Jun 12, 2009  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

PRIDE REPRESENTS AS good a time as any to pause and evaluate the state of the LGBT movement and although it’s been a momentous year (Obama’s election, marriage rights in six states) it appears that the year ahead will be a tough one.

Last year, many LGBT activists, donors and voters were focused on electing Barack Obama president and expanding Democratic majorities in Congress, while also fighting off anti-gay ballot initiatives in three states, including California. The outcome, of course, was bittersweet as many of us celebrated Obama’s victory while mourning the passage of Proposition 8.

The year ahead holds more complicated trials for a movement that is maturing and changing. As our national LGBT rights groups like Human Rights Campaign urge patience and promise that the White House has “a plan” for advancing gay rights initiatives, grassroots organizers aren’t so sure. There is an overwhelming sense that the Democratic Party is very close to exhausting the collective patience of LGBT Americans who have supported it with money and votes and, so far anyway, received very little in return.

Sure, we get annual Pride proclamations in June. But where are the legislative victories and public support of our congressional allies at this critical time? Since taking control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats have still not managed to pass a single piece of gay rights legislation through both houses.

Last June, candidate Obama issued an open letter to gay voters, pledging his full support for a federal hate crimes law and a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He also reiterated his support for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“As your president I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws,” Obama said in the letter.

MUCH HAS CHANGED in recent months for the better, even if it’s not all attributable to the White House. Same-sex couples are now marrying in six states; the official White House web site includes a list of pro-gay commitments; Obama has named gays and lesbians to several high-level posts, including John Berry at OPM and Kevin Jennings at Education. And recent poll numbers on same-sex marriage rights are cause for celebration. While only 40 percent support full marriage rights, that number jumps to 49 percent among those who know an openly gay person, affirming the importance of coming out. What else could explain the parade of prominent Republicans — Dick Cheney, Steve Schmidt, Meghan McCain, Ted Olson — who now support same-sex marriage?

Five months into his administration, Obama’s White House has publicly endorsed the hate crimes bill, which passed the House but remains MIA in the Senate. ENDA has not yet been introduced. DOMA remains federal law, even though same-sex couples are now legally married from California to Iowa to Massachusetts. And the military’s gay ban remains in effect, with little hope of repeal this year.

HRC’s legislative approach — endorsed by congressional allies — is to move on hate crimes and ENDA in 2009 with a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in 2010.

If Congress wakes up and finally passes some of these long-suffering bills, then HRC will claim victory. If, however, our so-called Democratic “allies” can’t pass ENDA and hate crimes and a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal is off the table come December 2009, then the entire movement is a bust and everyone working in it should resign and make way for more effective leadership. There will never be a better time to advance these measures. The Democrats have made lots of promises to LGBT voters and, more importantly to them, to gay donors. We’ve waited patiently for those politicians to deliver. Come December, my patience runs out. The clock is ticking. 

THE UNCERTAIN YEAR ahead illustrates the pitfalls of a maturing movement. Power within that movement is shifting from a centralized few groups that know best to a decentralized mass of grassroots organizers, bloggers and others fed up with the slow pace of change. Rather than fighting religious right zealots, gay rights advocates are debating each other about the best way forward. In addition to resolving internal conflicts over strategy, those same advocates who’ve been so beholden to Democrats will finally be forced to stand up to the party this year. Will HRC, the Task Force and others aggressively hold Democrats accountable for their myriad promises? I’m hopeful they will, but history suggests otherwise.

And our challenges aren’t limited to Congress. Last week, the Blade hosted ...