Outfront MN Blocking Road to Gay Marriage?
DUANE GAJEWSKI CONTRIBUTED THIS POST IN RESPONSE TO OUTFRONT MN AND COMPANY'S DISCOURAGEMENT OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY LAWSUITS.
The proclamation by OutFront (and other pseudo-advocacy groups) which discourages the pursuit of gay marriage in Minnesota should surprise no one.
For years OutFront has been in front of the gay marriage issue like a road block. Since the early 1990's, those who seek real progress on gay marriage have been told, “it’s not the right time." When pressed to identify the “right time,” OutFront cites the need for getting more Dem’s elected to government and more favorable justices appointed to Minnesota courts. Unfortunately while following OutFront’s do-nothing strategy, Republican governors have been appointing judges throughout the state, Michele Bachmann has been elected to Congress and most Democrats (bolstered by OutFront’s timidity) can’t flee fast enough from the gay marriage issue.
Another argument is the fear that a gay marriage lawsuit could set bad legal precedence. As an example, OutFront notes that the U.S. Supreme Court took 17 years to reverse itself on the 1986 Hardwick sodomy case. The Minnesota Supreme court did rule against gay marriage in the Baker case, but that was nearly 40 years ago. Hence, OutFront continues to work against gay marriage based on a Minnesota ruling that has remained on the books over twice has long as it took the Hardwick case to get reversed. Of course, no one - not even OutFront - knows the outcome of any case a priori. Unfortunately, OutFront prefers to passively assume defeat and actively stymie the efforts of those who seek to pursue change.
In a display of their own disarray, OutFront fails to abide by the words of their own staff attorney, Phil Duran. Regarding the pending Minnesota gay marriage lawsuit, Duran characterized some of the legal arguments as “fascinating.” Duran also said, “If it works, that’s terrific. But before we take a firm position on this thing, we’re going to have to take a look at the arguments they’re going to advance.” On the contrary, OutFront issued their proclamation of discouragement without even contacting the litigants nor their legal consultants.
Although our community assumes gay “advocacy” groups have our best interests at heart, a healthy dose of cynicism may be in order. Consider Project 515 for example. Founded just a few months ago, the sole mission of this group is to correct 515 instances of discrimination which gay couples suffer as a result of not being allowed to get married. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea. Dig a little deeper and one finds a profound conflict of interest. If a gay marriage lawsuit were successful in Minnesota, Project 515 Executive Director, Laura Smidzik, would be out of a job because the mission of Project 515 would cease to exist. Incidentally, Smidzik is the former Executive Director of Rainbow Families, the third gay “advocacy” organization to sign the proclamation against gay marriage. Last April under Smidzik's direction, Rainbow Families merged with the Family Equality Council, a group based in Boston. As a result, the current direction of Rainbow Families is uncertain.
Rather than relying on the likes of OutFront, the gay community would be better served by heeding the advice of a reputable law firm with a track record of SUCCESS – a law firm which is encouraged by the merits of a gay marriage case in Minnesota. Minnesota needs to move forward on gay marriage because NOW is always a good time.
The proclamation by OutFront (and other pseudo-advocacy groups) which discourages the pursuit of gay marriage in Minnesota should surprise no one.
For years OutFront has been in front of the gay marriage issue like a road block. Since the early 1990's, those who seek real progress on gay marriage have been told, “it’s not the right time." When pressed to identify the “right time,” OutFront cites the need for getting more Dem’s elected to government and more favorable justices appointed to Minnesota courts. Unfortunately while following OutFront’s do-nothing strategy, Republican governors have been appointing judges throughout the state, Michele Bachmann has been elected to Congress and most Democrats (bolstered by OutFront’s timidity) can’t flee fast enough from the gay marriage issue.
Another argument is the fear that a gay marriage lawsuit could set bad legal precedence. As an example, OutFront notes that the U.S. Supreme Court took 17 years to reverse itself on the 1986 Hardwick sodomy case. The Minnesota Supreme court did rule against gay marriage in the Baker case, but that was nearly 40 years ago. Hence, OutFront continues to work against gay marriage based on a Minnesota ruling that has remained on the books over twice has long as it took the Hardwick case to get reversed. Of course, no one - not even OutFront - knows the outcome of any case a priori. Unfortunately, OutFront prefers to passively assume defeat and actively stymie the efforts of those who seek to pursue change.
In a display of their own disarray, OutFront fails to abide by the words of their own staff attorney, Phil Duran. Regarding the pending Minnesota gay marriage lawsuit, Duran characterized some of the legal arguments as “fascinating.” Duran also said, “If it works, that’s terrific. But before we take a firm position on this thing, we’re going to have to take a look at the arguments they’re going to advance.” On the contrary, OutFront issued their proclamation of discouragement without even contacting the litigants nor their legal consultants.
Although our community assumes gay “advocacy” groups have our best interests at heart, a healthy dose of cynicism may be in order. Consider Project 515 for example. Founded just a few months ago, the sole mission of this group is to correct 515 instances of discrimination which gay couples suffer as a result of not being allowed to get married. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea. Dig a little deeper and one finds a profound conflict of interest. If a gay marriage lawsuit were successful in Minnesota, Project 515 Executive Director, Laura Smidzik, would be out of a job because the mission of Project 515 would cease to exist. Incidentally, Smidzik is the former Executive Director of Rainbow Families, the third gay “advocacy” organization to sign the proclamation against gay marriage. Last April under Smidzik's direction, Rainbow Families merged with the Family Equality Council, a group based in Boston. As a result, the current direction of Rainbow Families is uncertain.
Rather than relying on the likes of OutFront, the gay community would be better served by heeding the advice of a reputable law firm with a track record of SUCCESS – a law firm which is encouraged by the merits of a gay marriage case in Minnesota. Minnesota needs to move forward on gay marriage because NOW is always a good time.
posted by Doug @ 12:06 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:18 PM,
Doug said…
This year, Outfront and Project 515 both worked behind the scenes to prevent a bill that would grant full marriage rights to same-sex couples from being introduced in the 2008 legislative session. I know, because I was the one who brought the Marriage and Family Protection Act to the legislature.
A DFL lawmaker told me that both Outfront and Project 515 had contacted the Senate Majority Leader’s office to try and stop the bill. The Majority Leader’s office subsequently leaned on the bill’s authors to drop the effort, but they courageously refused and the first marriage equality bill in Minnesota history was introduced…over the objections of the state’s largest “GAY RIGHTS ORGANIZATION.”
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