Editorial: Gay rights activists should capitalize on their momentum

Amid GOP promises to restore America’s social conservatism, California’s LGBTQ community… Amid GOP promises to restore America’s social conservatism, California’s LGBTQ community secured a significant victory this week. But despite recent progress, activists shouldn’t delude themselves into believing their remaining goals are easily attainable.

This Tuesday, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals declared Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, unconstitutional. And although the ruling could change if the Supreme Court hears the case, many liberals have already ordained it a civil rights triumph.

Regardless of what happens, the celebrants have every reason to be proud; those who condemn same-sex marriage have yet to convincingly justify their position. Indeed, many of their arguments amount to tautologies — citing Biblical passages denouncing homosexuality, for example, proves only that the lifestyle is bad because it’s bad. Appeals to “tradition” are similarly inane, as if every longstanding custom, no matter how narrow-minded, deserves to be upheld.

Gay rights activists shouldn’t become unduly optimistic in the wake of their victories, however. Despite polls demonstrating increasing support for LGBTQ agendas, same-sex marriage still faces some formidable opponents.

Take presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Abandoning his trademark evenhandedness on Tuesday, the GOP frontrunner declaimed the recent ruling as an attack on “traditional marriage” by “unelected judges.” His rival Rick Santorum was even less restrained, condemning the Court’s history of “radical activist rulings” and maintaining that, “Marriage is defined and has always been defined as ‘one man and one woman.’”

These prejudices won’t disappear easily, especially not if potential presidents continue to espouse them. Rather than viewing universal same-sex marriage as inevitable, then, activists must seize on their momentum to pass progressive legislation before social conservatives rebound with renewed support. Until every state recognizes LGBTQ rights, the movement’s campaign must be tireless.

At the same time, activists should give the pubic no legitimate reason to resent them. Nonviolence — even in the face of bigotry — is crucial; LGBTQ members need to demonstrate that their community consists of real people, not extremists bent on undermining our country’s “values.”

It might be impossible to sway every American in favor of gay marriage; certain outliers will always regard homosexuality as improper, if not outright unnatural. Nonetheless, significant gains can still be made in mainstream society. The recent appeals court ruling might have brought California one step closer to achieving equality, but many ordinary citizens — not to mention legislators — remain hostile to further progress.