I believe in the years to come people will look back at this time as having ended what has for centuries been social issues of sexism and racism. And it will be President Obama who is the final answer.
The more ignorant black preachers quote the Bible incorrectly to fight same sex marriage, the more Obama proves them wrong. For ignorant white preachers have quoted that same Bible to not only approve of slavery, but until the 1960s to oppose interracial marriage. The more a few blacks complain about gays using "their" civil rights movement, the more clear it is that ALL civil rights movements are the same and work together.
I thought of this as I reread a book, Nebraska, by George Whitmore (wonder where he is today, the novel was published in 1987 but about events in 1956) and wondered if any young person reading it today would be able to “feel” the story. It is of a boy who feels guilty for having lied to another boy that his uncle had said he had sex with men, and this was later used to legally put the uncle in a mental institution after he was arrested for public sex and it was discovered that he had been kicked out of the navy, dishonorably, and loved another man.
Hopefully in a few years no one will have to deal with such a situation, and even today there are agencies to help someone in such a situation. I was kicked out of the army, so perhaps I could understand and feel the story even more than most people.
If few homosexuals can even “feel” such a situation, since they will never have such a terrible experience, either being rejected by or being kicked out by the military it is easy to understand why most Americans can not feel the problems homosexuals or people of other races, or religions, have, being in a minority.
This should have been discussed at The Task Force's Creating Change conference in Denver and the meeting of the “leaders” of the community/movement who met in Los Angeles to try to deal with the loss of Proposition 8. How do we let the aveage heterosexual person understand/feel the real issue when too many homosexuals don't even know the real issues.
How “gay” for some young leftwing homosexual to say, well, we shouldn't be in the military anyway, as if his or her choice should be forced on everyone, making them just like the rightwing bigots.
It may seem a reach, but this is exactly what an interracial couple dealt with when they fell in love. Interracial dating and marriage was opposed by the vast majority of white citizens and black citizens, and there are probably still a few people who oppose it. If they don’t want to marry someone of a different race, then they shouldn’t. But they have no right to make that choice for others. Yet they did, by law. And it was based on religion and the Bible was used to preach that such marriages were wrong.
One of the many “logical” arguments against interracial marriage was how it would hurt the children, who would be of mixed race and suffer rejection from both races.
Obama is the answer to that stupid argument. And if interracial marriage is now accepted, so should same sex marriage be accepted. And the children of same sex marriage are doing fine, just as Obama and many children from interracial marriages have.
But go back and read the terrible accusations, claims, sermons against interracial marriage even after the U S Supreme Court—making law as rightwingers always charge when they don't like a decision—ended laws against interracial marriage. The same lies are used against same sex marriage today, often by interracial black preachers.
Then let us figure out how we got from such evil beliefs to a President Obama. And see if that journey can lead to acceptance of same sex marriage.
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I came across an online community for individual seeking interracial love. It is Blackwhitemeet. C O M All singles there are seeking interracial relationships. Interracial is not a problem here, but a great merit to cherish!
Okay, I understand where you’re coming from, but there’s another argument here.
Is our movement merely about getting equality or is it about transformation? Is it about getting equal access to all the institutions of society, even the corrupt or destructive institutions like marriage and the military. Or is it about creating a better world where those institutions are torn down?
Jane Rule, for example, in her final years, said that the job of gays and lesbians was not to get equal access to the institution of marriage but to extend a hand and help free our heterosexual sisters from what is at its core a corrupt and exploitive institution that has proved largely impervious to basic reform.
Similarly, the military. Sure, it’s fair to argue that there are lots of gays and lesbians already in the military and they deserve equal respect, freedom and safety from abuse. But the more fundamental question today is how do we disarm, take apart our armies, make international institutions stronger so that they’re no longer needed. I understand that the armed forces are revered by average citizens in the United States today in a way that they simply are not in Canada and Western Europe. And so, some equality-seeking gays and lesbians think it’s important to win access to this institution to advance the general social acceptance of queers in US society. But this is a solution to the wrong question. The question is (and it’s no doubt a question very much on the minds of people who have been abused by US forces in Vietnam, the rest of the Americas and now Iraq) how can the US be turned into a peace-loving country that turns its back on militarism.
Cheers!
You are talking about issues not relevant to my email. In the first place, the issue of the military was irrelevant when we had a draft. The government made us go on record about our sexuality. Now it is different, but if a homosexual person makes a choice to go into the military, he/she should not be disqualified because of their choice of a sex partner.
The same answer applies to marriage. I tell people about the Organization that tires of deal with the unfairness marriage gives people, and that will still be true when same sex marriage arrives (atmp@unmarried.org).
My point was that Obama, existing as probably the most powerful person in the world, and a child of an interracial marriage-until the 1960 against the law and against a large majority of the public-is proof that finally that issue of how children of interracial marriage has been answered.
And if interracial marriage can finally be ended as an issue, soon the same will be true of same sex marriage-and we can learn from how this person got elected president. against all the odds.
Hi Billy I am visiting my uncle in san franciso. We were discussing his history and early gay rights. I did a search for mattachine and I found your blog. You mentioned that you wanted to find him to get the story. He is alive and well. I appreciate your refering to him as a brave soul. If you would like more information please contact me.
This is good news-by the way, sometimes I have to send emails twice as I often lose "connection" and can't know if something I "sent' actually went. So please let me hear more, and if his memories are in the archive there in San Francisco.
I am now in LA the state, after all those good years in L.A. the city, which I still feel almost a spiritual connection to.(Did you see the website: htp://tangentgroup.org material?)
Thanks for the contact.
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