This Month - June 2005

Is Gay rights a Civil rights Issue

“This Month” for June features excerpts from an article that I read about a year ago in Ebony magazine in which a panel of five activists were asked the question: Is Gay rights a Civil rights Issue. I should mention that Ebony is a magazine that has historically targeted the African American audience. I found the article sometimes enlightening, and sometimes frustrating, but altogether interesting, and thought I would share portions of it during June, which is Gay and Lesbian Pride month. But first the disclaimer – the views expressed in this article are solely those of the panelists and are not intended to reflect the views of NWHSU.

The full article can be viewed at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_9_59/ai_n6100475

or purchased at www. Ebony.com - July 2004

Julian Bond – Civil rights leader

Are gay rights civil rights? Of course they are. “Civil rights” are positive legal prerogatives – the right to equal treatment before the law. These are rights shared by all – there is no one in the United States who does not – or should not share in these rights. Gay and Lesbian rights are not ‘special rights’ in any way. It isn’t special to be free from discrimination – it is an ordinary universal entitlement of citizenship.

When others gain these rights, my rights are not reduced in any way. Luckily, “civil rights” are a win/win game, the more civil rights are won by others, the stronger the army defending my rights becomes. My rights are not diluted when my neighbor enjoys protection from the law-he becomes my ally in defending the rights we share.

Some who object to gay rights see homosexuality as a choice, but science has demonstrated conclusively that sexual disposition is inherent in some, not an option or alternative they’ve selected. In that regard, it exactly parallels race – I was born Black, and had no choice. I couldn’t and wouldn’t change it. Like race, our sexuality isn’t a preference – it is immutable, unchangeable, and the constitution protects us all against prejudices and discrimination based on immutable differences.

Some who believe in Biblical literalism find sanction for their anti homosexuality there, but selectively ignore Biblical injunctions to execute people who work on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) and to crack down on those who get hair cuts (Leviticus 19:27) or who wear clothes with more than one kind of thread (19:19). There is no biblical mention of lesbianism-are we to think that male homosexuality is wrong but female homosexuality is not?

Many gays and lesbians worked side by side with me in the ‘60s Civil Rights movement. Am I to now tell them ‘thanks’ for risking life and limb helping me win my rights-but they are excluded because of a condition of their birth? They cannot share now in the victories they helped to win? Not a chance.

Rev. Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth – Interim President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference

From this country’s earliest history, its citizens have struggled to make America fulfill its promise to offer protection for all human beings under the law. I personally have fought many battles to challenge the system to protect the legal rights of its citizens. I will simply state that I believe all human beings should have their basic rights protected under the law. As for the question of whether or not same-sex marriages should be banned in this country, neither law nor politics provides a readily accessible and acceptable answer. However, the bible does and unlike the Constitution, there are no loopholes in the interpretation of its guiding principles.

Despite what many of this world may argue, I cannot waiver from the God-established principle that marriage is a union meant to be shared between a man and a woman, and no matter how ‘open minded’ people of this earth become, Gods word cannot be changed and should not be ignored.

When God sought to make a suitable mate for man, He created a woman. Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus sanction same-sex marriage. So as a minister and a devoted follower of the teachings of Christ, I cannot personally endorse nor support same sex marriages on any level. However, as the interim president, I feel compelled to speak out and uphold the founding principles of the SCLC which acknowledges that the protection of all human rights is essential to democracy. Therefore, I would strongly detest and condemn anyone harming or harassing any person because of his or her lifestyle choices, and infringing upon his or her human rights.

Ms. Nikki Giovanni – Poet

Well if I could turn the question around just a little bit here, I think what we are asking is, should not civil rights be protective of gay rights? Because obviously civil rights is going to be the big blanket. And it should keep everybody who needs protection warm.

The right wing is trying to back-door a class of second-class citizens, which in this particular case is going to be gay people. But the constitution makes no provision for second class citizens. There is no place for apartheid in America.

