Is the Tide Turning in the US?

[cocksucker4use]

Let's face it. Gay are wealthy, well-educated. In the final analysis, giving gays full equal rights does nothing to challenge the economic status quo. In New York State, significant pressure for gay marriage, and significant money, came from corporate execs who normally raise huge amounts of money for Republicans. They also have gay children, gay nieces and nephews, gay siblings, and want to be able to attract talented, gay employees. Gay marriage doesn't threaten their economic interests one iota. Gay marriage is here, and they are still free to fuck over the general public with their greed and right wing agenda.

I don't believe it is at all valid to say that all Gays are wealthy and well-educated. The visible GLBT's who run for office or are in the news or in print are likely wealthy and/or powerful or connected to power. They are insulated from the risks many of us might face in openly supporting gay rights. Gays have tended to have high expendable incomes compared to their hetero peers at all socioeconomic levels, because they historically have not married (or divorced) or had children and families to support. Hooray! That is changing. Some years ago, HRC did not give a fuck about gay marriage because a poll of their members showed it wasn't important to them. Their members tended to be wealthy and well-educated (that's how I joined and was at some donor level or other until they came up with this bullshit survey and I quit belonging or donating). Their members had money and education and didn't care about survivor benefits, medicare, social security, disability, etc. that are critical benefits and protections of marriage for a lot of people.

For the millions of US who are not visible, whether we be out or closeted, we are included in the 99% being fucked over. Actually, we are fucked over by the greedy robber barons on Wall Street, and again by prejudice and ignorance on Main St. all across America.

We are everyman (and woman). That is, homosexuality exists at every level of society and across educational and income strata. Homosexual is not Gay, it is an orientation and not a lifestyle, necessarily. Our broad diversity could be our strength, if we came together and lobbied and voted as a block on GLBT issues and rights. One problem is we don't have our Moses, our Dr. King. Do we have a collective Dream of what America should afford us as citizens?

We see on these pages that there are those among us who are Conservatives and celebrate at least those economic policies that have brought us to where we are. Indeed there are no doubt gay Wall St. brokers who are devising new ways to put all of our futures at risk and getting millions for it. However, in supporting conservatives and conservative candidates, we have to accept that once in power there is also their social/religious agenda to deal with. Opposing gay rights, gay marriage, any "special protections" for employment and housing for those of us who have chosen to go against the Word and dwell in the moral decay which is Sodom. In Michelle Bachman and Rick Santorum's America the Conservative queers are just as queer as the liberal queers, and in their vision of America, that is not a good thing. To the point of the thread, Gay politicians are good news.

 

[Incognito]

I am a member of a major political party (admittedly not in the US). What I find striking is the number of gay people who are involved in the political 'scene'.

This is true of both the left and right. In fact there seem to be a lot of gay conservative closet cases, many of whom are so blatantly gay they may as well not bother being in the closet at all.

I think gay people are either drawn to politics, or (and I hate to stereotype here) have certain abilities that naturally make them suitable to politics (perhaps social skills, astute appearance, verbal skills). Just my observation anyway