I have to admit to a certain amount of surprise at the amount of momentum the LGBT rights moment has gained since the 2012 elections. It's a pleasant surprise, to be sure, but my more pessimistic side was expecting resistance to temporarily increase - the religious right's last big push, as it were.
That could still be coming, of course. As social conservatives find themselves increasingly outnumbered, desperation may push them to extremes before the fight is over. And the Supreme Court has yet to issue its own verdicts that could further alter the political landscape.
For now, though, the good news keeps rolling in. The latest positive signs of change:
-Rob Bell has officially come out in favor of marriage equality. This is perhaps the least surprising of the three, given how quiet he has remained on the issue for quite a few years, but it's still a telling sign of the changes taking place even within the evangelical community.
-Less expected was Senator Rob Portman's change of heart. It's not every day that a staunch social conservative - even one with a gay family member - does a 180. And whether it was a sign of courage or political expediency on his part, every ally counts.
-This year's CPAC gathering was also quite revealing. When opponents of gay rights are outnumbered by supporters at a conference full of Republicans, even the most pessimistic have to admit things are looking up...
No comments:
Post a Comment