Now that the LGBT movement has an ally in the White House, how are activists gearing up to push for real change rather than feel-good rhetoric? What's the best strategy for advancing gay rights today? The state LGBT marriage equality movement seems bitterly divided on whether to challenge Proposition 8 in 2010 or 2012. Are we ready for that fight again? Is there enough money to be raised in a recession? And how would this battle in California affect the push for equality in Washington DC?
Join us live at 11 or email us at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What's the best strategy for advancing gay rights today? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.
Guests:
Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign, an online organizing network pushing for progressive change in California.
Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, which works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT people.
Click to Listen: What's the Best Path to Gay Rights?
The time isn't right to go back to the ballot; it's too soon to be able to get relative change in the numbers; it's also too expensive.
ReplyDeleteFor California, it's a matter of doing some groundwork to figure out how to switch the individual independent voters.
California will have same-sexm marriage again, that's for sure. The momentum on the gay rights movement will make that a guarantee - so it would be more important to put resources towards states and counties that are far less certain.
It would be wrong to throw millions of dollars into California. The answer is to build grassroots and groundwork and wait until 2012 presidential elections.
As we saw from the 300,000 people in Washington, the gay rights movement is very strong. A politician would love to have that kind of number rallying behind them. Right now, out of default, Obama has the gay rights supporters voting for him.
If a third party candidate comes out as really works hard, is open to gay marriage and all gay rights, then all those advocates will follow him.
That's when Obama, in a desperate move to win them back, will change his stance on gay marriage.
With an Obama endorsement for gay marriage, California will be pushed over the line. A new Proposition to legalise gay marriage would need to be summer 2012.
That's what I reckon.