Monday, January 25, 2010
Why Gays and Lesbians Have So Far to Go
Politics / People Robert Gammon — Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Gays and lesbians have made a lot of progress in the past decade in their long struggle for equality, but if the opinions of two Bay Area newspapers are any indication, then they still have a long way to go. Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, the hometown paper of one of the largest gay and lesbian communities in the world, preached “tolerance” for those who spend large sums of money to strip gays and lesbians of a basic human right.
And over the weekend, Oakland Tribune columnists Tammerlin Drummond and Bryon Williams essentially told the East Bay gay and lesbian community that the only way they’ll ever attain equality is to shut up, get back in line, and don’t dare challenge the status quo. It was akin to telling blacks and whites in the 1960s who fought to overturn anti-miscegenation laws that they would have gotten what they wanted more quickly if they were nicer, more polite, and were more “tolerant” of those who sought to deny them equality.
So why do the Chron’s editorial board and the Trib columnists sound as if they’re stuck in some 1950s time warp? It appears that part of it has to do with how they view the fight for civil rights, and their opinions provide insight into why it has been so difficult for gays and lesbians to win the right to marry. The Chron, Drummond, and Williams all maintain that they support gay marriage. And yet they strongly criticize gays and lesbians who are attempting to block the reappointment of Lorenzo Hoopes, one of the biggest backers of Prop. 8, to Oakland’s Paramount Theatre board of directors.
They argue that Hoopes has a right to his anti-gay views, and to spend $26,000 to illegalize gay marriage, and that opponents should just be good little gays and stay quiet about it. But if they truly believed in marriage equality and gay rights, then they would be applauding the efforts to block a bigot like Hoopes. As I said on Friday, if Ron Dellums had nominated someone who campaigned to outlaw interracial marriage, it’s unlikely that these same voices would be telling those who objected to shut up. In fact, their argument for silence in the face of discrimination is completely wrongheaded. Throughout history, bigotry has never been defeated by keeping one’s mouth shut, and equality has never been achieved by "tolerating" those who wish to discriminate. Don’t just take my word for it, read Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” where he argues forcefully against doing nothing and remaining silent in the struggle for civil rights.
Secondly, it appears that they have a complete misunderstanding of the First Amendment. They essentially argue that Hoopes has a constitutional right to be a bigot, and to spend lots of money on a campaign for state-sanctioned discrimination, but that gays and lesbians have no right to challenge him. Of course, Hoopes has a constitutional right to his own political views. But so do gay and lesbian activists. They have every right to speak up and oppose Hoopes’ appointment to a public board and to mount a political campaign to stop him.
It’s called the marketplace of ideas, and it’s a cornerstone of free speech. Everyone has the right to their opinion, and that means both Hoopes and the gays and lesbians who fight against him. Sure, it can sometimes be a loud and messy process. But the whole premise behind the marketplace of ideas is that when all the shouting is done, the best ideas will rise to the top. And eventually, bigoted and discriminatory views will be seen just as they are and discarded on the scrap heap of history.
Comments (8)
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Byron, as for being nominated as GLAAD's columnist of the year, good luck getting that honor again!
I'd like to point out that Byron Williams is such a free speech absolutist that he once spoke up against firing a state trooper for being a Klansman. Loopy.
Also, it is not without precedent that an appointee to an Oakland board has been withdrawn due to his arch-conservative views: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2…
The point here is that political appointees are subject to political pressure. That's part of free speech and freedom of thought. Hoopes is a representative of the City of Oakland, and therefore the LGBT community of Oakland has every right to demand that he be replaced with someone who represents their beliefs and needs.
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Homosexuals do not have rights because of their immoral behavior. They chose to be immoral. They do not have rights and they will not get it. I hope and pray that all thes unethical homosexuals and digusting people will leave America and go to their own place somewhere on earth where nobody can see their digusting immoral behavior.,
I would encourage all read a sample of what I've written and said publicly in the past year. It led to my nomination for GLAAD's "Outstanding Columnist of the Year"--a fact that Mr. Gammon knew before he wrote this latest blog. My position is based on my understanding for First Amendment not the defense of any individual. Moreover, if the LGBT movement is a moral one, which I believe it is, then it is my view that intolerance cannot be a tool that is used.
Peace and blessings,
Byron Williams
http://www.insidebayarea.com/byron-william…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/byron-willia…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/byron-willia…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/byron-willia…
http://www.gbmnews.com/articles/4249/1/NBJ…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDKsWT36Boc
History has taught me many things about human nature. One simple lesson I learned and one that other LGBT people need to accept is: don't ever expect the majority to ever give a shit about minority rights. If you really want something you have to fight for it... a job, a degree, a lover and even your rights.
Hey Handsome,
Nice doublespeak. Look. Public outrage, rebuke and ostracism has worked in the past to get the LDS church to give up it's reactionary and anti-social views.
In the 1890s, the LDS church caved to public pressure and stopped forcing child brides into polygamous marriages with older men.
In the late 1970s, the LDS church again caved to public pressure. It softened it's teaching that black people were "unclean" and "cursed", and began ordaining black priests for the first time in 100 years.
The pressure that the Gay community is applying is just the latest in a very clear trend. When the LDS church realizes that it's teachings are far enough out of step with society so as to threaten it's ability to expand, the LDS church changes it's teachings.
Somebody has to send a message that actively interfering with the personal lives of gays is unacceptable. This time, the message starts in Oakland.
I believe Sean Sullivan has it backwards but doesn't recognize it or can't admit it. It's those who don't agree with him that he wants to shut up and go away. I mean, isn't that the whole point of the opposition to Hoopes' nomination?
Yay Robert Gammon!!!!! So glad to have you reporting on the East Bay community -- gay or otherwise. Thank you for your clear voice for truth and reason in local politics.
Thank you so much for getting it.
This is not now nor has it ever been about his vote, his opinion or his age.
This is about his very generous support of discrimination and writing that discrimination into California's constitution.
The East Bay Express' coverage of this issue has been excellent and appreciated.
I hope some summation makes it into the print version this week.
More people need to here this succinct challenge.
Shut up & go away?
To paraphrase John Paul Jones:
We have Not Even Begun to Fight!
Sean Sullivan
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