This is a text-only “campaign”, but it just may be one of the finest PR wins of the year in the struggle for gay rights in the United States.
Amy Koch is a former member of the Minnesota Senate and its former Majority Leader. She is a vocal opponent of same-sex marraige, and in 2009 she tried to add language to the Minnesota Constitution declaring “A marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in Minnesota.”
Ms. Koch, who is married, suddenly resigned her public position this month when confronted by colleagues about alleged infidelity with a male staffer.
This flies in the face of the “pro-marriage” movement’s claim that the biggest threat to traditional family structure is the redefinition of the legal institution of wedlock. From Minnesota for Marriage‘s site:
“When marriage ceases to have its historic meaning and understanding, over time fewer and fewer people will marry. We will have an inevitable increase in children born out of wedlock, an increase in fatherlessness, a resulting increase if female and child poverty, and a higher incidence of all the documented social ills associated with children being raised in a home without their married biological parents.”
Celebrity heterosexual infidelity, multiple divorces and sham marriages have long been a weak point in this particular case against same-sex marriage. But when one of its champions fails to respect her own vows, then the reaction is swift and sarcastic.
In light of this, Minneapolis resident John Medeiros wrote and published an open letter to Ms. Koch “on behalf of all gays and lesbians living in Minnesota … for our community’s successful efforts to threaten your traditional marriage.”
Mr. Medeiros’ letter, originally published in a local blog, has since gone viral many times over. It may not change the minds of the hard core movement against same-sex marriage, but in my opinion the tipping point on that social issue has already been reached in the United States.
Read the full letter after the break.
Author: Tom Megginson
Reacties (6)
Cliffhanger…
Waarom maken alle activisten zich helemaal niet druk om polygamisten rechten?
Omdat de ene activitist de andere niet is. De veganist bepleit iets anders dan de homo-activist, en die zet zich misschien niet zo in voor dierenrechten. Echte allround-activisten zijn er waarschijnlijk niet, want die krijgen ook hun innerlijke strijd. De ene rijkaard steunt de strijdt tegen aids met gratis condooms, de andere met geld voor de missie.
Er zijn sowieso amper polygamistenrechten activisten en er is nooit kritiek op landen die geen polygamistenrechten hebben.
Ik vind dat nederland daarom eerst maar is zelf het polygame huwelijk moet invoeren voordat het landen zonder homohuwelijk de les leest.
Ik denk dat deze onververschilligheid voortkomt uit de onverschilligheid die ook de rechtenbeweging kent.
Ik zeg: doe er wat aan.
En toch ben ik van mening dat de redactie dient te reageren.