“Corruption of the best is the worst”, and so is hypocrisy. While many Missourians, and mainly her politicians, support the troops and their efforts to eradicate oppression abroad, they simultaneously support oppressive policies at home. This is an offensive practice as you can’t simultaneously honor their sacrifice while indirectly undoing all that they have sacrificed for. So many Americans have died in the name of freedom, yet we enact the same hateful laws we oppose abroad. That is not only hypocrisy, it is also ignorant.
Oppression of the LGBT community is a perfect example. Based solely on sexual orientation, lesbian and gay couples are unable to marry in the State of Missouri. Due to their inability to gain this legal status, lesbian and gay couples can’t receive the same benefits as straight couples. In 2004, Missourians overwhelming restricted the right of lesbian and gay couples to choose their path in life. We had a perfect opportunity to choose a path to righteousness by accepting our brothers and sisters as they are, treating them as human beings and accepting their walk with their God. Instead we choose the path of righteous indignation. We alienated them, we oppressed them, we decried their practices, and we discriminated.
I had the privilege of listening to a democratic representative from the Missouri House of Representatives speak not long ago. Scared of the republicans’ ability to “paint us into a corner” he suggested that candidates move to the right in the political ideological spectrum. That is, become more moderate. Now, there is nothing wrong with moderate democrats, but to get elected on the back of the oppressed is a morally bankrupt agenda that does nothing more than mimic republican policies. He suggested this without knowing the history and the present. During the first decade of the 21st century, dozens upon dozens of democratic candidates have adopted centrist policies only to find themselves on the losing end of the electoral ticket. Democratic candidates do this again and again, against their own best interests, and then find themselves wondering why they lost. They oppose the woman’s right to choose, they support oppressive policies against the LGBT community, and then their republican opponent still holds them accountable for the policies they pretend to oppose during their respective campaigns.
As democrats, our agenda should enable the oppressed to go free. With our hands, we feed the hungry, remove shackles and provide for those in need. We help the helpless, stand up for justice and take the hard right over the easy left. We keep America moving by our support of unions, we believe that every person has a right to privacy and we support innovation through hard work and determination. We believe that everyone has the right to choose, everyone has the right to education and that legislating morality is morally corrupt. We are the guardians of freedom and we will NEVER apologize for it.
It is time for democratic candidates to fully embrace the anti-oppressive agendas of the Democratic Party. Democrats need to vocalize their truth with power and strength. It took a white man from Illinois to free the slaves. It took a boy from a coal mining town in West Virginia to put a man on the moon. It will take the collective voice of a just party from Missouri to end the civil rights violations that oppress so many in the 21st century. The bigotry, hatred and ignorance have gone on long enough. It ends today. Keep pressing forward.
As a completely straight female I would like to say I agree with you. I find it frustratingly hypocritical to have both democrats and even more so republicans say we should continue our ‘operation Iraqi freedom’ or the ‘war on terrorism’ under the idea/notion of preserving civil liberties for those citizens yet those same political representatives deny our own citizens, specifically the LGBT community, their own civil liberties. I have many friends that I attend college with that belong to the LGBT community and it angers me that their future is more hindered and potentially less fulfilling than my own because of politics.
I am sad to say Missouri help set the precedent to continue the ban on gay marriage. According to Theocracywatch.org on August 3rd, 2004 ‘Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the State Constitution barring gay marriage “becoming the first state to answer what has become a growing question since same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.”‘ My great state unfortunately turned a blind eye to some citizen’s civil liberties and thus encouraged other states to do the same. Only 9 days later on August 12th, 2004 the California Supreme Court ruled that some 4,000 same-sex marriage licenses in San Francisco were now void (Theocracywatch.org). As a conservatively leaning state (Missouri) I was afraid this amendment would pass, but I never expected such disregard for civil liberties from the liberal leaning state of California.
Coming from a conservative family (that being my extended family, my parents are both moderate democrats) I understood republicans to be faith based persons who wanted no governmental interference in their lives (my grandpa for exam hated paying taxes, he didn’t agree with them), but I didn’t really know where they (being republicans) stood on civil liberties so I decided to find out. According to OnTheIssues.org, on their page of ‘Republican Party on Civil Rights’, republicans not only have “strong support for traditional definition of marriage”, meaning between and a man and a woman only, but they also think states that don’t allow same-sex marriage “should not recognize gay marriage from other states”, also that “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” It seems to me that republicans don’t think citizens of the LGBT community deserve any rights. That is just wrong. What if the roles were reversed, how would they like it if their government decided they weren’t allowed to marry because they were straight!? Farfetched I know, but I feel they believe they can be oppressive because they are in the majority when it comes to sexual orientation. Who cares what sex people prefer we should all be allowed ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’! It seems that our country and our state have lost sight of this founding constitutional belief, or at least that we can manipulate it to mean whatever we think it should mean.
Unfortunately, I don’t see a change coming for Missouri anytime soon. Within this past year alone, Vicky Hartzler, a Republican Missouri House Representative, was described as an “Anti-Gay Zealot” (RightWingWatch.org ) In her speech she compared same sex marriage to polygamy, incest, and pedophilia (towelroad.com). She states:
“Why not let an uncle to marry his niece? Why not let a 50 year-old man to marry a 12-year old girl if they love each other and they’re committed? So pretty soon if you don’t set parameters, you don’t have any parameters at all, the license means nothing, the marriage means nothing….we’re saying marriage is between a man and a woman. It’s not a right in the Constitution as far as that goes either.”
I don’t believe the argument for same sex marriage has anything to do with laws against incest and pedophilia and they shouldn’t be compared thusly. These things don’t justify saying that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman.
Democrats are going to have to step up and support civil liberties for all. According to Democrats.org,
“Democrats have a long and proud history of defending Civil Rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, Democrats have fought to end discrimination in all forms-including discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity or national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability.”
They go on to say, something we should all strive for, “that no one should be constrained by the circumstances of their birth, and that each of us should have the opportunity to make of our lives what we will.” I couldn’t agree with this statement more and I pray one day that everyone will agree and fight for equal liberties for all. For democrats civil liberties “represent nothing less than our ability to provide for ourselves and our families and to live free from discrimination and persecution.” We founded this county to escape persecution and yet we still discriminate and persecute some of our own citizens. This, in my opinion, needs to stop and we must act to end it.
Sources:
“Chronology of Anti-Gay Legislation, Actions and Articles.” The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party. Theocracy Watch, Feb. 7th, 2007. Web. 13 Jun 2011.
“Meet Congresswoman-Elect Vicky Hartzler: Missouri’s Anti-Gay Zealot.” Right Wing Watch. People For The American Way, Nov. 12th, 2010. Web. 13 Jun 2011.
“Missouri Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler on Same Sex Marriage.” Towleroad: A State With Homosexual Tendencies. June 4th, 2011. Web. 13 Jun 2011. “Republican Party on Civil Rights Party Platform.” On The Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue. N.p., Feb. 10th, 2010. Web. 13 Jun 2011.
“We Stand for Civil Rights.” Democrats Change That Matters. 2011. Web. 13 Jun 2011.