Equality Will Come from the Right

[JayQueer]

From October 2011's Advocate magazine --

http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Features/Op-ed__Equality_Will_Come_From_the_Right/

Former liberal Democrat, turned conservative Republican lesbian Cynthia Yockey explains what I have been feeling for so long.

She raises excellent points. Here are a few exerpts --

I have good news and bad news about conservatives and LGBT equality. The good news is that LGBT equality will come from the right. The bad news is that this will happen only if we learn how to talk to conservatives — both gay and straight — and listen to them in return.

What is tragic about the way leftist LGBTs have been pursuing equality is that their arguments could hardly do a better job of turning prospective friends on the right into enemies. The deadliest mistake has been to unite LGBT rights with the economic and social policies of progressivism in the minds of conservatives by supporting only Democrats, no matter how much they abuse and betray the LGBT community. Right-wingers who are willing to grant that LGBT equality is a matter of individual liberty and an inalienable right will fight it to the death when it is chained to the stagnation of a planned economy and the tyranny of a nanny state. Stop uniting our rights with bad Democratic economic policies and you’ll be amazed at how many more voices on the right will speak out for LGBT equality. A good place for us to start is to stop denouncing LaSalvia and Barron of GOProud and start trying to understand what they have to say.

So why is Andrew Breitbart (or even Ann Coulter, for that matter) a better friend to LGBT people than Barack Obama? Well, for one thing, Breitbart surely has more gay friends. He publicly pushes back against antigay groups that try to exclude LGBT conservatives from conservatism’s big tent. In addition, Breitbart is a fiscal conservative fighting for the principles of wealth creation that allow the LGBT community to thrive.

Meanwhile, Obama’s bus has two places for LGBTs: at the back or under. What can we do to change that? The main reason we get so little respect from Obama and the Democrats is that they’ve got us believing we have nowhere else to go. Show the Democrats they’re wrong. The more that Democrats see that LGBTs are willing to engage in a dialogue with conservatives and Republicans, work with conservatives and Republicans, even vote for conservatives and Republicans, the more power we will have. What’s not to like about that?

 

[jason1977]

In my opinion, time will be the answer. Each year more people are accepting of LGBT equality. Granted, some people (on the far right) will have religious reasons that may result in them never accepting LGBT equality. Or, they may realize that LEGAL equality is A-OK (and truly Constitutional) even though they personally don't like it because of their religious views. Many politicians have made decisions over the course of history that they personally were opposed to but that they supported because it was the "right" thing to do according to the law, because it represented equality, etc. Even many of today's Democrats don't support full LGBT equality. I think that only 1 Democratic candidate in our last presidential election supported full LGBT equality. Everyone else stood up and said that they support the "traditional view" of marriage.

Bottom line, change is happening slowly as people become more accepting in every political party. Younger people are more accepting and the culture is becoming more LGBT friendly overall. It's a slow process. But, so was the civil rights movement for blacks.

Now, keep in mind, Democrats haven't always been on the winning side of equal rights in comparison to Republicans. LBJ and Kennedy (Democrats) supported equality, but LBJ took a huge political risk in pushing for civil rights for blacks because many southern Democrats were completely against black equality. It really came down to more Republicans supporting black civil rights than Democrats. Funny how people forget that. So, the same is true today - but in reverse. Republicans are the ones who are (very) slowly coming along when it comes to equality for the LGBT community. It may be a long road. But, my guess is that in 10 - 15 years we'll see nearly 40 - 50% of Republicans supporting full legal rights for the LGBT community. In 20 - 25 years it will be a non-issue and only the most religious will think that legal rights shouldn't be extended to gays and lesbians. They'll be in the smallest minority. And, in regards to Democrats, they still haven't arrived. It'll be another 2 - 5 years before the majority of Democrats in political leadership stand up and say that marital rights should be extended to all, including gays and lesbians. We're almost there. But, there are too many that are still timid (or evolving) on this topic.

 

[Kulindahr]

Some valid points, some wishful thinking.

