GAY RIGHTS….Josh Chafetz of OxBlog makes a point that I’ve seen repeatedly recently: sure, Republicans might be anti-gay, but so are Democrats:
It distresses me even more that, some Democrats’ claims to the contrary notwithstanding, this is an attitude which plagues both parties. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, shameful both in its treatment of gay couples and in its disregard for principles of federalism, passed the House on a 342 to 67 vote, passed the Senate on a 84 to 15 vote, and was signed into law by President Clinton.
A pox on both their houses.
I sympathize with Josh’s feelings, since I also think it was disgraceful for Democrats to support this bill (although, yes, I do understand electoral realities). However, it’s also disingenuous: the 15 senators who opposed the bill were all Democrats, and the 67 congressmen who opposed the bill broke down 65 Democratic, one independent, and one Republican.
So let’s keep some perspective here. Sure, Democrats have a ways to go on this issue, but that’s a far cry from the position of the Republican party, which is monolithically anti-gay, is a happy home to any number of proudly and virulently anti-gay congressmen, and shows absolutely no signs of changing. Anyone who takes the issue of gay rights seriously ought to acknowledge this, and should also acknowledge that the only hope of making progress on this issue comes from the Democratic party.
UPDATE: Jesse Berney of Wage Slave Journal points us to the DNC site itself, which highlights some print ads that make the same point.
