Rainbow Easter on the White House Lawn

A couple of compelling posts on Daily Kos describe the experiences of gay families who attended the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. They did so as a group for the first time this year, to gain visibility and to demonstrate how much they are a part of the ordinary American family scene. They weren't allowed in the morning group that provided the backdrop for Laura's photo-op, but they had lots of fun, made lots of friends and got interviewed by many reporters just the same. They all wore rainbow leis:

This kind of friendly visibility can be very effective in countering the hate mongering of extremists that sadly is often the only commentary on gay issues ordinary folks hear. Instead of cowering in fear of right-wing name calling, these GLBT citizens are stepping out front and taking risks to change hearts and minds. If only our Democratic officials, candidates and "strategists" were half as brave and direct in challenging the meanspirited myths and ugly biases being pushed by the radical right noise machine.

Imagine where we'd be now if ordinary Americans had been hearing persuasive counter-arguments to the bigotry being pushed by Republican operatives for the last decade. Imagine the progress that could be made if Dems in the public eye would exhibit leadership on these kinds of issues. Imagine their disarming of the pseudo-conservative noise machine by refusing to react to right-wing baiting with deadly silence or smarmy avoidance. Imagine if our leaders fought hard to better frame what's really at stake for a large number of American citizens who obviously deserve full civil rights as much as the next person.

By the way, you may recall that the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of New Mexico passed a resolution that calls for equal civil marriage rights for all. Our State Party's platform, however, does not contain this position. The word is our "leaders" didn't want to have to deal with the "controversy," so parliamentary maneuvers were used to keep it out of the platform. Sorry "leaders," GLBT citizens have to deal with it every day, even if you refuse to do so out of fear and a misguided sense of "playing it safe." The irony is that Dems don't gain votes by refusing to take strong stands on the issues. Instead they play right into the right-wing stereotype that Dems are weak and dishonest about their values.

Securing full civil rights for African-Americans, Hispanics and others was also very controversial. The difference is that many Dems in earlier times were willing to muster the courage needed to fight for what's right, rather than shrinking from tough issues based on the cold calculations of "consultants" and "strategists." I wonder when and if our candidates and elected officials will ever break free of this culture of cowardice. All we can do is keep pushing until they do.