Monday, August 06, 2012

DNC Platform To Include Marriage Equality?


What’s this? I’m just back from a brief, albeit lovely, vacation, to find that the Democrats seem poised to endorse a Gay Marriage plank for their convention platform.
First things first. For the love of Gaga let’s stop calling it “gay” marriage. It’s Marriage Equality. I mean, are the marriages that are legally allowed now called Straight Marriages? No. It’s Marriage Equality.
Equality, people.
Anyway, while the Democrats may make this move, as of now neither the DNC nor the Obama campaign wanted to talk about. And I say they should. I mean, Obama talked about it a couple of months ago; it’s a hot button issue and needs to be discussed and debated and the passed.
Right now just six of fifty states have marriage equality, while three more have legalization measures on their fall ballots, but it’s still one of those touchy subjects. And, you know how to make a subject less touchy, less kind of hot button? Talk.About.It. Endorse it. Make it happen.
And, if the party adds marriage equality to its platform during the convention, it will be a symbolic victory for LGBT on all sorts of fronts, one of which is that the convection will be in Charlotte, North Carolina this year. Y’all remember that it was North Carolina, stepping back in time earlier this year, which passed a referendum banning marriage equality, so this would be nice to see happen up there.
The 15-member Democratic Party platform draft committee unanimously approved the pro-equality marriage language and then sent the platform draft to the full platform committee, which meets in Detroit in two weeks. And most on the committee believe it will be added, though former congressman, Travis Childers, a Mississippi Democrat, says the so-called Blue Dog Democrats like himself would be hesitant to support pro-marriage equality language.
“It is not something that I would agree with, that part of the platform,” Childers said. “I think the conservative Democrats, especially in the South, a great number will disagree with that.”
Well, Southerners need to build a bridge and get over it. They were against interracial marriage and now that happens all the time. They fought tooth-and-nail against the Civil Rights movement and look how that worked out. Do Southerners really need to continue looking backwards, and looking like backwards morons?
And while Obama’s team isn’t saying much, they actually are saying something quite plainly: Clo Ewing, campaign spokeswoman, says, “The president’s personal views on marriage equality are known. [He] and the party are committed to crafting a platform that reflects the president’s positions and the values of the party.”
Mittsy Romney, liar, panderer, flip-flopper, and international disaster, has no comment. It’s believed his foot is still wedged in his mouth after his less than stellar trip abroad.
But we don’t need Mittsy. We have a president who supports equality and we have a majority of Americans—and the numbers grow daily—who want the same thing too.
It’s a good day, but it can get better.

7 comments:

  1. I think the addition of marriage equality to the party platform (while symbolic) is also important and another step in the right direction.

    BTW did you read the Economist scathing review of Mitt's trip to Europe and Israel? It is worth the read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Between Courtney Stodden and Kim Kardashian we've kindof driven Straight Marriage right off the cliff...

    ReplyDelete
  3. YEAH BABY YEAH! think spouse read about this on the huffington post.

    I hope to see marriage equality in my lifetime in all states, except mine; PA is so damn backward it's not funny. we might as well be alabama (as james carville well knows)!

    ReplyDelete
  4. it can still happen or change

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are right!
    It is "marriage equality" as opposed to my "gay ketchup", "equality ketchup" just doesn't sound very tasty, does it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. When I read about this plank being advanced at the Democrats convention, I was excited. LGBT are now mainstream, we are no longer something to be swept under the carpet. Halli-freaking-lua

    ReplyDelete
  7. AMEN! I can't stand to hear people talk about "Gay Marriage" ... for the exact same reasons.

    On the other hand, they can call it whatever they want to call it as long as I get to have one.

    ReplyDelete

Say anything, but keep it civil .......