What We Believe

A fundamental American value holds that every person should have an equal opportunity to a good job, a decent home and a loving family. However, legislation such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman and gives states the right to choose whether or not to acknowledge same-sex marriages, is not congruent with American beliefs of equality and the freedom to pursue happiness. Although some factions within the Queer Movement do not want to be a part of the heterosexist and sexist institution of marriage, we believe that queer couples deserve societal and legal recognition and acceptance of these relationships. Legal protection would include benefits that encourage people to form economically stable family units. These benefits include health care, pension systems, inheritance, social security survivor benefit rights, and social safety nets. We are focusing on gaining acceptance into the institution of marriage, fitting into the partial social structural type of change outlined by Aberle (McAdam and Snow xix). With this reformative view in mind, we seek limited change in the social system. Legal cases and political activism within the Queer Movement have produced the most tangible gains involving same-sex marriage, therefore we choose to continue in these strategies.

Framing

The overall master frame for our movement is the Equal Rights frame. It is based on this country’s constitution and fights for equality for groups based on sex, race, class, religion, and sexual orientation. A major tool used by our movement is frame amplification, specifically value amplification. In our group’s case, this links ideals based on equal opportunity and protection under the law. Most Americans believe that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law and that discrimination under the law is wrong, but we amplify this frame to include the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. We believe that marriage is a basic right that all Americans should be free to exercise and that couples should not be legally discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. Our movement also utilizes frame extension with the example of an injustice similar to the ban on same-sex marriage in historical terms, the ban on legal interracial marriage. In the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, that struck down antimiscegenation laws on the grounds that they violated equal protection, the court defended the freedom to marry as "one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men..."i. This finding, based on equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, has also been argued for the legalization of same-sex marriages, which has radical potential to alter religious, social, and legal definitions of what a marriage is supposed to be. i Sullivan, Andrew. 1997. Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con, a Reader. New York: A Vintage Original.

Recruiting

We will locate our constituency based on memberships of already existing national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT) organizations. More conservative groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, which does not even have the words gay or lesbian in its name in order to appeal to more mainstream supporters of equality, are likely to share in our ideology of pro-same-sex marriage. We feel this is true since more radical groups often see marriage as an unnecessary step toward the acceptance of lesbian and gay partnerships in our society and therefore focus on other issues facing LGBT people. Organizational memberships such as the HRC and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will be targeted for mass mailings concerning our group’s goals. These members are a good source of monetary resources since many are professionals, have higher levels of education, and have experience in lobbying. Grassroots, local community groups, and college organizations are also valuable targets for recruiting. They include pre-existing networks through which information can be passed so that smaller groups can be mobilized to work toward the larger goal. We plan to reach these people through advertising in gay magazines and other publications, especially gay parenting magazines, which would reach those already in long-term relationships who have children and would be most likely to benefit from the success of our movement.

Gaining Allies

In our efforts to gain allies, our group will utilize frame extension. We will reach out to other socially liberal constituencies and attempt to link our cause of same-sex marriage to their various causes. We will attempt to show that our issue is congruent with theirs, and in the end, we are all striving for the same end result. Groups that we will likely approach are feminists, democrats, and civil rights organizations. By demonstrating to them that our issue is one of equality and civil rights, much like their own causes, we hope to draw them into a powerful coalition. Once we have gained the support of members of these groups, we would ask them to show their support in a variety of ways. A simple way for straight allies to support the movement towards same-sex marriage, would be for them to write their legislators or participate in a rally or march. Marriage resistance, already present among many feminists, is another way heterosexuals can support our movement. By refusing to participate in an institution that is homophobic, these straight allies send a powerful message to political leaders.

Consciousness-raising

Since sexuality is still, to a certain degree, not an everyday topic of conversation for most Americans, education is required to enlighten people about the LGBT lifestyle. This education would be presented by our movement members in the form of intensive workshops. We believe that people are limited by their current belief systems. The workshops teach people how to see beyond their current paradigms and in the exploration they would learn to celebrate diversity. Conducted on an experiential learning model, they provide an environment in which participants create a fundamental shift in the way they see the world, themselves, and their relationships with others. Essentially, we are teaching people to see beyond their "box" that they create for themselves in the form of group activity, dyads (one-on-one with an experienced member), and guest speakers. I think that once people have a dramatic shift in their beliefs, that anything is possible in our movement. By eliminating racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism, then there \ is not limit to what can be accomplished. Workshops would also stress the importance of active participation in movement activities, and therefore help others to experience the conversion that they experienced. All people seeking to become active members in our organization would have to attend the workshop. The people that complete the workshop would then play an active role in training new potential members. These workshops are designed to be very hands-on and experiential—the goal being a total conversion in the way they view sexuality. As Machalek and Snow state, "conversion can be thought of as a radical transformation of consciousness in which a new or formerly peripheral universe of discourse come to function as a person’s primary frame of reference." Once the collective consciousness has taken place, it is important for members to feel a sense of collective empowerment.

Commitment

Our group’s model for creating commitment and conversion in the ranks of the adherents of the movement begins with a focus on consciousness raising. It has been found that political change is slow moving and often difficult to achieve, but once movement recruits are convinced that their cause is just, they find a rise in consciousness by seeing that "institutional means of influence have been unsuccessful and that morally committed individuals must fight for the cause" (McAdam and Snow, 303). Our ideas on encouraging conversion include the borrowing of ideology from other movements, ie. frame extension, such as in the civil rights and women’s movements. Connections can be drawn that link oppression to other groups, as in the belief that, as long as women and people of color are oppressed, so are lesbians and gay men. These oppressions can become compounded when an individual fits into several of the categories, ie. a woman who is black and a lesbian. For the legalization of same-sex marriage, small steps towards success can be especially encouraging for activists. Activists find the destigmatization of sexuality, and homosexuality in particular, to be an important step. This is an ongoing process that requires members to stay active even though their efforts may feel fruitless. Any attack on heteronormativity, which means challenging the systemic exclusion of queer people from public life and help people recognize those that are not being treated with respect and equality, is a productive step. Efforts to gain media attention help publicize the concerns of the movement to non-urban parts of America where people are harder to reach and also may face greater danger in coming out and actively participating. Media exposure can help bring about the inclusion of more positive lesbian and gay roll models in television and the movies. Activists in the movement also find it important to encourage queer people in high power positions, ie. government, religious leaders, media personalities, journalists, and others in visible positions and positions of authority to come out and take a stand. All of these efforts help build community and encourage members of the movement to live out the idea that "the personal is political." Commitment is created when activists reach out to those people whose own interests are addressed by the movement. Though queer people may not win equal rights over night, it is important for activists to stay mobilized and know that their small steps are important along the way for bringing about change. Consciousness raising and collective empowerment lay the groundwork for group identification and the strengthening of movement bonds in a way that polarization can influence protestors to "respond to threats as a powerful, angry group rather than as isolated, frightened individuals," which can have a strong impact on participation. (McAdam and Snow, 304). Dedicated members of the movement will stay committed even when faced with opposition from conservative social forces and right-winged extremists. Protestors often feel committed to a cause when they have had a say in whether to "initiate, continue, or end a given protest." Participation in the queer movement, as in other protest movements, is often "the result of a complex group decision-making process, and not the consequence of many isolated, rational individual decisions" (McAdam and Snow, 304). Members can be involved in grass-roots organizing efforts, organizing and taking part in group actions, voicing their opinions at meetings, and voting on whether or not to pursue certain issues.

