The standard retort you get from Log Cabinites is “Well, Kerry’s no better than Bush, he’s against gay marriage, too.” But do people really believe that? Whether one is for gay rights or not, is there not broad awareness that the Democratic party is on the side of them — however much they have to tack to the center — and the Republicans are against them — however much they have to moderate their institutional homophobia?
Dan Kennedy asks these rhetorical questions, only asks them straight:
Bennett Lawson is a young gay man from Chicago. An aide to his hometown Democratic congresswoman, Jan Schakowsky, Bennett has come to Boston this week to do volunteer outreach to the gay/ lesbian/ bisexual/ transgender community…..I wanted to ask Lawson about a rather unusual phenomenon: the passionate support that gay and lesbian activists have for same-sex marriage, and their seemingly equally passionate support for John Kerry, even though both he and George W. Bush oppose gay marriage….. aren’t folks like Lawson just a wee bit put off by Kerry’s lack of support for one of the gay community’s principal issues?
“He’s running nationwide in a country that is not exactly comfortable with gay marriage,” Lawson replied. “His record is very, very strong on gay issues. Every good liberal has to moderate things in order to run nationwide - or, in Illinois, to run statewide - but his record really speaks for itself.”
I told Lawson that he sounded like he didn’t believe Kerry when he says he genuinely opposes same-sex marriage. “No,” he replied, laughing. “You know what? I don’t.”
I don’t either. And I’m not especially bothered as electability does matter, and I’d prefer a pro-gay candidate who caves to an anti-gay one.
Still, it’s frustrating to put up with the Democrats “let’s not divide” hat trick. For instance, take Kennedy’s priceless summary of Barbara Boxer:
Given the wildly enthusiastic reception accorded Boxer, I was surprised to learn that her stand on same-sex marriage is exactly the same as Kerry’s. In a brief interview, conducted on the run as she headed off to another engagement, Boxer told me that she favors domestic partnerships and civil unions with all the rights of marriage, but not marriage itself. When I sought to clarify by asking her whether she specifically opposed gay marriage, she responded that she would rather stress what she’s for rather than what she’s against.
Of course she’d like to talk about what she’s for rather than against. But at some point — maybe not this election, but soon — the Democrats will have to start explaining if and why they oppose gay marriage.
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