Amid Setbacks, Gay Activists Still Hopeful

Optimism abounds for gay rights activists following the election of Barack Obama, but many policy challenges remain.

In Obama's victory speech, the president-elect described the diversity of the nation as “black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled,” but activists said it seemed the issue of gay rights was a low priority in the presidential race.

“When you look at the top five issues, it wasn't thrown up there as one of those controversial issues like it has in other elections,” said Sara Bendoraitis, the director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally Resource Center at American University.

[img_assist|nid=423|a|desc=Sara Bendoraitis, director of American University's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally Resource Center. (Photo by Lori Grisham)|link=node|align=left|width=232|height=250]

Bendoraitis mentioned that the Democratic candidates held a televised debate Aug. 9 about gay rights issues.

“You didn't necessarily see the Republicans doing those kinds of things,” she said. Gay rights became a “back burner” issue after that, she added.

Issues like the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated the discourse between Obama and John McCain, leaving other potentially contentious debates in the background.

“I don't think [gay rights] was completely ignored, but I don't think it was completely avoided, either," said Richard Parmer, a gay graduate student from Alabama who goes to school in Tennessee.

Even though it was not a dominant issue, gay rights activists agree that an Obama administration will mean progress.

“Although he's not necessarily completely in favor of gay marriage, he's more in favor of making sure that everyone has rights across the board, and that's a huge step compared to some of the more conservative candidates,” Bendoraitis said.

Rea Carey, director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, an organization that trains grassroots gay activist groups, said the new administration will bring change.

The last eight years was a “hostile administration that treated us with contempt, rather than as part of the strength, talents and spirit of this country,” Carey said.

But on Tuesday, four states passed laws that would limit the rights to marry or have a family for gay couples. Arizona, McCain's home state, and Florida both passed amendments to their constitutions that would ban gay marriage.

California, which had allowed same-sex marriages since May, also passed an amendment that will effectively ban gay marriages in the state, leaving gay couples who had rushed to get married before Tuesday with doubt as to the future of their marriages.

California attorney general Jerry Brown said the same-sex marriages that had been performed since May would remain valid, but that decision is ultimately up to the state Supreme Court.

Arkansas passed a law stating that only married, and therefore, heterosexual couples, can adopt or serve as foster parents.

“I definitely think it's disappointing, but at the same time, I think it's dangerous or limiting to use marriage as a symbol of gay rights in general,” said Parmer.

He said more gay people he knows are concerned more about being able to be openly gay without fear of abuse, than the right to marry.

At the same time, Bendoraitis said a positive aspect of the California ban is that because it was so divisive and close, the amendment could be overturned in a lawsuit.

Rick Rosendall, of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, said he was not optimistic about the impact of the other amendments.

“Regarding the implications for D.C.'s own quest for marriage equality, the passage of the three anti-gay marriage initiatives ... does us no favors in D.C.,” Rosendall said.

He said funding is the major hurdle to assuring gay marriage rights in D.C., both because Congress can veto any funding for programs and because setting up a campaign is costly.

As the country adjusts to the new presidency, it remains to be seen how rights for gays and lesbians will continue to be changed, for good or bad.

“I really, really hope that Obama can deliver on all the things he said he would, and that he doesn't drop the ball,” said Parmer.