Unless you have been living in a cave, you can’t have failed to notice the attention paid to Prop 8 over the past several months. And what about that women’s issue that was front and center media coverage during the recent election? Did you catch it? Oh, right. That was Hillary Clinton’s cleavage.
Sorry. It’s just that I can’t understand how we passed the Civil Rights Act 44 years ago and how we’re having a heated national debate (and state propositions) about defining gay marriage, and women’s issues aren’t even on the ballot. Women’s issues are so far out of the closet that they’re hanging at the consignment store.
There has been a multitude of media coverage about Prop 8. My favorite so far is a Newsweek story written by one its editors, David J. Jefferson, who chronicles his reaction to the recent yes vote that said no to gay marriage. “Most gay people I know seem to have forgotten – or in many cases never learned – the lessons of our collective history,” he writes. He talks about how gays have been lulled into believing their unions would be accepted since they are covered by non-discrimination laws, gay unions are recognized by some states, and some employers offer domestic-partner benefits. “We probably took for granted that gay marriage was an inevitability,” writes Jefferson.
This blog isn’t about gay and lesbian rights, but we might want to take a page from these activists’ book. While they’re acting up, women (me included) are watching from the wings while others – NOW, Emily’s List, The New Agenda, etc. – act for us. Yet, both the first and second waves of feminism were successful because women took to the streets to fight for equality. (NOW was created as a result of the momentum of second wave feminism – not before.)
In his article, Jefferson writes that Harvey Milk (the gay activist profiled in the new movie Milk – watch this trailer!) argued that “the only way to win civil rights is to demand and take them – as Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Gloria Steinem and all the others did – rather than wait for them to be granted.”
I fear the “woman community” is at risk of being defined by its failures rather than its accomplishments (think ERA). Do you think we could pick one – just one – issue on which to shine the spotlight and use our political power to push it through? Equal pay seems like a no-brainer to me. We might even be able to get some Hollywood types to lend a hand through a viral video (like this one you have to watch as well).
Are you actively involved in speaking out for women’s issues?
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1 comment:
Emma writes...
The gay and lesbian community is together in wanting gay marriage. I do not read or hear about a srong group of gay people opposing the idea.
During the African-American Revolution (then called the Black Revolution) the people were together. There was no opposing voice saying "we are fine, leave us alone."
During the feminist fight for Equal Rights (ERA) there were a WHOLE LOT (I do not know the numer) of women in the United States who were very vocal about NOT wanting equal rights. They expressed their beliefs and the media reported what they said. They really felt having equal rights would undermine the family. These women believed that one man, one women and children make up a family. They didn't want to look at what would happen if the women who didn't have this got equal rights They wanted nothing to do with equal rights. If the vote for equal pay came up for a vote today, would women rally around this issue. I am not sure they would. There are too many women who are afraid of white men and their power to speak out and demand their rights.
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