Apartheid can’t be allowed because of race, religion, color, creed or anything else. It cannot be allowed. The Fourteenth Amendment provides for equal protection of the laws – this is so basic. Why should gay couples not participate in the tax exemptions everyone else is offered? Why shouldn’t any people be allowed health care?

Some activists are saying the gay rights issue is not a civil rights issue because the civil rights struggle is a human rights struggle. Well, as far as I know, civil rights are about human beings. So I’m perfectly willing to extend civil rights to all people and even to cows and pigs and horses, because the animal rights movement is making more and more sense to me.

The problem here is fear. And the same courage, if I may that the African-American community showed in the 1960’s is the same courage we have to show now. It took a lot of courage to stand up to Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia. That was physical courage. What we need now is emotional courage, and we’re going to have to take our turn at bat on this one. Because if the right succeeds, it is we who will pay the price because we are still the visibile minority. Because if they succeed in making second-class citizens-it is we who will pay the price.

Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy – Civil rights leader, former congressman

In all I do, I try to be logical and fair. In my view, it is neither logical nor fair to deny anyone access to five things – income, education, health care, housing or justice-on the basis of his or her race, creed, color or sexual preference. That is why I have found myself defending the rights of African Americans and gays to access to those five things. The essential difference between the Black civil rights struggle and the gay rights struggle is that Black people are discriminated against on the basis of something we can not change, our race, gays are discriminated against on the basis of their behavior, something that can be changed. But here again, I do not believe anyone should be discriminated against on the basis of their behavior as long as that behavior is not prohibited by law. That is why I have been a defender of gay rights and their access to the five essentials for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I part company with advocates of gay rights when it comes to assigning the title marriage to a same sex union. In my well considered view, it is neither logical nor fair to reward citizens with financial benefits when they cannot perform the tasks for which the benefits are given.

There are two functions for which civil society rewards a man and a woman with the title ‘marriage’ and certain financial benefits that we call tax exemptions. Civil society cannot survive without men and women perpetuating the species. Same sex unions can not provide civil society with that service. Secondly civil society cannot function properly without its children becoming bonded to both a man and a woman in their formative years. That’s because marriage between a man and a woman is the school room in which male and female children are socialized or taught to care for and protect and defend one another. The bonding that takes place between a child and persons of both sexes is important because if you are to have civil society people must learn to care for protect and defend one another or they will begin to act uncivilized.

These two functions, procreation and socialization cannot be performed by same sex couples, and therefore same sex couples should not be rewarded with tax benefits for something they can not do.

If we continue along this path, it will not be long before we in the United States will have to shell out cash to pay heterosexual couples to have children. The federal coffers would be hit, therefore with a double whammy: 1. We would be paying money to couples who cannot possibly procreate, robbing thereby the old, the young the sick and the poor of the scarce government resources necessary to meet their unmet needs and 2) we will be shelling out additional resources to pay heterosexual couples to have babies as they are having to do in France today to guarantee the survival of nation and culture.

Ms. Mary F. Morten – former liaison to the Gay community for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley

In the broadest sense of the words, gay rights is a civil rights issue. But in terms of what I personally know as an African American, there is a difference. For I have experienced much more discrimination based on my race than on my sexual orientation, and I feel it is inappropriate to liken the struggles of gay and lesbian folks to the struggles of African American folks.

A major problem is that gay and lesbian life is associated with privilege because it is depicted far too often from a White perspective. We have few positive images of African American gays and lesbians, and we rarely see African American gays and lesbians on TV. So for many people, being gay is associated with being White.

The key word here is civil. A civil union is something that would be defined by the state and should be available to all citizens of that state regardless of the definitions of particular religious denominations. Some people of course oppose same sex union and homosexuality by quoting isolated verses from the Bible. I know where they are coming from. I was raised in the Catholic church, but I think it is important to remember that the Bible was also used to defend slavery, wife-beating and the subordination of women.

I hope that we can minimally agree on certain points, including the danger to everyone of an anti-gay constitutional amendment that would be used to limit rights not to expand and protect rights.

Submitted by Tolu A. Oyelowo