Democrats on the subject of bathroom bills, one state that has passed a measure through the state senate is Kentucky. But it wasn’t filed by a Republican it was filed by a Democrat. This should be extremely troubling that even liberal parts or parties of the United States, that should desire basic rights for the community are sadly lacking in regards to protection. And although troubling, it should not be shocking, as in 1994 when DOMA was passed with 342 yeas it should not be forgotten that 118 of those yeas came from Democrats. It should also be concerning that of those 118, 38 are still serving.
How You Matter
I think that both sides of the political spectrum can work together to make a change here. We live in an era where most citizens are on the side of LGBT rights or at least the most basic ones. Let’s be honest here, these issues above were around long before Trump and honestly I don’t think that much would be different if Hillary would have won, she would still be subject to the congressional blocking of our now Republican congress. We need to face facts and we just aren’t. The momentum that recent protests have generated is fantastic and effective but it needs to be carried to the state and local level not just the federal. The actions of those who protest now and then turn a blind eye two years in is nothing short of hypocrisy. We must admit that even if Bernie or Hillary won we would still be in the situation we are currently and also that these problems are not the fault of a mass conspiracy on the right or left, that they are the fault of a largely inattentive electorate who have allowed these problems to continue under presidents of the past, making an effort only to change when it seems fit or easy. If Democrats are to retain support among gay voters they need to start acting like what they are, the majority party. In the past seven presidential elections, six were Democratic popular vote victories. They must began to push now and push hard for the rights that gay Americans demand, they have active support among average Americans, this much is clear. If they do not, it will become more and more apparent that for most of the LGBT community, Democrats are a lesser of two evils and if a better option comes along any “party loyalty” they are accustomed too can and will disappear. And to Republicans that are religiously or otherwise apposed to same-sex issues they should not be asked to put asides their beliefs. They don’t need to love us or even like us, but I would ask that since the community is more victimized than any other group and that in 18 states it is not a hate crime to launch a bias motivated attack against someone of the LGBT community, that it would only be fair that the same legal protections that other communities have, should be extended to queer people as well. You do not need to give mutual respect beyond what should be expected in the basic rule of law. So what should you do about all this? Write to your congressman or congresswoman, call them, demand the basic rights that should be afforded to all citizens. But beyond that, support politicians who are willing to reach across the aisle and work with the other side to protect those who’s voice is not loud enough to protect themselves. But this also goes beyond just politicians, it goes to voters on both sides, many Republicans have said Donald Trump is the most pro LGBT president ever. If this is true, then it is now the official Republican platform and it is now no longer patriotic or loyal for any Republican voter to oppose measures that extend rights to the community. And if those on the right hold this to be a virtue of our leader then it is the duty of those on the right to lead by example and protect gay Americans whenever possible. While Democrats need to learn that talking a big game and playing ball are two very different things. Vilifying Trump will do nothing if are we also to not willing to take the fight to where it matters. If Democrats are only willing to step up to plate when an election roles around, but are silent as acts of violence and hatred are allowed to be perpetrated, then are they really friends to the community? The sooner the community grapples with these questions and issues the closer we will be to bipartisan protection. If you are a Republican and you wish to support politicians that believe in the basic ideology of Republicanism but also do not think that you need to hate gays to be a conservative, I would suggest supporting Stand Up Republic or maybe even the Log Cabin Republicans. If you are a Democrat but want to know that your leaders aren’t just using the message of equal rights to get a quick vote, I would suggest throwing support behind Justice Democrats or Our Revolution. We can come together as a nation, but only with we work together.
