On this long journey that is our quest for equal rights, no goal will be more symbolic, hove more tangible effect on our lives or be more difficult to achieve than securing the right to marry. As a cultural institution, marriage is so highly revered that it is assumed each of us will experience it. From the moment we are born, we are socialized to dream about the day we will wed, and to look forward to that as one of life's pinnacles.
Those of us who grew up knowing we might be gay face a conundrum: How were we to reconcile our expectations of marriage with the fundamental desire for a partner of the same sex? Most of us resolved this dilemma by forgoing any dreams of legal marriage, or by creating our own marriage like ceremonies and institutions.
That situation may be about to change, which is really quiet miraculous to those of us who never conceived of the possibility in our lifetimes. Given that lesbian and gay Americans have been fighting for equal rights for only about 30 years, the foci that we stand at the brink of winning equal marriage rights in Hawaii in 1997 is breathtaking to ponder. Our community started on this path almost by accidentthree gay couples, strangers to each other, decided to file what looked like a pie-in-the-sky lawsuit in 1991. Yet at each level, they won, thanks to hard work, thick skin, legal brilliance and coordination. We all owe a great deal to the courage and dedication of Dan Foley, the attorney in Hawaii who continues to champion the case, co-counsel Even Wolfson from the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the leaders of the Marriage Project Hawaii and many others in the wonderful Aloha State whose faith is an inspiration.
The Human Rights Campaign is committed to the fight for equal marriage rights. As a graduate of the University of Hawaii, I feel a personal commitment not only to the issue but to the magnificent state from which it emanates. Through at least five major waves of immigration and other struggles, Hawaii has a rich history of fairness and nondiscrimination. HRC has purposely not engaged in the court case because it is in very able hands, and because litigation is not part of HRC's mandate. But now that the issue is moving beyond the courts and onto the political ground of Hawaii the value HRC can add has come into focus. We must treat the situation in Hawaii with the same investment and commitment that we applied to defeating the anti-gay ballot initiatives in Maine, Oregon and elsewhere. The skills we honed in those confrontations will be directly applicable to Hawaii, which is why we are poised to conduct cutting-edge polling in Hawaii, and to work one-on-one with those leaders in Hawaii who have brought us to the current crossroads.
HRC recently sent two key staffersNational Field Director Donna Red Wing and Senior Policy Advocate Nancy Buermeyerto Hawaii to meet with the activists on the front lines. The information they brought home is sobering. The issue is moving along several tracks. The state Legislature is working furiously to pass a constitutional amendment, which could go to the people for a vote as early as November 1998. It is not yet clear whether a state constitutional convention will be convened in 1998, a second possible avenue to alter the constitutional provisions on which the remarkable court case is based. The latter approach would not only provide an opportunity to change Hawaii's equal rights amendment but alter other progressive aspects of the state's constitution.
Assuming that the state Supreme Court again affirms the right of same sex couples to marry in Hawaii, our mission is to hold onto that grain. To that end, HRC is planning to conduct much deeper polling and research to determine how to reach the hearts and minds of all Hawaii residents. We know we are correct in out conviction that lesbian and gay Americans deserve equal rights, but how do we convince those who fear we are threatening this sacred institution?
HRC conducted research two years ago to come up with methods to frame our messages around gay marriage. We published a manual based on that polling, which has been used by activists across the country who are warring against anti-gay marriage bills in their state legislatures. And we never wavered in our efforts to defeat the hideous Defense of Marriage Act, knowing full well that it was a carefully engineered election-year ploy.
In the meantime, we have a long way to go to convince our heterosexual fellow citizens that gay marriage is no threat to them, or to the underpinnings of society. Our research shows that if we break marriage down into many of its basic components, most Americans agree that we deserve the same rights and responsibilities~which is a very positive sign. Winning equal marriage rights is a crusade that sprang from the deepest grass roots of our community, and from our shared desire to be full, responsible, valued citizens. Indeed, it is our birthright as Americans and we will, ultimately, claim it.
Elizabeth Birch is executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest lesbian and gay political organization, based in Washington, D.C.
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3/28/97 Issue. Copyright 1997 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved.