the gar spot

fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

Menu
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • SIN AGAINST THE RACE, a novel
Menu
the gar spot fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

Evolution Happens

Posted on May 9, 2012 by gar

If you go back and look at the tape of then VP-candidate Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate, when he answered the question about same-sex marriage, you can hear in his cadence that he was following a script.  Yes, he said, he and Barack Obama support equal rights for same-sex couples, but no, they did not favor redefining the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.  He tried to put as good a spin on it as he could, but it still came off as stilted and scripted, maybe just because it sounded silly.

And shortly thereafter, his words on the subject appeared on Yes on 8 mailers in California, thus memorializing his and then-candidate Senator Obama’s opposition to marriage equality for all time by people they both fundamentally disagreed with.  Neither President Obama nor Vice President Biden were in favor of Proposition 8, even as they both said at the time that they did not believe in “redefining” marriage.

Herein lies the problem with nuance in matters concerning civil rights.  One’s words can come back to bite one in the backside.  History has demonstrated that in the cause of civil rights and equality, one cannot equivocate.  One must be direct and firm, unwavering and steadfast.  Only then will true progress be achieved.  Because true progress requires direct leadership.

During President Obama’s historic interview, where he became the first sitting president to support marriage equality, he stated that his own daughters helped to lead him to his current thinking.  He said that they have friends in school with same-sex parents, and it would never occur to them that those parents would be or should be treated differently from their own.  Good one, Mr. President!  He’s right, of course, as poll after poll has demonstrated.  Young folks find this such a non-issue.  In time, this type of natural evolution is what will bring about change in terms of marriage equality and LGBT rights in general.  The old ideas will simply fade away into the dustbin of history where they belong.

Until that day, though, it is important that those who know that this is a matter of civil rights continue to say so directly, frequently, and unequivocally.  Civil rights are only advanced when good folks stand up for them in the face of fear, prejudice, and opposition.

Good ones, Messrs. President & Vice President!  Keep it up.

© 2012, gar. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

SIN AGAINST THE RACE, a novel–Click image for info

Sin Against the Race

Contact

  • email gar

Twitter

Follow @the_gar_spot

Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Facebook

Subscribe by email:

Archives

Blogroll

  • Life During Wartime – The Trump Years
  • Patricia Dunn – Author
  • Philip Robinson, poet
  • The Outspoken – You're Welcome
  • Uppity Negro Network

Interests

  • Cassini Probe @ Saturn
  • Daily Kos
  • Doctor Who
  • KCSM – Jazz 91
  • Makeup to Go!
  • The Root

Tags

99% african-american AIDS Bay Area bigotry Billy Strayhorn black Black Lives Matter climate change Duke Ellington dystopia dystopian fiction gay growing up gay healthcare history homophobia jazz LGBT LGBTQ literature marriage equality music North Korea novel Oakland police brutality politics queer queerlit queer lit racism rant reading Religion Republicans Romney SATR science fiction Sin Against the Race Trayvon Martin Trump women in jazz writing

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
©2023 the gar spot | Theme by SuperbThemes