On
Wednesday President Obama remarked that he supports allowing same-sex couples
to marry. That’s great, but it is just words. What’s more, the president
doesn’t really have much to say on the issue anyway, since (a) marriage is a
state-by-state thing, (b) in state votes, same-sex marriage keeps losing, (c)
Obama isn’t a Supreme Court justice, nor does he even enjoy a working majority
among them.
Words are fine,
and can both inform us and lift us up, but they aren’t reliable. I find I learn
a lot less from what people say than from what they do. Everyone wants to be
the hero of their own story and so words are generally self-serving. There’s
nothing unusual about that. That’s why I enjoy reading budgets more than I like
going to press conferences. You learn more, and what you learn is more
reliable.
This is never so
true as when you’re learning something pleasant. The temptation is never to
probe, but just to accept, good news. And of course this is exactly when it’s
the most important to do exactly that. Self-deception is the most effective
kind of deception, isn’t it?
That’s
why it was a pleasure to stumble across a list like this,
via Balloon Juice,
that provides a list of the things that are within
the President’s control on sexuality civil rights and that Obama has already
acted on.
It’s a fairly long list of hate crime legislation passed, military
policies repealed, anti-discrimination clauses adopted, spousal benefits
provided, visitation rights granted, family and medical leave act provisions
extended, openly gay appointees named, and anti-DOMA arguments made.
The
content varies, but many represent actual achievements. Several of those
undo damage done by previous Presidents who vocally supported equal rights, but
gave us some pretty damaging policies anyway.
The conflict
between those who want the prize now and those who are content to be on the
right path will always be with us. Important changes take work, work takes
time, and in the long run we’re all dead. These are the realities of political
change.
There is little reason not to harass those in office about important
policies. The office holders who disagree with you need to hear that there are
dissenters, and those who agree need your support, and often, a push.
But on
the issue of civil rights, I believe it’s important to see Obama’s statement
about marriage equality not as a beginning, nor even as a bone tossed to an
important constituency, but as item number 41 on the third list down.
Call it putting your mouth where your money is.
Tom Sgouros is a freelance
engineer, policy analyst, and writer. Reach him at ripr@whatcheer.net. Buy his
book, "Ten Things You Don't Know About Rhode Island