Prop. 8 a step back for civil rights

‘ ‘ ‘ President-elect Barack Obama’s victory in the election has rightly been identified as a… ‘ ‘ ‘ President-elect Barack Obama’s victory in the election has rightly been identified as a milestone in the history of American civil rights. His campaign energized the historically disenfranchised black community, and his victory serves as a fitting culmination to the struggle of civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. ‘ ‘ ‘ But although this nation broke the color barrier of the White House and defeated the racism of our fathers, the passage of Proposition 8 in California demonstrated that the work of the civil rights movement is far from over. ‘ ‘ ‘ Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed on Tuesday with 52 percent of the vote, effectively banned gay marriage in the state of California.’ ‘ ‘ Gay marriage had been legal in that state since June 16, 2008, when a California Supreme Court ruling took effect, overturning the state’s gay-marriage ban. ‘ ‘ ‘ Same-sex couples from around the country who faced discrimination in their own states traveled to California so their relationships could receive the same legal and public recognition as any heterosexual relationship. ‘ ‘ ‘ California, along with Connecticut and Massachusetts, represented a beacon of tolerance and progress in a nation so deeply stained by discrimination. ‘ ‘ ‘ But Tuesday, motivated by what can only be described as bigotry, 52 percent of Californians voted to topple the monument to progress that California’s marriage laws had become. ‘ ‘ ‘ What’s worse is that black people voted 2 to 1 in favor of Proposition 8, guaranteeing its passage. Not only is this shameful, it is also incomprehensible. ‘ ‘ ‘ Having reached the pinnacle of the civil rights struggle, blacks in California proved to be the key voting bloc in denying civil rights to another minority population in this country. ‘ ‘ ‘ Where’s the outrage? ‘ ‘ ‘ Where are the black civil rights leaders decrying the passage of Proposition 8 as the manifestation of rank ignorance and bigotry that it is? ‘ ‘ ‘ They are nowhere to be found. Men such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Obama, who have all benefited from the progress of the civil rights movement they helped shape, have been silent on this issue. ‘ ‘ ‘ Rather than champion the civil rights of one of this nation’s most consistently victimized minorities, leaders in the black community, including our president-elect, have remained silent on Proposition 8. ‘ ‘ ‘ Regrettably, it appears that the courage that characterized the American civil rights movement of the ’60s and ’70s is gone. Instead, the religious values that informed the teachings of men such as King have been perverted to deny Americans their fundamental rights. ‘ ‘ ‘ Under the guise of religious values and the defense of ‘traditional marriage,’ homosexuals have once again been legally discriminated against at the behest of the majority. ‘ ‘ ‘ It is time for the courts to step in. ‘ ‘ ‘ The same courts that ended segregation when the people’s representatives would take no actions but to reaffirm segregation must now thwart public opinion and restore to same-sex couples the right to marry in the state of California. ‘ ‘ ‘ But that isn’t enough. The federal government and the Obama administration, which we are promised will be progressive, must work to exercise change and bring rights to homosexual Americans. ‘ ‘ ‘ The religious organizations that supported Proposition 8 must be stripped of their tax-exempt status. Churches and synagogues that actively campaigned against the rights of homosexual Americans must be sent a message that if they choose to exercise political power, they will be held accountable financially. ‘ ‘ ‘ Also, Obama will have a number of opportunities to appoint Supreme Court justices during his first term in office. He must use these opportunities to construct a Court that, like the Warren Court of the civil rights era, will be willing to disregard the discriminatory will of the American people and extend rights to homosexuals. ‘ ‘ ‘ We cannot continue to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate the American electorate for electing a black man as long as homosexuals are still legally discriminated against in this country. Their struggle for rights must be our struggle as well. Until all people in this country are protected and respected by law, no civil rights movement will be victorious. E-mail Giles at gbh4@pitt.edu.