It’s Official: We Won the Culture War. Really?
My partner Brad and I were just having a discussion about this over dinner last evening. he might characterize me as being “the glass half empty” but my point was we are at a very critical juncture in the battle, and the opposition isn’t going down without an extreme fight. The link below is a good read. Here are my thoughts about it.
It is both extremely exciting to read this and very bothering at the same time. It may be that we have turned a corner. It may be that momentum is moving in the right direction. But, I think it is horribly wrong to announce that the culture war is over. It isn’t over until it is over, and we have a long way to go until that point.
This is one problem with the Marriage Equality issue. On the one hand, it provides an easy issue to wrap your head around. It is easy to determine what marks a win or a loss. But is it the best or only barometer of where we are overall? I don’t think so. We have more states in our country that lack basic anti-discrimination legislation protecting GLBTQ people than that provide these protections. The right to marry in 4 states doesn’t do much for the people in over 30 states who can still be fired, refused housing or public accommodations due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Far too many states lack adequate hate crimes legislation. There is still DOMA to contend with as well as DADT on a federal level, and still no national hate crimes legislation.
Past these basic civil rights, the GLBTQ communities have a lot of healing to do. A rise in HIV infections are the result of the lost battle for clear, honest and effective prevention education over the last decade. During the earliest days of the epidemic, we spoke of eroticizing safer sex. But those messages were stripped from AIDS prevention due to federal funding measures. Generally speaking, today’s young people simply gamble with their lives. And drug use like crystal is ravaging parts of our communities. Being the embattled, during this long and dangerous culture war has indeed taken its toll. With basic civil rights and a stronger sense of general support from all americans, the healing can begin.
But when? Two generations away when evangelicalism is gone?
I’m not a sports fan, but I have endured enough games to know that the period after it looks as if the battle is won, is the exact time when the game is really on. The GLBTQ communities have much reason to feel emboldened and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have much fighting to do before there is real victory. So, I’d say, no- it isn’t official yet. The Culture War isn’t over, but it may be coming towards an end. We’re doing a great job gaining ground. Don’t give up the fight till we raise the rainbow flag at the top of the hill.
What do you think? Leave comments and let’s get the discussion going.
It’s Official: We Won the Culture War :: EDGE Boston.
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