A motivational, don't-give-up thumbs-up, that is. As anyone who's read my other posts surely knows by now, I am Canadian. And I've noticed something recently.
It started with Iowa I think, I forget which was first, but in a couple short months suddenly a few more states have followed suit: Vermont, New Hampshire, DC and now Maine. You know what I'm talking about: legalizing, or on the way to legalizing, or even at least recognizing, same-sex marriage.
All of a sudden it's happening: some states (admittedly, in most cases, some of the more progressive states) are ready to take a stand for what's right. And it reminds me of my own country, in 2003. The same thing happened here; it all began with Ontario, BC, Québec, our more liberal/progressive provinces. And the legalization of same-sex marriage spread like wildfire from province to province (to territory), within a 2-year span, and then 2005 comes, and it's federal law. The Civil Marriage Act has happened, been lightly contested, and proven victorious. Even our most notably conservative province, Alberta, had to accept the law, and yes it was challenged (especially when a conservative government took power), but surprisingly, the religious right conceded rather quickly and the debate is now, it seems, finished. We've won. Human rights have beaten intolerance and discrimination.
So maybe, just maybe, the States are following suit. Now, I won't delude myself that this will be simple, because the situations are of course different, for three main reasons. One, we have a total of 13 provinces and territories, most of whom needed little or no coersion in accepting the federal law; the US has 50 states it has to convince. Two, Canadian conservatism is of course a world apart from American conservatism, and while we are generally considered a pretty liberal country with the exception of really just one province, the US is a more fiercely divided country along political lines. Let's face it, the same-sex marriage issue (while admittedly still quite controversial in Canada) is immensely controversial south of the border, and certain states will be hard-pressed to accept it, that much can be sure. Finally, as was seen with Prop 8 and other electoral votes, Americans are more prone to hitting the polls for this kind of decision than Canadians, and human rights issues don't always fare well at the polls, as recent history has shown us.
So anyway, yes, I understand all these differences that make the American situation unique from the Canadian. But regardless of this, I'd like to congratulate those states that are catching on, and hope against hope that the movement will be as contagious in America as it has been in the Great White North. Yeah, it's a long shot to try and believe that the movement will spread as quickly through the US.
But here's to hoping.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: To my American friends, a thumbs-up!.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/13576
Thanks!
I've been involved in the GLBTQ movement, especially with those fighting for the right to marry, since I was 16 years old. These last several months have made the weight easier to bear. I've been in a pretty good mood overall since Iowa. We're getting there.
New Hampshire is still in progress -- the governor hasn't signed it yet, I don't think. But if he does, then that will be Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont -- all of New England except Rhode Island. (I really don't know enough about Rhode Island politics to have any idea about whether something is likely to go through there.)
If you want to read something that will cheer you up, google for Canadian anti-gay marriage organizations. They are almost all now defunct.
Of course, gay marriage is still a major issue in my Canadian life. I'm part of the Anglican Church of Canada (Episcopalians), and the church is splitting over the issue of whether or not to perform same sex marriages ... the liberal congregations (of which I belong) have been blessing them all along (I love churches with Gay Pride flags out front). However, there's a bunch of conservative congregations which get freaked out by that and say that it's not scripturally valid... and a bunch of them have been leaving the Canadian church and joining some odd group of South American Anglicans. It's not pretty. But, at least the legal/political battle is dead, buried and gone!
Canadians - don't give up. If you fight for it, you too will be as progressive as Iowa, which has both gay marriage and basic human rights for trans people, instead of as regressive as NH or MA, which only have rights for GLBs, not GLBTs.
I think regressive is a little harsh. They didn't take away previously granted trans rights, after all. Lets keep pushing for them to re-think their policies.
But yes, hopefully in the future, more GLBTQ laws will model themselves after the rights in Iowa.