THE January inauguration of President Barack Obama saw unprecedented levels of GLBT participation. With hope in the air, expectations for forward movement on civil rights ran high. But the Obama transition sent mixed signals, leading some to question prospects for follow-through on promises made to the GLBT community.
MoreWhat was particularly striking about the campaign to enact Prop 8 was
the extent to which proponents went out of their way to claim that the
new provision would not take rights away from gay couples.
MoreViews on Proposition 8
MoreFROM THE STANDPOINT of GLBT rights, it now seems likely—although by no
means certain—that 2008 will be the year in which the political system
caught up to the country. I do not always subscribe to the view that
the public is ahead of the politicians in terms of enlightenment, but
on the question of protecting people against discrimination based on
sexual orientation or gender identity, the voters have been ahead of
the politicians.
MoreTHE MODERN American civil rights movement began at the 1948 Philadelphia Democratic convention when a hitherto unknown Minneapolis mayor, Hubert Humphrey, rose to defend the platform committee’s minority report on civil rights.
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