Column:
LGBTQ rights deserve more than lip service
Published Sept. 29, 2009
Last week, former President Bill Clinton spoke to Anderson Cooper about same-sex marriage and took the opportunity to tell Cooper and the world he had "changed his mind" about the issue.
On Sept. 18, the U.S. Justice Department filed a brief in a federal case challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. The policy of the Obama administration has been to call for the act's repeal, but it still says DOMA doesn't violate the constitution.
Although these two stories seem linked only by the politically relevant buzz phrase "same-sex marriage," I think together they reveal a larger apathy about this issue that seems to affect leaders on both sides of the spectrum.
My most liberal beliefs deal with LGBTQ rights. I find it irrational and old-fashioned a democracy like ours can keep rights from a population just because a couple of verses in a book.
There is no real reason why states should be allowed to bar gay citizens from entering into a union that is universally recognized.
DOMA, signed by Clinton in 1996, is the reason same-sex marriage laws are left to the states and voters in those states. Clinton signed the bill into law, although he called it "legal gaybashing." Then, while he was running for re-election, he blared ads on Christian radio claiming his support of DOMA demonstrated "family values." Now, Clinton's out of office, and has "changed his mind" about gay marriage.
In his interview, Clinton still tells Cooper the issue should be left up to the states, but the federal government shouldn't "get in the way." I don't see how that's a change from before. Clinton isn't calling for a repeal of DOMA, which leaves the issue to the states.
Clinton lacks political sway and no longer has the ability to pass laws, so I guess his opinion is a little moot. Obama's opinion and actions are telling. During his campaign, Obama promised to repeal DOMA, but has done nothing. Obama's standard rhetoric about the issue is, legally, DOMA is constitutionally sound, but it should be repealed. Anyone else's head spinning?
I'm no lawyer, but I find it fairly hypocritical to call for a law's repeal but then argue it's legally sound. Both Clinton and Obama are guilty of shaking the hand of the gay voter with one hand, and signing laws that take away his rights with the other. This is why the LGBTQ community has it so rough in fighting for rights. Even the politicians "on their side" can't find time to actually do anything about their plight except give it lip service.
This group is the new group of people who are black or women fighting for rights, and I feel prejudicial public opinion has to take a backseat to what's right and democratic. But this time, we don't have leaders who are brave enough to actually take action. Rather, they just shove the issue into the courts, and hope if they ignore it, it will go away.
Jordan Stein is a senior political science major. She can be reached at jesf25@mail.missouri.edu.
