marriage equality by 2020 - are you in it to win it?
Family Pride on Jan 12th 2007
This November the fundamentalist right got a wake up call - the people of this country are tired of the politics of hate. Whether a majority of Americans are on the side of marriage equality in this moment or not, they do realize that attack politics are unhelpful as this nation moves forward into the 21st century.
We saw this realization in Arizona, where for the first time the marriage equality movement was successful in beating back a state marriage amendment. And where we were not successful, we did make inroads into the hearts and minds of American voters. The numbers in support of marriage bans and amendments dwindle each time the fundamentalist right uses marriage as a divide and conquer tactic for political gain. People are catching on and they’re learning about LGBTQ people and our families. The road ahead will not be smooth, but it will lead us to a definite place - marriage equality for all.
Under the stewardship of Evan Wolfson, executive director for Freedom to Marry, Family Pride and other organizations have mapped out a strategy to win the fight for marriage. It’s called 2020 Vision. It’s a deadline-driven approach.
2020 Vision begins with the idea that to achieve marriage equality nationwide we have to set a date for that victory and work backwards to see what needs to be done. Imagine that marriage equality is possible by the year 2020, then define the work that needs to happen in the next thirteen years. That’s what 2020 Vision does. Here’s what it looks like - by 2020:
10 states must enact full marriage equality;
10 states must create and recognize civil unions;
10 states must create some form of domestic partnerships; (and)
20 states must show “climate change,” or positive shifts in policies affecting LGBTQ people.
2020 works because it understands that all efforts towards LGBTQ equality positively affect the fight for marriage. Some states are more likely to pass full marriage in the next thirteen years than others. But if we can pass legislation prohibiting anti-LGBTQ bullying in the schools of one of our most conservative states and change the minds of voters on LGBTQ issues in another, we’re still moving forward with marriage equality for all.
If we realize the goals of 2020 Vision, in that same year at least 80% of the country will have stood up for partner equality of some kind and 100% will have made their states more welcoming places for LGBTQ people and their families. Our base of support for federal action on marriage equality will be unavoidable. The winds of change will be strong and clear.
LGBTQ parents are key to the fight for marriage. Whether you desire the right to marry or not, you understand the need for LGBTQ people to have access to one of the most culturally valued institutions in this country. You also understand that no other legal arrangement currently offers the same kinds and numbers of rights and protections for families as marriage. As LGBTQ parents, you have access to non-LGBTQ people in unique ways. The conversations you can have with other parents - at your child(ren)’s school, on the job, at the playground - will make the need for marriage equality real for the vast majority of voters in this country - non-LGBTQ people.
Family Pride wants to help you do your part to make marriage equality - full family equality - a reality for all loving families. If you haven’t already, sign up on our e-mail list. We’ll periodically provide updates on the movement and where we’re headed. We’ll let you know when to take action. We’ll give you resources to take make change every day. We’ll keep you informed.
