the democrats and gay marriage -- or why obama won't repeal doma

The Democratic Party's insistence on being pro-civil unions but anti-gay marriage becomes more puzzling each day. Perhaps there was some secret meeting back in the 90's when everyone agreed that Americans would never accept gay marriage and that, assuming the Democrats wanted to win elections, the Party (at least on the national level) should stick to the civil unions line. The results of the 2004 election seemed to more or less vindicate this idea (many analysts attributed Kerry's loss in Ohio to rural voters coming out in droves to vote for a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage).

And yet, at a time when 44% of Americans support gay marriage and even Sarah Palin agreed with Joe Biden's characterization of her position on civil unions being "that there should be no civil rights distinction, none whatsoever, between a heterosexual couple and a homosexual couple" (although, to be fair, it's never clear how well Palin understands what, exactly, she is agreeing to at any given moment), this policy seems increasingly out-dated. Nevertheless, the Democrats' equivocation on the gay rights front continues to rear its ugly head. After filing a motion last week to dismiss a case challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (which rightfully outraged gay rights advocates at the time Clinton signed it into law), yesterday the president failed to include healthcare in a package of domestic partnership benefits for same sex couples.

After 8 years of watching Bush relentlessly pander to his base, it's pretty understandable that large parts of the LGBT movement (not to mention the rest of us who voted for Obama assuming he would, you know, back all those liberal social causes he claimed to support or whatever) are somewhat upset. No one (or at least few of us pragmatists) expects Obama to champion gay rights to the detriment of other priorities. Nonetheless, it would nice if he'd refrain from using the occasion of dismissing a case challenging DOMA on the grounds of insufficient legal standing as an excuse to launch into a whole-hearted defense of the overall merit of the Act.

bad news for gay marriage; good news for abortion rights

On such a historic day, one on which so many barriers and prejudices have been broken down, it is sobering to remember that this is also the day when one minority group in America has had significant rights revoked. Three states (Arizona, California, and Florida) had proposals to ban gay marriage on the ballot this year. All three passed. Arkansas residents also approveda proposition prohibiting gay couples from adopting children. The most depressing one, of course, is California where so recently the California Supreme Court passed a ruling to extend equal marriage rights to gay couples. Just a few days ago, LaDoris Cordell, a black lesbian contributor for Salon, wrote a column expressing faith that, despite historic levels of homophobia (and hope on the part of the pro-Proposition 8 movement that the "Obama Effect" would help pass the measure), "black voters, I predict, view same-sex marriage as the constitutional guarantee that it is." This does not appear to have been the case. 70% of black voters in California voted to ban gay marriages compared to 49% of white voters. Homophobia runs rampant in this country regardless of race, but it still appears to run stronger still in many minority communities. These are prejudices that leaders, both black and white, must work to change in the coming months and years.

On a brighter note, Roe v. Wade had a better time of it last night. Both refernda proposing to ban abortion (one in Colorado and one in South Dakota) were (relatively) soundly defeated. And the proposition in California to require parental notification (although not consent) 48-hours prior to performing an abortion on a minor was also rejected by voters.

The case for euthanasia was also advanced last night; Washington passed (59% to 41%) a proposition permitting doctor-assisted suicide which would allow terminally ill, adult residents to request and self-administer lethal medications prescribed by a physicain as long as the person is deemed to have six months or less left to live.