Let's take a step back for a minute. Dolores Huerta, founder of the United Farm Workers and member of Democratic Socialists of America is straight and has fought tirelessly for decades against oppression of all kinds including GLBT oppression. Andrew Sullivan is gay and was a big supporter of the Iraq war as well as Thatcherite economic policies that hurt the working class. I'll stand with Dolores over Andrew any day.
In 2006, openly gay Sean Patrick Maloney was running for Attorney General of New York against Andrew Cuomo. Both supported marriage equality. But while Cuomo opposes the death penalty, Maloney highlighted his support of executions. I voted for Cuomo. I didn't have to think about it for a minute. I don't care who you fuck, if you are in favor of state killing and preemptive war, you are not a part of the movement for social justice. I'd vote against an openly gay candidate who opposed universal health care or was against increasing the minimum wage no matter their position on marriage. There is a very wealthy and powerful element of the gay rights movement that would gladly ignore economic and social injustice as long as they have the right to marry. There are many working class straight people facing physical violence at this moment trying to organize low wage workers in dangerous parts of the country. This makes dividing the world into LGBT=good, straight=bad exceedingly problematic.
And that's the thing. These labels are simplistic. Sure I have felt oppression as a Queer person. But people of all shapes, sizes, orientations, colors, and genders are hurting all over the place right now and we are more powerful together than apart. A single straight woman working a back breaking job 60 hours a week at subsistence wages with no health insurance and no Union to advocate for her dignity. I dare say she has a harder life than David Geffen who can't get married. Is she indulging in straight privilege? Many of us in the fabulous ghetto of Manhattan with our iphones and open bars know nothing of this kind of economic deprivation and humiliation. But it's not a contest.
We must fight for marriage equality, yes. But, for me, this issue is one of many. The right to join a union, the right to quality health care, the right to earn a living wage if you have a job. These are fundamental to human dignity. The gap between rich and poor continues to grow and there is so much suffering. This suffering, these humiliations hit every gender, race, and orientation. I refuse to be a "one issue voter" seeing everything only through the lens in which it affects me. Mayor Bloomberg supports marriage equality but he opposes a living wage bill for low wage workers, supports a racist "stop and frisk" policy by the NYPD that detains and humiliates thousands of New Yorkers a year (90% of whom are charged with nothing) So I did not vote for Bloomberg. I wasn't willing to throw other people under the bus so my community can get what we deserve (especially considering the other candidate supported marriage rights also) If we are to achieve anything approaching a just society, it has to be a group effort. We need to work together to make sure everyone has the right to get married, to have quality health care, to be paid a living wage and to be treated with respect and dignity. Of course, all this overlaps, Class is the real dividing line in this country and millions of LGBT people are denied health care and the right to collective bargaining just like their straight brothers and sisters. You can't get married if you're dead from lack of insurance.
So if you want marriage equality, volunteer to elect candidates to the New York State Senate who support the cause. There are many straight members who stood up and voted yes last time. But let's also be there in solidarity with everyone, whatever their orientation, who fights for justice and human dignity in our society. Divided we fail.
