A difference in the 2008 Election…
Posted by Maman Poulet on 29 Aug 2008 at 07:16 am | Tagged as: Same Sex Partnerships, US Election 2008
…The way in which the words ‘gay’ or ’sexual orientation’ are mentioned by every keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Michelle Obama, Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Al Gore… Nothing from Joe Biden, the Catholic who scores well with gay rights activists.
So Barak over to you.
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
Yup in his acceptance speech in what is going to be the tightest and maybe ugliest election in years Barack Obama mentioned the word lesbian too.
As Pam Spaulding said
It’s a statement that will tick off those who want it all, and want it now — after all, separate is not equal, but the reality is that, on this national stage, a call for equality in this way is groundbreaking because it was purposefully present — and the crowd responded — and a nation watched a presidential candidate in a close race (that shouldn’t be close), put himself out there.
And it was the applause after he said it which really got me – and got Good as You also. (Video of comment available there also!
I hear that Eamon Gilmore, Enda Kenny and a whole lot of other Irish Politicians are visiting the convention – maybe they’ll learn that it’s not that difficult to say it, to mean it though well that’s another thing!
No doubt there will be those who say it shouldn’t make a difference. Well if you have spent your life not being recognised, reaching out for the merest hint of inclusion in public discourse, or enduring opportunities for verbal gay bashing, the past week has been significantly different in not having to search for a nod to the fact that matters to do with sexual orientation deserve to be prominently part of the civil and human rights agenda.
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While words and recognition are good, I watched the speech and felt that Obama did not actually promise anything in his speech for same-sex marriage/ civil unions – or even promise to have a conversation about it. In his litany of things to do was an appeal to populist politics but I wonder in the light of day how he can accomplish what he set out. I’m left sceptical and an unrepentant Hillaryista.
BTW: I’m hearing McCain might pick Sarah Palin…
While I completely agree with you about the political necessity of making LGBT sexual politics into a part of wider public sphere discourse, and there has been good visibility at the Dem Convention (as one would expect), most of Obama’s discourse was framed as a moral issue and it needed to be more pointedly political.
I did not actually hear practical promise for legal remedies (on hospital visitation, let allow civil unions). He reminded the audience that even if we disagreed, we should be morally decent about same-sex relationships. OK. While in a speech of this magnitude, he might not like to get into specifics about “us”, he could have addressed the spate of hate crimes in the US of late and stated there is no place for homophobia in America and that he would tackle this.
On the GOP: I’m now reading that a plane has left Alaska for the McCain rally and this points to Governor Sarah Palin… may be more rumour, but she’s be a good pick adn suddenly Alaska is in play.
Palin confirmed as GOP VP nominee… I’ve been thinking this for a few weeks… (not sure why exactly!) this will rattle the Dems.
Still sore about Hilary Sean??
Sean, he could have addressed as you suggest “the spate of hate crimes in the US of late and stated there is no place for homophobia in America and that he would tackle this” and still not made any practical promises for legal remedies. Detailed policy is not what these speeches are ever about.
The plain truth is that by mainstreaming the issue in his speech with the likes of gun control and abortion he pushed the issue front and centre in an unapologetic manner. He was acknowledging that while some people in the US might not agree on civil unions, gay marriage or whatever the range of options might be that he’s not going to allow some opponent to make their argument on the basis that people can be 2nd class American citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation.
As for Palin and Alaska being in play, Alaska is home to the live free or die types who’d sooner vote for pro-choice republican who hunts than family values democrat. That it is even close to being in play is down to the damage done by the excesses of the local republicans and the topsy turvy nature of the electoral landscape this year.