“What I learned on the way from Utah to Georgia only reaffirmed what I have come to believe over the past decade: Attitudes toward L.G.B.T. people are changing rapidly in conservative states, and no one inside the Beltway can stop it. This country’s bright queer future is already here, hiding where too few of us care to travel.”
“No one inside the beltway” indeed.
But Trump is really, really bad for gays. Repeat ad nauseam.
Personally I’d rather have the team of Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions watching my back from the dangers of improper influences by political considerations.
However having the team of Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi by my side condemning prejudice in the name of the Constitution is very reassuring.
Power is important to stopping power. But remembering patience and higher principles in the face of temptation is necessary to make the pendulum swings less volatile and more purposeful.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
The twin facts — the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections, on the one hand, and changes in societal/cultural attitudes, on the other — are not logically related.
What the data more likely suggests is that the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections is out of sync with changes in societal/cultural attitudes. And the data may suggest that changes in societal/cultural attitudes are happening despite the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections.
Why not look at the twin developments more closely, Stephen, rather than jumping to an obviously false (and very Trumpian) conclusion — the conclusion that President I Alone Can Do It is responsible for changes in societal/cultural attitudes.
Instead, if you look more closely at the gains cited in the article — numerous localities in red states enacting non-discrimination ordinances and LGBT activists/allies defeating statewide anti-equality initiatives in red states (usually with significant levels of support from business interests) — it seems to me that what we are seeing are gains made in spite of opposition from anti-equality conservative politicians.
With Justice Kennedy gone and “originalists” holding a majority on the Court, we are now back in the political arena for all practical intents and purposes. That’s why the change in attitude we effected during the marriage equality battle was so important, because we can’t make political gains without support from the public. And that’s why continued changes in societal/cultural attitudes going forward will determine how the fight for “equal means equal” plays out.
I know that continued skepticism from people like me about “gay supportive” President Trump is frustrating for conservative homosexuals, to say the least, particularly at a time when LCR has allies in the White House and is in a position to influence the administration’s policies.
Our skepticism can be read as a dismissal of the efforts and influence of conservative homosexuals within the administration. And maybe rightly so. But it seems to me to be skepticism grounded in reality, given the actions of the administration to date. As far as I know, the President hasn’t so much as lifted a finger to advance “equal means equal” in any substantive way during his time in office.
With strong majorities of Americans across the board supporting non-discrimination laws protecting LGBT folk, and enactment of state-level (as opposed to local) protections for gays and lesbians remaining a political dead-on-arrival in most red states (it is one thing to fight off anti-equality legislation and quite another to enact pro-equality legislation in a hostile legislature) let’s hope that the federal Equality Act will pass this year.
The Equality Act will pass the House, and might pass the Senate this year if President Trump gets behind the bill. Let’s see what he does and how it plays out.
posted by Kosh III on
Make it plain: lots of anti legislation is pending in the states, ALL pushed by Republicans.
3 Comments for “Worst of Times, Best of Times?”
posted by Jorge on
“What I learned on the way from Utah to Georgia only reaffirmed what I have come to believe over the past decade: Attitudes toward L.G.B.T. people are changing rapidly in conservative states, and no one inside the Beltway can stop it. This country’s bright queer future is already here, hiding where too few of us care to travel.”
“No one inside the beltway” indeed.
But Trump is really, really bad for gays. Repeat ad nauseam.
Personally I’d rather have the team of Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions watching my back from the dangers of improper influences by political considerations.
However having the team of Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi by my side condemning prejudice in the name of the Constitution is very reassuring.
Power is important to stopping power. But remembering patience and higher principles in the face of temptation is necessary to make the pendulum swings less volatile and more purposeful.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
The twin facts — the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections, on the one hand, and changes in societal/cultural attitudes, on the other — are not logically related.
What the data more likely suggests is that the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections is out of sync with changes in societal/cultural attitudes. And the data may suggest that changes in societal/cultural attitudes are happening despite the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of LGBT protections.
Why not look at the twin developments more closely, Stephen, rather than jumping to an obviously false (and very Trumpian) conclusion — the conclusion that President I Alone Can Do It is responsible for changes in societal/cultural attitudes.
Instead, if you look more closely at the gains cited in the article — numerous localities in red states enacting non-discrimination ordinances and LGBT activists/allies defeating statewide anti-equality initiatives in red states (usually with significant levels of support from business interests) — it seems to me that what we are seeing are gains made in spite of opposition from anti-equality conservative politicians.
With Justice Kennedy gone and “originalists” holding a majority on the Court, we are now back in the political arena for all practical intents and purposes. That’s why the change in attitude we effected during the marriage equality battle was so important, because we can’t make political gains without support from the public. And that’s why continued changes in societal/cultural attitudes going forward will determine how the fight for “equal means equal” plays out.
I know that continued skepticism from people like me about “gay supportive” President Trump is frustrating for conservative homosexuals, to say the least, particularly at a time when LCR has allies in the White House and is in a position to influence the administration’s policies.
Our skepticism can be read as a dismissal of the efforts and influence of conservative homosexuals within the administration. And maybe rightly so. But it seems to me to be skepticism grounded in reality, given the actions of the administration to date. As far as I know, the President hasn’t so much as lifted a finger to advance “equal means equal” in any substantive way during his time in office.
With strong majorities of Americans across the board supporting non-discrimination laws protecting LGBT folk, and enactment of state-level (as opposed to local) protections for gays and lesbians remaining a political dead-on-arrival in most red states (it is one thing to fight off anti-equality legislation and quite another to enact pro-equality legislation in a hostile legislature) let’s hope that the federal Equality Act will pass this year.
The Equality Act will pass the House, and might pass the Senate this year if President Trump gets behind the bill. Let’s see what he does and how it plays out.
posted by Kosh III on
Make it plain: lots of anti legislation is pending in the states, ALL pushed by Republicans.
https://www.freedomforallamericans.org/2019-legislative-tracker/
Trump doesn’t care. LCR is worthless. If “conservative” homosexuals don’t like it they should convince their comrades in the GOP to support equality.