It's very parallel to the gun issue, from the flip side: establishment Democrats drive voters to the GOP, regardless of how much gun owners may like other Democratic party goals. And that actually shows the real problem she misses: the GOP drives gays to the Democrats by even allowing anti-gay planks in the state and national platforms. If her position had any substance, we'd see vigorous demonstrations by gay supporters at GOP conventions all over -- but what we do see is . . . not much.

 

[chrisrobin]

"All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others." George Orwell - Animal Farm
The short novel is an allegory about the totalitarian form of government. We're almost there!

 

[palemale]

More delusional thinking from a right wing nut case. Breitbart and Coulter better friends to the LGBT community than Obama. Utter nonsense. You and Yockey should stop buying those one way tickets to Lalaland.

 

[JayQueer]

You and Yockey should stop buying those one way tickets to Lalaland.

I already live near "Lalaland".

"Lalaland" is a nickname for Los Angeles.

 

[altlover85]

I agree with jason1977. I think time and shifting demographics is the most important factor.

As far as equality coming from the right, to some small degree I think she's correct, in that it probably won't happen just from the left alone. However, I think that as time progresses, the country will move more towards the left, as a whole. I could be wrong, of course.

 

[Centexfarmer]

http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/...rom_the_Right/

More delusional pablum trying to be passed off as demand for "compromise," while offering none of their own.

What is it about what passes for "conservative" in this county, only truly amounts to bullshit?

That no matter how far to the right that the left goes to meet them, they inevitably keep moving the goal post further to the right.

From individuals who are either educated far beyond their intelligence, or who've wrapped themselves so tightly within a pathological ideology that they'll never be able to see the light of day.

Fascinating.

 

[T-Rexx]

^ Why is that man in that picture racing around the universe with a gigantic, obviously 1960s-era, piece of technology?

 

[Just_Believe18]

There are several problems with this article.

First, the poor taste metaphor accusing Obama of putting the LGBT community at the "back of the bus." The man is the first black President, and a milestone achievement of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white man.

Secondly, gay conservatives are not going to "shoo away" the numbers and political influence of social conservatives. Between now and when the gay community has full rights, the religious right of America will fight us tooth and nail to the bitter end - and they will be represented by the Republican Party.

Third, the Obama Administration is more of a friend than Brietbart and Coulter. It takes more than just "refusing to attend next year's CPAC" to prove support for the LGBT community. I give props to the Log Cabin Republicans for getting the Court to strike down DADT, but it took a Democrat movement and a couple of brave Republican senators (who were accused of being liberal by fellow Republicans) to vote the end of DADT. Also, the President signed the law, whereas a Republican one would have vetoed it. McCain was the strongest Republican opposition to end DADT and if he had won the '08 election, WE WOULD STILL HAVE DADT.

Fourth, just because a gay or lesbian votes Democrat, it doesn't mean they are voting Democrat on the basis of their sexual orientation. I also happen to have progressive ideals. I believe in the importance of a free education, fair taxation, conserving the environment, pro union, green energy, gender equality, racial equality, net neutrality, prochoice, affordable healthcare, Social Security, and some need for gun control. However, I also have a lot of conservative values as well, and am a more dedicated practicing Christian than half those social conservative hypocrites. There's nothing wrong with being gay and progressive. I'm not sacrificing any of my principles by voting as a Democrat whereas a gay Republican is.

Fifth, and most important, the Republican Right will not be responsible for bringing equality to the LGBT community. Years from now, it will be a Democrat legislator, a Democrat President, and a Democrat voter who will champion and fight the cause of equality for gays and lesbians. The Republicans will fight it, and resist, but ultimately will lose. Then, decades later, there will be more gays who join the Republican Party because it took progressive liberal ideas to change the mindset of the Republican party to be tolerant of gays. Which is why you have more black people in the Republican party. It took a Democratic movement in the 1950s and 60s to fight the Republicans to grant equality for black people. Now the Republican Party is reaping the benefit of a minority population they disenfranchised decades ago. "What? We love black people!" Sure, now you do. And they'll say the same thing about gays and lesbians decades from now. And when that happens, Ms. Yockey and JayQueer, we who fought with blood and tears against the Republican Right at every step of the way, will say to you, "You're welcome."

