One Giant Step Forward, One Devastating Step Back

I begin with the acknowledgement that I am in a state of extreme conflict.  I was just witness to something that I thought I would never see in my lifetime and only hoped that my children would see in theirs; the election of an African-American to the highest office in the country, President of the United States of America. 

As President of SIECUS, I am thrilled that we now have a President-Elect who understands and supports comprehensive, age-appropriate, sexuality education; who supports a woman's right to make her own reproductive health decisions; who values the availability of medically accurate information about sexual and reproductive health; and who embraces the virtues of putting science ahead of ideological goals when combating AIDS worldwide.

It was also heartening to watch as voters in a number of states voted overwhelmingly against restrictions on a woman's right to choose.  In California, Proposition 4, which would have required parental notification before a minor could obtain an abortion, failed by 52% to 48%.  In South Dakota, Initiative 11, which would have heavily restricted abortion, failed 55% to 45%.  And, probably the most stunning and decisive vote took place in Colorado, where Amendment 48, Human Life from Moment of Conception, was overwhelming defeated 73% to 27%. 

With these votes in, the future seems filled with promise.  We hope that the issues we care deeply about will now finally be addressed and we can truly create a sexually healthy society.  Unfortunately, when all the votes were counted it became clear that we still have a long way to go. 

On a night in which this country took a giant step forward on racial issues and reproductive rights, we also took a devastating step backwards when it comes to the rights of gay and lesbian individuals.  Three states voted down gay marriage proposals and another eliminated the right to adopt a child for any couple that is not heterosexual and married.

Perhaps the most surprising is the passage of Proposition 8 (by a 52% to 48% margin) in California, of all places.  Is this the same California that has always been the leader when it has come to gay and lesbian issues?  Is this the same California that only five months earlier challenged the Supreme Court and won the right for gays to marry?

One issue impacting the outcome was clearly a lack of organization in the effort to defeat Prop 8.  Maybe there was a sense that this issue was over in California and there could be no way that this measure would pass.  After all, the country has moved forward and we expect what is right and just to be the rule, not the exception.  Maybe in this historic year, and with the progress that was made in Connecticut and Massachusetts, we just thought that we didn't need to work that hard.  Or maybe, with so much riding on this presidential election, this just got a little lost in the shuffle. 

The thing is, it didn't get lost for conservatives, and not just conservatives in California.  The Mormon Church pumped over 80 million dollars into California to get Proposition 8 passed, John Templeton, Jr., of the John Templeton Foundation in Philadelphia, donated one million dollars to the cause, and multitudes of other conservative and faith-based organizations around the country infused millions of dollars to run false television, radio, and print ads. 

In a year of hope, it is vitally important that the progressive community remember that all of our recent victories were not achieved through hope alone.  We are where we are thanks to disciplined organizing, hard work on the federal, state, and local level, and the willingness to tirelessly strive for equal rights for all people.  We have seen that our efforts can be successful, but we can never take for granted that they will be.  If we truly want to defeat those who would stand in the way of equal rights for gays and lesbians, we must out-work them at every turn.  Through this commitment to action, I know we will ensure a brighter, more equitable future for all Americans.