I know many of us are still trying just to get hate crimes against the GLBT community into hate crimes laws, but up here in the Northeast, we're already working against the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or "DOMA".  A lawsuit has been filed in Massachusetts that deserves our support.  Some of our elected leaders in Vermont refused to attend a Democratic fundraiser where President Obama was the headliner, in retaliation for his administrations reprehensible legal brief citing the importance of DOMA.

Defeating DOMA will require a comprehensive, bipartisan strategy that reaches out to young independent voters, to Log Cabin Republicans, and conservative Democrats.  In other words, it can't be burdened with visions of a post-war, post-capitalist, single-payer America.  It has to be couched in terms of "all families right now."

So my first step is to figure out a bumper-sticker.  I know many of you won't be able to display it, for fear of vandalism, so the rest of us will have to do our bit.

Here's what I've come up with:

Red, White and Blue with rainbow accents on DOMA-Free:

"Another Straight Voter for a DOMA-Free America"

"Another Young Voter for a DOMA-Free America"


Red Background with White Letters,Rainbow highlights on "DOMA-Free":

"Republicans for a DOMA-Free America"


Blue Background with White Letters,Rainbow highlights on "DOMA-Free":

"Democrats for a DOMA-Free America"


And, for those who don't share my accomodationist attitude, all in rainbow lettering:

"Defend Your Own Damn Marriage"


The key to safety for those who display this sticker in many places is mass distribution and mass display.  Harvey Milk taught that coming out en masse was the foundation for equal rights, and that's my strategy. 

Who would sport this sticker?

Young voters, who voted for Obama in huge numbers and are significantly less likely to support marriage-as-a-man-and-a-woman.  They are putting their lives on the line with this, marrying later, staying married longer, and sharing responsibilities through personal negotiations rather than gender roles.

PFLAG families

"straight but not narrow" boomers (my own demographic)

And, of course, the folks whose marriages or potential marriage rights are circumscribed by DOMA!



I feel so strongly about this that I've been putting time into it this week, despite all the other stuff I have to do. 

Happy fortieth anniversary yesterday, defenders of Stonewall!