 

[Just_Believe18]

Also, from the same website to counter Ms. Yockey's claim in her article about gay conservatives being responsible for ending DADT. Like I said, it took a Democrat, and a Democrat push to end DADT and progress gay rights for all:

http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Patrick_Murphy_The_Right_Man_at_the_Right_Time/

 

[Kulindahr]

There are several problems with this article.

First, the poor taste metaphor accusing Obama of putting the LGBT community at the "back of the bus." The man is the first black President, and a milestone achievement of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white man.

Secondly, gay conservatives are not going to "shoo away" the numbers and political influence of social conservatives. Between now and when the gay community has full rights, the religious right of America will fight us tooth and nail to the bitter end - and they will be represented by the Republican Party.

Third, the Obama Administration is more of a friend than Brietbart and Coulter. It takes more than just "refusing to attend next year's CPAC" to prove support for the LGBT community. I give props to the Log Cabin Republicans for getting the Court to strike down DADT, but it took a Democrat movement and a couple of brave Republican senators (who were accused of being liberal by fellow Republicans) to vote the end of DADT. Also, the President signed the law, whereas a Republican one would have vetoed it. McCain was the strongest Republican opposition to end DADT and if he had won the '08 election, WE WOULD STILL HAVE DADT.

Fourth, just because a gay or lesbian votes Democrat, it doesn't mean they are voting Democrat on the basis of their sexual orientation. I also happen to have progressive ideals. I believe in the importance of a free education, fair taxation, conserving the environment, pro union, green energy, gender equality, racial equality, net neutrality, prochoice, affordable healthcare, Social Security, and some need for gun control. However, I also have a lot of conservative values as well, and am a more dedicated practicing Christian than half those social conservative hypocrites. There's nothing wrong with being gay and progressive. I'm not sacrificing any of my principles by voting as a Democrat whereas a gay Republican is.

Fifth, and most important, the Republican Right will not be responsible for bringing equality to the LGBT community. Years from now, it will be a Democrat legislator, a Democrat President, and a Democrat voter who will champion and fight the cause of equality for gays and lesbians. The Republicans will fight it, and resist, but ultimately will lose. Then, decades later, there will be more gays who join the Republican Party because it took progressive liberal ideas to change the mindset of the Republican party to be tolerant of gays. Which is why you have more black people in the Republican party. It took a Democratic movement in the 1950s and 60s to fight the Republicans to grant equality for black people. Now the Republican Party is reaping the benefit of a minority population they disenfranchised decades ago. "What? We love black people!" Sure, now you do. And they'll say the same thing about gays and lesbians decades from now. And when that happens, Ms. Yockey and JayQueer, we who fought with blood and tears against the Republican Right at every step of the way, will say to you, "You're welcome."

Superb analysis save for one point: the religious right will not be "represented by the Republican Party", they wield it like a weapon. They schemed, they plotted, they struck, and have hijacked the GOP as the respectable clothing covering their true colors.
Everyone else in the GOP is a tool -- and the whole scam is empowered by the "two party system".

 

[CowboyBob]

Equality Will Come from the Right...?

Yeah, and work brings freedom

Your threads are becoming more and more bizzare.

 

[rareboy]

LGBT equality will only come from the right?

In a way this may be correct, because as moderates in the US watch how the right demonizes and villifies a targeted group with systemic and structural denial of equal rights....hopefully there will finally be enough of a backlash that enough people say 'enough' and force the USA to join the community of civilized, progressive western democracies.

In the meantime, there are all the ignorant and delusional, right wing, theocracy loving knuckle draggers filling the baptist, catholic and mormon churches who likely think that when it comes to homos, Arbeit Macht Frei has a catchy ring.

 

[Telstra]

why is JayQueer so political? LOL

Is it because you are .......... ?