In light of Jon Rauch’s post on the Gallup Poll, I’d like to revisit something we’ve been debating. I think the issue can fairly be described as the tone of the more unrestrained voices on our side.
Jon has been concerned that the rhetoric of hate “plays into the other side’s hands.” Maggie Gallagher has been whipping this horse for all its worth, trying to paint herself as the victim of hateful gays. With the able assistance of California’s Frank Schubert, she has pulled off a couple of miraculous electoral victories. Jon doesn’t want us to provide any more fuel to that fire.
In light of that, we shouldn’t overread the Gallup results. We know that in any particular state at any particular time there is a cushion of residual prejudice marriage opponents can take comfort in. The older voters who grew up ignorant of homosexuality still vote in far greater numbers than the younger voters who are the staunchest supporters of equality. There is still a gap between the polling numbers and the polling places.
But as Jon notes, support in the Gallup poll has increased at a stunning pace, and Gallup isn’t alone.
This has happened despite the right’s drumbeat cries of victimization. Why?
I think it’s because the plea was always so implausible and rickety, and it isn’t getting any sturdier. Within the ephemeral media, each true anecdote can breathe for a day or two, and then wisps away. In the non-mediated world where real people live, the notion that it is our opponents who are suffering is losing what tenuous hold it ever had. We’re gaining supporters because we are the ones who have something real to endure, and that is no longer escaping peoples’ notice. More and more Americans see our frustration and anger as justified, and while that isn’t a reason to encourage hatefulness, it can make some level of outrage comprehensible.
That was highlighted yesterday in the Minnesota House, where homophobic preacher-manque Bradlee Dean was invited to offer the opening prayer at a session where the anti-gay constitutional amendment was expected to come up. Dean took advantage of the opportunity to make a crass political speech that only tangentially invoked “Father God.” The speech, itself, was not explicitly anti-gay (though Dean did find time to insult the President), but it was so wildly inappropriate that the Speaker was effectively forced to cancel the prayer and re-start the session with a whole new preacher. I’ve seen a lot of things in legislatures in my time, but this is the first time I’ve seen the need to void the preceding prayer and start over.
There would be few reasons to invite Dean to the Legislature at this moment (he’d never been at that podium before) except for his anti-gay views — a Republican poke in the eye to the Democrats, who are trying to fend off an unnecessary anti-gay amendment to the state constitution. Dean’s transgression of the normal etiquette was severe enough that the amendment might now be in some trouble. Needless to say, no one in the Minnesota leadership will own up to having invited Dean.
That is where anti-gay prejudice is now – orphaned, but alive. Anti-gay Republicans know what Maggie Gallagher knows: Americans are having a harder time with each passing year tolerating this particular brand of intolerance. She has to struggle every day to make us out as the bad guys when, after all, we are the ones who can’t get married. Bradlee Dean, Fred Phelps, Bryan Fischer, Bill Donohue – Americans will tolerate these firebrands, but take no pride in associating with them, or the snide insults they trade in. These are the men who demonstrate that our anger is sometimes justified, and make our equality more legitimate. I can’t answer for anyone else’s extreme language, but when these are the characters you have to respond to, it’s a little less shocking to people when you become a bit intemperate.
9 Comments for “A Little More Hardball”
posted by Jerry on
People like Maggie Gallagher, Brian Brown of NOM know that without the fight to deny gays full equality they don’t have jobs. It also applies to the professional gays. When we have full equality it will be harder for them to sucker money out of us.
I’ve seen on report that over sixty percent of Rhode Island voters support full marriage equality, but all the legislature is able to pass is a pathetic civil union bill. 53% is an improvement but it’s a long way from getting getting marriage equality.
posted by Amicus on
The fact that we are left wildly speculating on the factors behind the changes in polled attitudes says at least as much as the poll itself …
posted by Carl on
Dean just says what many who fight gay rights likely feel – they just don’t say it in public. Ultimately it doesn’t matter when a few say it out loud. Bigots still carry the day, as they did with the ease with which they passed a ban on gay marriage. A ban that, barring some seismic change, will also be passed easily by voters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/22/us-minnesota-marriage-idUSTRE74L0GZ20110522
posted by Houndentenor on
Jon has been concerned that the rhetoric of hate “plays into the other side’s hands.”
Could we have some examples of that “rhetoric of hate”? Trolls posting on other people’s websites don’t count. (There’s some of that supposedly representing every point of view…including Christians.)
posted by Tom on
… few reasons to invite Dean to the Legislature at this moment (he’d never been at that podium before) except for his anti-gay views — a Republican poke in the eye to the Democrats, who are trying to fend off an unnecessary anti-gay amendment to the state constitution …
An amendment which passed the Assembly in the dark of night last night, I might add, with overwhelming Republican support. The vote, like the vote on DADT, was a party-line vote for the most part, with 68 of 72 Republicans voting for the amendment, and 58 of 60 Democrats voting against the amendment.
Jon has been concerned that the rhetoric of hate “plays into the other side’s hands.” … Jon doesn’t want us to provide any more fuel to that fire.
Like Houndentenor, I’m curious about what constitutes, in Jon’s mind and yours, David, “rhetoric of hate”.
I’d like to see some examples from the gay press, pro-gay organizations, pro-gay politicians, and others engaged in the national discussion.
It is certainly isn’t hard to come up with plenty of examples of “rhetoric of hate” coming from the hard-core Christian right, spokespersons for anti-gay organizations, and anti-gay politicians — Jeremy Hooper at Good As You tracks this daily, and does a good job, I think, of calling them out.
But when it comes to the “rhetoric of hate” that Jon is so worried about, we are given no examples, no context. The whole discussion of the “rhetoric of hate” in recent weeks reminds me of the way old ladies talked about sex in the 1950’s, when I was growing up — the euphemisms were laid on so thick a boy couldn’t figure out what they were talking about.
posted by Jorge on
Like Houndentenor, I’m curious about what constitutes, in Jon’s mind and yours, David, “rhetoric of hate”.
I’d like to see some examples from the gay press, pro-gay organizations, pro-gay politicians, and others engaged in the national discussion.
On second thought, “others engaged in the national discussion” could be just about anybody.
posted by BobN on
I’m surprised to see everyone acting like inviting Dean was accidental or something the GOP is ashamed of. The brought him on purpose just to show that, not only can we crush you in the vote, we can piss in your cereal as we do so. No one will personally own up to inviting him because they’re all too busy patting themselves on the back and chuckling over our humiliation.
posted by Carl on
I can believe it was an accident mostly because they don’t want to lose track of the main topic, which is that gays deserve nothing. If the focus becomes on them, instead of on “protecting” society from homosexuals, then they don’t get as much out of it.
posted by Jay on
The opponents of equal rights love to cloak themselves in victimhood. They love to portray us as somehow intimidating opponents of gay rights from speaking (as if we could).
There is an excellent, both funny and sad, article just posted at glbtq.com that examines GetRelgion.org and FamilyScholars.org and talks about how bloggers at these sites routinely portray themselves as victims. The article is entitled “Confessions of a Blog Addict. Or Why I Love to Hate GetReligion.org and FamilyScholars.org.” Here is the url: http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/confessionsofablogaddict.html