Why I Support Voting for the National Marriage Boycott

Do you have one minute? Really, this is all the time it will take to click this link: http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott register, vote to support the National Marriage Boycott (NMB for short) and empower student activists.

This last year has been a flurry of activity, activism, and somehow between this time last year I’ve gone from passively accepting instructions at phone banks to… whatever you call whatever I’m hyperactively doing now. But when looking towards a lot of the issues being debated about LGBT issues I keep noticing the same trend of overly localized activism which ignores the bigger picture. Resources spread thin as people are donating to numerous state wide campaigns, rallying around every case, supporting multiple groups and finding those groups don’t always collaborate in the way we wish they could. This isn’t unique to LGBT issues – the same problems plague student groups on campus, environmental groups, advocacy groups, etc… And while this tends to make me cynical there are certain areas where I retain hope…

The National Marriage Boycott was founded by The Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation – an activist group made up mostly of friends and peers are Stanford. After Prop 8 passed in the wave of protests with signs proclaiming, “I’m not a second class citizen” I was amazed to see these students not only protesting prop 8, but working to raise awareness of the high suicide rate in LGBT youth. They didn’t just react to the current political circumstances, they used the climate as an opportunity to be proactive and raise awareness for an issue we too often are silent about. This same type of forward thinking rather than reactionary protest shaped the National Marriage Boycott – which is not only protesting the Defense of Marriage Act, it also showcases the optimism with which we approach the issue, highlighting the belief that there can and will be change in our lifetime.

As a student it’s often hard to remember what a great deal of power we hold. Organizations which constantly ask for funding and not time make us feel like we have nothing to offer and without the greater access enjoyed by those organizations even if you have something to say, it’s very difficult to get a platform to say it. When planning The National Marriage Boycott, students didn’t see these things and give up – they thought big, planned big, and worked hard. We got ourselves rings, personally committed ourselves to work tirelessly on the issue until full federal equality, and we only increased our commitment since then.

If we lose this contest and have little to no funding moving forward – we won’t stop. But if we win we’ll be enabled to act in a time that demands action. With seed money to help set up new chapters, promote the group, send people to have those vital conversations that help us build a real community of activists rather than a group of likeminded strangers – we can do so much MORE. Without aid we could get national press and 20 chapters in less than a year. With a few clicks of a mouse you can help us even if you’re unable to join the boycott, you can help put pressure to repeal DOMA and you can support students as we work to stay involved and hopeful in a climate that breads cynicism.

That’s worth 60 seconds for me. How about you?

If you have a minute to vote, please do so at http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott and leave a comment here when you do so. Nothing inspires me more than knowing good people are doing good work.

Prop 8 stands, and so we must too.

I was expecting it. I vocally expressed the fact that I expected the verdict that we received. And yet it still shocked me. Here's what I found most troubling about the Press Release and Summary of the opinion on Prop 8:

"Inalienable Rights The majority opinion next addresses and rejects the Attorney General’s claim that because article I, section 1 of the California Constitution characterizes certain rights including the right of privacy as “inalienable,” Proposition 8 is invalid because it abrogates such rights without a compelling interest.

The opinion explains that not only does Proposition 8 not “abrogate” the aspect of the right of privacy discussed in the majority opinion in the Marriage Cases, but that the identification of a right as “inalienable” has never been understood to mean that such right is exempt from any limitation or to preclude the adoption of a constitutional amendment that restricts the scope of such a right. The opinion emphasizes that there is no authority to support the Attorney General’s theory."

(insert my shock at the second to last sentence)

What exactly ARE inalienable rights then? Someone please explain. No really - I've heard the term and used it in what I thought was the correct manner in philosophy and history classes before, but this court's statement about the ability to limit inalienable rights goes against everything that I thought that meant... And if we have any legal experts who can educate me, I'm more than willing to listen.

Also it really troubled me to read Justice Moreno's opinion and know the other 6 people in the room disagreed.

For the text go here:
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/presscenter/newsreleases/NR29-09.PDF

I haven't had time yet to read the full 185 pages of the decision - but I've seen enough of it to know I'm troubled by it. (the joy of being a full time student and activist as well - time is scarce... I will read the whole thing eventually though)

But moving past this troubling verdict, we need to look toward the future and figure out what to do beyond voicing our disapproval. (Which is definitely something that needs to be done, but while that reaction is easily arrived at - a plan of action takes a bit more work.)

I think that if we're to win a fight for equality we need to reach out to the moderates, face our opponents, and include all of our allies. We also need to do more than speak to our friends - we need to take the conversation to a place where others will hear it. And this weekend there is an event that will help do just that - build a more inclusive movement with a broader audience. Which is why in the midst of final papers and trying to wrap up this quarter I'm taking the time to organize friends and community members to go to Fresno for Meet in the Middle. I hope you can do the same and I hope to see you there!

For more information go to http://www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com/