With the Republicans seizing control of the House of Representatives after Tuesday’s elections, many gay-rights groups are viewing the shift in power as a major setback for their goals of reform, specifically regarding issues such as gay marriage and the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Their concerns are far from unfounded. Considering the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” failed to pass in the Senate because it was blocked by Republicans, the chances of it passing with an increase in Republican control are slimmer than ever. And the chances of making progress on gay marriage seem to be even lower with conservatives so strongly opposed to it and the voting out of several politicians who were in support of it.
In an ideal world, we could hope that the Republicans would be willing to compromise on at least one of the issues, more likely the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal, which has the support of a huge majority of the population. If they were to do so, this would be a huge step in moving toward the compromise that both sides need to establish in order to achieve anything. However, it is highly unlikely that this will happen. The Democrats failed to pass the bill through Congress while they had majorities in both houses and now it seems as though their chance may be gone for quite a while.
Although it makes sense that gay-rights are not a priority for many people, it is sad that our politicians cannot agree on issues of civil rights. With the state of the economy preoccupying people’s attention, issues such as gay marriage, which often don’t directly affect even those who claim to support them, get shunted to the side. Since it isn’t an immediate priority, it will always be neglected.
It is deeply regrettable that civil rights issues such as these are continually pushed off the table because of a lack of acceptance by one group of people. Gay-rights issues shouldn’t be matters of left and right, but rather an acknowledgement of the fact that all Americans should be given equal rights, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexual preference.
Not so many years ago, a large sector of the population was opposed to racial integration. Looking back on that notion, it now seems hopelessly archaic and morally reprehensible. Gay-rights are the predominant civil rights issue of our time, and there is no excuse for allowing oppression such as this to continue, no matter what side of the aisle with which you identify.
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