Written: 11/11/2012
For those unaware, the Stonewall Riots mark the beginning of the modern LGBT equality movement. At the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969, we fought back for the first time (not really the first time, but the first time that threw the fight into the public consciousness).
It would not be until 2003, with the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas that laws specifically designed to incarcerate the LGBT community would be struck down.
And this election day, November 6, 2012, is being hailed as a second Stonewall.
Three states (Maine, Maryland and Washington) approved marriage equality by public vote. Minnesota rejected an anti-gay constitutional amendment, the U.S. Senate will have it’s first out senator, Pennsylvania and Colorado elected their first openly gay representatives and a wide swatch of other LGBT candidates across the country won.
For the first time, after 32 losses, marriage equality has finally won. Maine is a special case, the legislature approved it, it was defeated through a voter referendum and it was now approved by the same process. In both Maryland and Washington, equality was brought by the legislature, and now approved by the voters.
Dan Savage talks about the work we have left to do:
we did this. LGBT people came out, fought back, and changed the world. There’s a fuck of a lot left to do—repealing DOMA, passing ENDA, completing the repeal of DADT (trans people are still barred from serving in the military), fighting for the rights of queers around the world—but LGBT people have come so far since Stonewall due to our own efforts and sacrifice. It has gotten better for us because we fought to make it better. We demanded better.
And he talks about thanking the general population. You know, the straights (heterosexuals, breeders, whatever you term of endearment is), who worked so hard for us. We’re a very small minority:
“Oh, gee, straight people, thank you so much for the civil rights.” Rights are rights. We shouldn’t have to beg for them. We shouldn’t have to say “thank you” when they’re recognized. We shouldn’t even have to ask for them. But the sad fact is that we have had to fight for our rights. And the happy fact? We didn’t have to fight this one alone. We had help. Thousands of straight people stood with us and fought for us. That’s what we should thank the straight people for. Not for the rights—rights are rights are rights—but the way they joined our fight.
We have a lot more work to do, but we need to all work together. We’re in this together.
Update: Not only the gains mentioned above, but also throw in the election of the first openly gay Senator, the first openly bi Representative, the first state-level LGBT legislators in at least two states and it really was a historic election.
All my best,
The King of Spades
