Canadian queers less marriage-militant than Yanks?

Persecution can make a minority more militant; while toleration may breed mellowness.

In Canada, where full same-sex marriage has peacefully become accepted law in three provinces, Toronto gaymag "fab" takes an unscientific online poll. A large plurality, 47 percent, choose a mild middling view, that queers should settle "for something like civil unions, and develop our own customs, as long as we have the same rights as straight married couples." Only 36 percent choose the all-or-nothing, stance, demanding "marriage and nothing less". And 18 percent reject marriage (11 percent passively, and 7 percent extremely). [For details, please see Rex Wockner news column, in various queer papers, including S.F. Bay Times, 15 April 2004.]

In today's public rhetoric, almost all queer Yank activists and journalists espouse the all-or-nothing doctrine -- demanding "marriage-with-an-M" or nothing, and despising civil unions. Why would Yank/Canuck attitudes differ so markedly? In the first place, the Toronto respondents were speaking as miscellaneous anonymous individuals, not as spokes-queers for any community or sub-community.

In the second place, I think fascist attacks have embittered U.S. activists. South of the border, harsh fundi and Papal rhetoric inspires brutal murders, sometimes with torture, of queers and trannies. Lots of queer Yanks privately believe that the blood of Gwen Araujo stains the hands of Pope John Paul II, tho few are so fool-hardy as to say so in print.

A few years ago, when a handful of queer Hawai'i couples revived the marriage issue, national queer leaders weren't interested. But when states started passing explicitly anti-queer laws against same-sex marriage, queers were forced to fight back. Republican strategists chose homophobia as another "wedge issue" (hoping to split uneducated blue-collar Democrats away from the DP's educated liberal leadership). So the prominence of this once-marginal issue kept escalating. You could call this process a dialectic, or merely tit-for-tat.


Last year, I criticized the rhetorical overkill whereby U.S. marriage activists trash civil unions
[SFBT, 27 November 2003: http://seniornude.blogspot.com ].
This year, I won't even bother, since almost nobody would listen, at least not in my beloved San Francisco.
So now I just grit my teeth, and try to support the movement as it is today, not as a leader but as a foot-soldier.


Freedom until death!
Tortuga Bi LIBERTY
Saturday, 17 April 2004

P.S. Meanwhile, our struggles continue:


CAL: SF: from now thru 30 June 2004: photo exhibit, "Just Married": San Francisco Exposure Gallery
( http://www.ExposureGallery.org ).
CAL: SF: ongoing: collecting stories from same-sex couples for anthology:
(http://KarenAndMelody.com/spousesforlife.html ).

OREGON: mid-April: Multnomah County: Circuit Judge Frank Bearden may hold a hearing on ACLU lawsuit about
whether Oregon's gender-biased marriage statute violates OR state constitution.
http://www.oregonlive.com/special/gaymarriage/index.ssf?/base/news/1080219374314050.xml

USA: April 21: national "Day of Silence" for civil rights of LGBTI students. [ http://www.dayofsilence.org ]

CAL: SF: Wed., April 21, 8-10pm: Smack Dab (queer open mic),Magnet, 4122--18th St, near Castro. Free.

OREGON: April 23: Judge Bearden might issue a ruling by this date. His decision will be appealed to higher courts. Appeals process could take years, unless courts expedite. http://www.oregonlive.com/special/gaymarriage/

CAL: April 23: In the state Assembly, Mark Leno's marriage equality bill must pass thru judiciary committee by this deadline.
Delay would kill bill.

PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia, April 26- May 2: Equality Forum. [http://www.equalityforum.com ]

CAL: Berkeley: (late April?) : birthday party for People's Park. Top-optional; perhaps clothing-optional.
Get equality and peace symbols painted on your bare skin.
..........