Bitter pyrrhic Victory in CT
soe writes, "
I have to say I really didnt expect Connecticut representatives would roll over and play dead, adding a DOMA to the bill. Now I have to hope the bill is defeated."
http://www.spritewrites.net/?p=38
Indeed, I didn't expect it either. We have fought hard and successfully for several years to keep Connecticut one of the few in the bastion of states without a DOMA. Civil Unions are NOT worth a DOMA.
There is a theme that runs through the right-wing successes of the past few years and also the liberal failures. It is this: the right-wingers wage their campaigns on *principles*, even if they are misguided ones. We must have principles both in order to win and also to be able to sleep at night.
These are my principles with regard to equal marriage rights and civil unions:
- Same-sex couples fully and urgently deserve equal marriage rights.
- Civil unions may give some of the rights of marriage, but this separate-and-not-equal institution is overall an insult and should not be welcomed.
- DOMA's (Defense of Marriage Act) are unconstitutional and wrong. They cannot be accepted under any circumstances, certainly not as a compromise with civil unions.
Love Makes a Family may have made a huge mistake if we end up with civil unions and a DOMA. I trusted them earlier this session to fight for marriage, and if we could not win that, perhaps accept civil unions without a DOMA. But if we end up with a DOMA, the whole thing absolutely should have been stopped in its tracks weeks ago. Can we stop it now? I hope so.
posted by Ryvr @ 11:07 AM
2 Comments:
From Boston, this tears me up too. While a good part of the country is scrambling to put restrictive DoMA laws in place, New England is looking pretty sensible. Vermont with civil unions, Massachusetts with same-sex marriage, Rhode Island expected to honor Massachusetts marriages, Maine with a new gay-rights bill, and then the mixed results in Connecticut.
Now I'm left wondering how hard it will be to overturn these DoMA laws. The full-faith-and-credit principle alone should trump them -- eventually. What a sad commentary though that some folk (legislators) are willing to keep select groups from basic rights. Pissy at best.
Well said Massmarrier! I think we need to get willing to hold these legislators accountable. Our (Blue State!?) Republican Governor Rell holds an 80% approval rating here. It was at least in large part her push to add a DOMA to the Civil Unions that got us this nasty add on. My State Rep. (Democrat) Jim O'Rourke who voted FOR DOMA and AGAINST Civil Unions AGAINST Marriage ran for his seat unopposed last year. There is work to be done. Peace - Ryvr
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