Free-riders

Overcoming the free-rider problem is one of the biggest challenges for the lesbian and gay movement. In order to work for change in governmental policies, in most cases, activists must be willing to come out of "the closet." Lesbians and gay men often face open discrimination and even violence from their families, friends, co-workers, and even complete strangers. This aspect of identity and visibility, though crucial for the ability to work for change, is a difficult obstacle to overcome and makes free-riding an easy and "safe" alternative for a large percentage of the gay and lesbian population. A way to address this problem and to frame the movement’s message with targeted individuals’ frames is to inform people of the importance of the issue and get the message out that without greater participation in the movement, no change can occur. Lesbian and gay people cannot fight the negative stereotypes that pervade so deeply into our culture from behind closed doors. We deserve the same rights and options that heterosexual members of society enjoy. With the institution of marriage comes the "practice of most United States employers and many institutions (such as the IRS) to give significant benefits including health, life, disability and dental insurance, tax relief, bereavement and dependent care leave, tuition, use of recreational facilities, and purchase discounts on everything from memberships at the local Y to airline tickets only to those in conventional heterosexual families." These benefits are not available to members of society who, even though they live as partners in long-term, committed relationships, are discriminated against based on sexual orientation. Though free-riders in the movement for the legalization of same-sex marriage may someday enjoy these benefits, their participation in working for change now would greatly speed the legal process along. An important issue that free-riders must realize is that their involvement in organizations pushing for this change would also increase social acceptance of lesbian and gay relationships. Our movement will establish lesbian and gay resource centers and hotlines to protect members and provide support. Lesbian and gay people cannot fight the negative stereotypes that pervade so deeply into our culture from behind closed doors.

Strategies and Tactics

The Queer Movement uses a variety of strategies and tactics to increase social awareness and public support for same-sex marriage. Methods of achieving these goals fall into two categories: legal challenges and publicity/visibility. One of the most promising ways for our movement to create tangible changes is by working through established legal and political channels. We utilize the judicial and the legislative systems in our attempts to have same-sex marriage recognized. In the past decade state marriage laws have been contested in several states. By taking our complaints directly to the courts, we reach the people in our society with the power to change unfair and discriminatory laws. The Queer Movement has also focused on the legislative branch of government. Recent legislation in congress has attempted to ensure that same-sex marriage never becomes legal. Queer groups have had to mobilize around this issue and lobby against these measures in congress. Secondly, the Queer movement uses strategies of publicity and visibility to gain public support for our issue. We do this in two ways. First, coming out is stressed at the individual level. Coming out to friends, family, and acquaintances is a powerful consciousness raising tool. People are typically more sympathetic to queer issues when someone they know or love is gay. By talking to our friends and family about same-sex marriage, and gathering their support, these people will become our allies, and vote accordingly. Second, we stress the importance of participating in group rallies. Visible protests and marches will bring attention to our issues. For example, on October 11, 2001, National Coming Out Day, major rallies centered around the right to marry are planned across the nation. Workshops educating people on the discriminatory laws, including the lack of employment protection laws, the Defense of Marriage Act, sodomy laws, and the lack of hate crime legislation, that affect gays and lesbians will take place in all of the march sites. By participating in these events we will ensure that our voices are heard on a national level.

In Conclusion

The Queer Movement does not see our goals of total equality too idealistic. Our vision is summed up by the following quote--"Some people see the world as it is and ask 'Why'? I see the world as it could be and ask 'Why not'?"--Robert F. Kennedy, quoting George Bernard Shaw.  We will focus on the area of same-sex marriage, because we believe that no human being should be denied this fundamental right, and that much of the issues that the Queer Movement are centered around the fight for same-sex marriage. Marriage is a basic human right. Making a lifelong commitment to another person is something no one should be denied. It is an individual, personal and probably one of the most important decisions two people can make – and it should be made without government interference. Many lesbian and gay Americans are in committed, long-term relationships often taking on many of the responsibilities associated with civil marriage. Unlike legally married people, however, lesbian and gay people cannot share in the economic and legal benefits of civil marriage. And this is not acceptable.