Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: Utah Fights for Gay Rights
I have to admit, all the noise about groundwork and reaching out sparks a visceral reaction in me. Yesterday, I was holding hands with a girl in South Beach Miami and a man walking past us made a lewd comment. Am I supposed to reach out to him? A homophobe in the supposed gay mecca of Florida?
Still, you can’t help but be inspired by the Utah residents gathering in front of the Delicate Arch on Saturday in support of the Common Ground Initiative – a collection of five bills supporting equal rights for LGBT residents including employment protections and health insurance for state-employee partners.
Their message: “We’re all Utahns first.”
After Prop 8, many gay Americans wanted to write off the “Mormon state” for good. At least, it seemed like efforts to connect to Utah’s conservative population – large funders of the California amendment – would be futile.
But LGBT Utahns are making the groundwork and reaching out a reality. It’s not easy, and it’s incredibly contraversial, but listening to those who hate us might be the answer all American states are looking for. Go to your DOMA protest on Saturday, make noise and gather strength from the supporters around you.
But maybe some of that energy should be directed at engaging the most hateful amongst us in conversation. If we, like the Utahns, swallow our pride, we might get more done.
Ack! Sorry about my English. It was early when I wrote it and 365 has not edit button.
Florida is not a gay mecca. Whoever thinks that is seriously mistaken. Florida is very anti-gay. It is so anti-gay that after 11 years living there in Fort Lauderdale and a marriage amendment getting on the ballot, that I packed up and took my money elsewhere in October, 2008. Now, I live in Massachusetts which is more expensive. However, my marriage is recognized and my spouse is on my insurance at work.
Long story short: Florida is not a gay mecca.
“If we, like the Utahns, swallow our pride, we might get more done.”
What the hell does that mean?
So we go and ask a church for our civil rights?
Or we tell them that they were right all along and while we agree we are going to hell, we just want to have some “special rights” granted?
Wow, Harvey Milk would be proud of reading this mental fart, whatever. Now it almost feels like Utah is the ultimate gay utopia. They have no civil unions or domestic partnerships statewide but state employees get benefits. Woohoo!!!
While i disagree that the “most hateful of us” should be the target our energy, I do wholeheartedly support outreach efforts. People on here saying the mormons will never change their crazy beliefs forget that not too long ago, they didn’t allow African-American clergy because of incredibly racist beliefs in their religion. That changed.
Far too often the “worst of us” are equated to the mainstream, and it’s just not true. While we should call out those truly heinous individuals, we can’t let a few truly malicious people paint the entire picture of our advocacy efforts. The majority of people out there are normal folks who are just sticking to the dogmatic traditions they’ve never thought to really question, and we need to find ways to bring them to our side instead of being so quick to insult, label, and yell at them.
Expecting rational behavior from irrational people is irrational in itself. My partner and myself will celebrate 35 years together this summer. We’ve learned, I think you should as well.
Ms. Ruby-Sachs,
You are all over the board on your opinions and ideas….P.S. nothing Obama can do will ease the sting of the Warren selection. That selection speaks for itelf. The only remaining question is whether he will make good on his promises. There is no love left in my heart to feel any further sting. I want cold hard progress or all the deal is broken.
The only useful change I see in all this is the funerals of those born before WWII. It may take another generation yet before most of the bigots die off, but there is every indication that fanatical homophobic religions are losing their grip on people’s minds (at least in the US) and a majority of people 30 years of age and under truly don’t understand what the fuss is all about re: equal rights for GLBTQA people.
The Mormons took a BIG PR hit on Prop Hate, and I hope it continues to reverberate.
Magic underpants and gold tablets, INDEED!!??
Cheers,
Bud Burgoon-Clark
San Diego CA USA
Emma: Trying to reason with/explain/gain understanding or acceptance from the Mormons is about as risky as trying to tame a pit full of rattlsnakes that are up to your hips. These people are not rational, and have closed minds. There is NOTHING we can say or do that will change them. Realizing this lets us devote our energy to gaining our rightful place in this Republic through the courts and using the Constitution which is there to protect us all. Educating people, letting them know we are everywhere and equal is the way to go. Fighting the Stemberger’s and the Christo-fascists with truth and science will succeed.
Coming from a state with a large LDS population, I can tell you that, in general, Mormons tend to be the nicest people, who never shy from polite discourse; however, this did not stop the Mormon Church from strongly aiding in the passage of Prop 102 in AZ and Prop 8 in CA. You can reach out all you want, but little will not change an absolute belief in and adherence to what the LDS faithful are told from church leaders. Outreach is, of course, always a good path, but, in this case, will never effect the changes we are seeking.
No matter what we do, we’re merely offering the Mormons (or other fundamentalists) a choice between playing fair, or adhering to their religion. Which one do you think they’ll choose? I think it’s fairly safe to say that “outreach” attempts have failed miserably and will continue to fail.
What a STEAMING pile of equine excrement!
The Mormon PAGAN FERTILITY CULT would have to change their CORE DOCTRINES in order to accept GLBTQA people.
According to them, ONLY heterosexuals who PROCREATE (preferably a LOT) can enter the highest circle of their heaven.
*I* will swallow *my* pride and cozy up to brain dead bigots right after they pry my wedding ring off my cold, dead hand.
Bud Burgoon-Clark
San Diego CA USA
whose marriage is NO business of the Mormons, the Romans, OR the kraven konservative kristianist kultist krazies (KKKKK for short)
Emma–I like your optimism but at some point, we need to direct our resources to battles we can win. We can’t enlighten a segment of the population whose belief in their religious doctrine excludes gays. I applaud gay Utahns for fighting battles on their own home yet hostile turf. As a Catholic, I have my own issues with my church. However, whether it’s Mormons supporting Prop. 8, Israelis bombing the Gaza, Islamic terrorists bombing various places or the Crusades, the problem truly lies in the way that organized religion subtly corrupts their followers. It is insidious and becomes a disease. A terrible thing to observe but alas, I’m a realist.
“But maybe some of that energy should be directed at engaging the most hateful amongst us in conversation. If we, like the Utahns, swallow our pride, we might get more done.”
Emma, I usually enjoy your articles even when I don’t agree 100% but your statement above has not only proven ineffective over the last few decades, but it is extremely insulting as well. Tell me, when you were insulted in South Beach, was it your pride that was wounded or your worth as a human being? Just how do you propose we respond to the holy mandate that we are an abomination to their “god” and we deserve eternal punishment? Pride has nothing to do with it and history has shown what appeasement leads to when dealing with irrational brainwashed lemmings. Go ask Poland how successful Chamberlain’s pacifist appeasement of Hitler turned out. You go ahead and waste your time trying to have a rational discourse with these people if you like, but shove the insults where the sun doesn’t shine if you think this holier-than-thou attitude and insults you sling at the rest of us for not buying this particular brand of snake oil boilds down to a mere matter of pride.