Gay Marriage: A Logical Next Step in Civil Rights
Saturday, December 20, 2008 | Labels: evangelical, gay, lesbian, marriage, rights |
With all the controversy surrounding President-Elect Obama's pick of Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his inauguration, the gay rights movement seems to have hit the forefront (for the moment, anyway). I can see the legalization of gay marriage in all 50 states becoming a reality in my lifetime. Thankfully, I'm only 28, so I have plenty of room for error.
After reading several thousand opinions on the subject, I was reminded by Al Giordano at The Field that "you don't get inclusion by calling for exclusion." The only way to change people's minds about gay marriage and gays and lesbians in general is to persuade them, not by browbeating or attempted coercion to see things your way. We can learn lessons from the Obama campaign, which used principles central to community organizing: respect, empower, include.
The "include" part is the most difficult since it means working with people who we may vehemently disagree with, especially when those involved in the gay rights movement are trying to change the minds of those who strongly believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I can see an inclusive, grassroots campaign involving a diverse coalition acting in a positive manner changing the minds of many who strongly hold traditional views of marriage but aren't hateful people.
The new generations of evangelical Christians seems to be far less interested in demonizing gays (and many are actually accepting of them) and those who are pro-choice and more involved in doing things that are actually Christ-like. Rick Warren may be a strident social conservative, but he sure does give much money to the poorest among us and pushes the subjects of poverty, HIV/AIDS, and climate change to be a part of the Christian agenda. Organizations like the Matthew 25 Network go back to espousing Christ-like principles like feeding the poor, healing the sick, and being stewards of our planet.
The Jerry Falwell's of the U.S. are becoming irrelevant, and a new generation that is rejecting the bigotry of their elders is taking form. Thankfully, America is nothing more than a continuing social experiment, consistently evolving every once in a while.
My opinion: anything less than completely equal rights for gays and lesbians to marry in every single state under the law is ridiculous and unacceptable. I do realize that this is a fight that will take some time to be won, and hopefully the "respect, empower, include" generation will march ahead to victory.
After reading several thousand opinions on the subject, I was reminded by Al Giordano at The Field that "you don't get inclusion by calling for exclusion." The only way to change people's minds about gay marriage and gays and lesbians in general is to persuade them, not by browbeating or attempted coercion to see things your way. We can learn lessons from the Obama campaign, which used principles central to community organizing: respect, empower, include.
The "include" part is the most difficult since it means working with people who we may vehemently disagree with, especially when those involved in the gay rights movement are trying to change the minds of those who strongly believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I can see an inclusive, grassroots campaign involving a diverse coalition acting in a positive manner changing the minds of many who strongly hold traditional views of marriage but aren't hateful people.
The new generations of evangelical Christians seems to be far less interested in demonizing gays (and many are actually accepting of them) and those who are pro-choice and more involved in doing things that are actually Christ-like. Rick Warren may be a strident social conservative, but he sure does give much money to the poorest among us and pushes the subjects of poverty, HIV/AIDS, and climate change to be a part of the Christian agenda. Organizations like the Matthew 25 Network go back to espousing Christ-like principles like feeding the poor, healing the sick, and being stewards of our planet.
The Jerry Falwell's of the U.S. are becoming irrelevant, and a new generation that is rejecting the bigotry of their elders is taking form. Thankfully, America is nothing more than a continuing social experiment, consistently evolving every once in a while.
My opinion: anything less than completely equal rights for gays and lesbians to marry in every single state under the law is ridiculous and unacceptable. I do realize that this is a fight that will take some time to be won, and hopefully the "respect, empower, include" generation will march ahead to victory.
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