A vote for a Republican is a vote for marriage equality in America. So. Okay. Let me explain.
The UK is never a very good example to compare against the US for domestic policy. But on this it's close enough, so why the hell not! Even if they lack a two-party system, this is generally a yes/no issue so they still break down into two camps, if not parties. And frankly, with 90% or more of Congressional Republicans officially against marriage equality, while the Democrats are almost exactly the opposite, I think it is more than fair to separate our parties just as neatly.
(Everyone who disagrees can tell me if when 90% of a country's population has declared war against you, would you consider it a partially-peaceful country simply for the sake of the 10%? I would assume not, so don't pretend there are a "variety of opinions" inside the GOP. There is a Republican party consensus, and then there is a fringe, nothing more. And if the last few years are any indication, not even a growing fringe.)
So. The UK has two camps, we have two camps. See, neat. What happened in the UK? They had laws criminalizing homosexuality in some form on the books until late in the 20th century. Familiar? In 2004, they passed nation-wide Civil Unions legislation and then, in the space of a few short years, marriage equality. As one of my faves, Keith Olbermann (KO), says "what in the WILD, WILD world of sports is goin' on here?!" I say it not only because of the speed of progress compared to our own but also because this is a supremely counter-intuitive sequence of events.
Civil Unions are a REPLACEMENT for marriage equality, not a stepping stone. This is the straight majority's way of saying "ok, ok, you gays, here, take this. Now shut the fuck up." And it is only cheered on by certain LGBT citizens because either (a) they think marriage equality is un-attainable or (b) they have come to specifically distrust the very word "marriage" but want a simple, powerful, legal contract. So, whatever. The point being that civil unions should have been the band-aid that maintained the status quo for years and years if not decades and decades. Civil unions are the grand compromise, which the straight anti-equality majority dain to accept because the alternative, full equality (!), is that much worse. To get even more realpolitik, it is a device to take the wind out of the sails of all the cry-baby LGBT citizens who whine about legislative discrimination. Thin porridge indeed, but porridge when they tell us that there might very well be none. There's food in your bowl is there not? Eat and be thankful.
But the UK didn't and it wasn't. Why? Well, because of Conservatives, of course!
Because of the very people who had, personally, directly, and recently, spent the vast majority of their careers fighting tooth and nail against even the smallest gain by LGBT citizens. These are the people who passed marriage equality in the UK. Men like Prime Minister David Cameron, the leader of the UK and of the Conservative Party. And he has the souvenir Gay Pride London t-shirt to prove it!
Marriage Equality in the UK passed under the watch of PM Cameron and with his full and active support. David Cameron is the reason the UK has marriage equality. I can back this up with two explanations. For one, again, he quite literally rallied, convinced and cajoled most of his MPs to vote for this. (It should be noted that this was also done with the vast majority of the progressive parties but this in no way diminishes his accomplishment.) For two, and here we finally arrive at the crux of my argument (I know), far from dragging his party kicking and screaming he gave them that all important political prop: a shield. By coming out for marriage equality he blazed a trail that led all the way to legislative victory. By making it in equal measures an order, a mainstream Conservative opinion, and a potential Conservative victory he made it not only possible but preferable. And just like that, with nary a serious hurdle, it passes. Huzzah! Now, what's next.
Which brings us back to 'Merica. Does anyone honestly believe President Obama just became in support of marriage equality in the last few years? Does anyone even believe that happened in the last decade? I sure as hell don't. But which party leader gave him cover to say any of this? None.
So, instead, he became the party leader and he gave it to the entire rest of the Democratic party.
(Now we can quibble about approval ratings and electoral calculations and demographic changes and something being "inevitable" but, as a Republican friend of mine is fond of telling me, I honestly don't have to care or assume anything but exactly what a politician has said or done. Everything else is just in someone else's head.)
Now, bam! How many Democratic senators/representatives/governors/state senators now publicly support marriage equality in the wake of his announcement? Damn near all of them? What changed in those two years from then to now? Polls? No. Demographics? Not really. Moral epiphanies? Hell, no!
They now have cover. And a path to Democratic victory where before there had only been defeat.
But that well is tapped. The Democrats are on board. Since they can't vote twice and our system just isn't built for Republicans to ever actually completely lose anytime soon, what is next?
The Republicans in Congress see the writing on the Gallup-sized wall. They want to get this issue over and they know that, paradoxically, the only thing holding them back is.......themselves. So what do they need to save themselves from themselves? They need cover. That's where the Republican version of David Cameron comes in.
Or Christie or Paul or Ryan or whoever. I'm not even saying it has to be one of those three or would even be someone period anytime soon. (And, yes, yes I know the Supreme Court might make all of this moot anyway sometime soon. But anyone who supports marriage equality and is banking on what nine people in robes decide might as well go back in time and wait while an ancient Roman auger looks through bird patterns to predict this year's rainfall average. I'm not banking on robed, replaceable, un-elected public figures, I want solid pen-to-paper legislation passed.) But there will be a Republican leader who finally tells everyone to come out from behind the barricades and come out into the daylight or whatever. That will be the year, or two, when marriage equality legislation passes in the United States of America. Not before. Sadly, those who most stalwartly and faithfully supported a movement are so rarely able to write the victory into law.
The Civil Rights Act passed when feet-dragging LBJ gave his Jim Crow Democrats the cover to vote for it by taking the podium at a state of the union address and saying "We shall overcome!"
So if you are a single-issue marriage equality voter, fear not! You need never think about a presidential election again. Just vote Republican and keep voting Republican. Sooner or later one of those scared men in expensive suits will find some steel in their spine and give cover to the spineless.
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post script, entirely unbidden: I am a capital "D" Democrat and will not be voting Republican anytime soon. So really if anything this just amuses me that I now have to wait on my political opponents to find some backbone. Or just get tired of mentally rehearsing apology speeches at future gay pride rallies in their home states.
"Happy Pride, Duluth! And I'm so terribly terribly sorry....."
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