By now, you’ve probably heard that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Well, it’s amazingly true.
Upon hearing the news I was delighted, and quite surprised. Across news outlets politicians are declaring their support and opposition of the ruling so as to impress the masses in time for the next round of elections. On the day of the announcement my Facebook news feed soon turned into a sea of rainbow-colored profile pictures and declarations of joy. Likewise, my Twitter feed has been filled with the hashtags: #MarriageEquality, #SCOTUS, and #LoveWins.
While I am happy that Marriage Equality passed in the court, I am very conscious of the fact that such legislation can only do so much for LGBTQIA persons in the United States. Unfortunately, love has not won just yet. The saying #LoveWins undermines the extent to which advocacy for LGBTQIA identified persons is still needed. Consider the cause of Jennicet Gutiérrez, aka “The White House Heckler”. Gutierrez, an undocumented transgender activist, was led out of the White House during an LGBT event after interrupting Obama’s speech shouting, “President Obama, release all LGBTQ immigrants from detention and stop all deportations.” The crowd and the president soon turned on Gutiérrez for the outburst. Some in the crowd even yelled “This is not for you.” Arguably, this stands as a declaration that in focusing on marriage equality, the mainstream LGBTQ movement excluded issues relevant to certain marginalized groups in the community.
Sadly, the response towards Gutiérrez seems to reflect the mainstream LGBT community as a whole: set apart from those who don’t fit the norm. In chasing marriage equality so vigorously, it seems that a significant chunk, possibly even the majority, of the community was left behind. How could we think, as a country, that “Love Won” with a single piece of legislation when the National Coalition for the Homeless reports that some 40% of the homeless youth served identify as LGBTQ? Or when PFLAG NYC reports gay teens are 8.4 times more likely to report to have attempted suicide? How could love have won when Grindr and other dating apps are filled with body shaming and phrases such as “No Asians, No Blacks, No Fats, No Fems”? Even now, the rate at which trans women of color are being subjected to hate crimes for simply existing is disgusting. Samantha Michaels writes in Mother Jones, “During the first two months of this year, transgender women of color were murdered at a rate of almost one per week in the United States. In fact, this minority group may be the most victimized by hate violence in the country, according to a new investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center.” Transphobia is rampant and is leaving an entire subgroup in perpetual terror. It is clear that there is still so much work to be done.
In campaigning so vigorously for Marriage Equality, some criticize the Human Right Campaign as being “a gay White man’s club”. Even pictures of the momentous occasion at the Supreme Court show a fairly homogeneous crowd as those pictured are predominantly White. Those who supported the mainstream LGBTQ movement for marriage equality while remaining silent on a host of issues faced by the LGBTQIA community now have to take a moment to look back and consider who the movement left behind. Erika Kreeger, rising Stanford senior, candidly states, “Marriage in the United States is not, as it is romanticized, a way to celebrate love, but a way to dole out financial and social benefits. These benefits, however, are often inaccessible to low income people, a category queers and people of color disproportionately fall under.” Kreeger pulls our attention to the realization that marriage is still unattainable for much of the LGBTQIA community. In some ways, marriage is another form of regulation and assimilation for the community. Regardless of whether we agree or disagree that marriage should’ve been their goal, in looking back I hope that HRC makes the necessary steps to restructure their organization so as to confront the misogyny and subtle racism within the community as well as the movement.
In the restructuring of the movement, allies must also understand that their responsibilities do not stop at the Pride celebrations to come. Allyship is a continuous process, not a state of being. One cannot simply be an ally when it is easy or convenient. If love is to truly win, everyone must be just as vocal about the violence facing the poor, the non-traditionally educated, and racial and ethnic minorities within the LGBTQIA community. And it has to happen quickly. With the backlash that’s sure to come from those unhappy with the SCOTUS ruling, there has to be a realization that being LGBTQIA identified does not mean the same thing for everyone and that the risks of being one’s self are not equal.
I say this not to quell celebration. There was, indeed, a victory. So rejoice. Get married if you want. Be happy. Be queer. Be straight. Be whoever you are as well as you can, given your individual circumstances. But do not take this win as an end of the war. There is still an ongoing fight for survival happening. Our love still has a ways to go.