Our commitment, as a nation, to protect the civil rights of all people affected by our policies is a sacred one. It defines us as a people. We have often fallen short, and we have just as often redeemed ourselves with impressive reforms. We believe ourselves to be a world leader, a shining example to humanity. It is incumbent upon us to live up to that self image.
The most pressing civil rights issue facing us today, I believe, is the issue of gay rights. It is time for us all to support, without equivocation, complete equality under the law for gays and lesbians, such that all committed couples, regardless of sexual orientation, can enjoy the same benefits and rights, and such that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is treated as the civil rights violation that it is. We Coloradans believe in personal liberty: What more fundamental liberty is there than the liberty simply to be who you are without penalty? Let’s put an end to this enduring bastion of bigotry.
Having said that, we cannot afford to be complacent about the enduring prejudices that have plagued American society throughout its history. Racism still exists, and remains the same odious social disease that it has always been. Not only do we still witness viceral reactions based on racial identity, but, more insidiously, we still bear the burden of the legacy of history, a subtle form of institutional discrimination whereby those whose ancestors had diminished opportunities are themselves born into a context of diminished opportunities. But this latter problem is best addressed by addressing the primary vehicles of those diminished opportunities (poverty, and a lack of commitment to investing in all of our children), rather than the historically determined racial disparity in the distribution of opportunities.
Our challenges do not stop there. We must strive to improve our record of tolerance, and to improve our commitment to the rights of all people. In our criminal justice system, for instance, there is a need for reforms that would both increase the rate of conviction of those guilty of crimes, and descrease the rate of wrongful conviction of those innocent of the crimes for which they’ve been accused. We need to implement strict policies regarding the preservation of DNA evidence, and make an effort to address some of the known factors that contribute to wrongful convictions. And we need to move away from the failed policies of mandatory sentencing and criminalization of non-predatory behaviors.
Finally, we must be vigilant in protecting the civil rights of all Americans, in all contexts. We must steer clear of racial profiling, and the false trade of liberty for security. The key component in all of these aspects of the challenge of preserving civil rights is the error of thinking in terms of “in-groups” and “out-groups.” It’s time to recognize that we are all human beings, first and foremost, far more similar than we are different; no group has a corner on the market of either good or evil, and we should recognize that the crimes of individuals belong to them individually or organizationally, and not to any racial, ethnic, or gender group with which we identify them.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It’s one of Dr. King’s most well-known quotes, but it resonates with me because I was raised with a strong sense of justice, and the belief that it must be applied to everyone equally.
One of my best friends is gay, and recently became a mother when her wife gave birth to their son last week. My friend now has to file for adoption of her own child. Why? Because the State won’t recognize their relationship. How do you combat institutional intolerance?
It’s a reminder of something simple and obvious, but opaque to those who think arbitrarily: Our laws should protect and facilitate our liberty, and constrain us only in ways necessary to protect and facilitate the liberty of others (including the liberty to breathe clean air and drink clean water, for instance). It’s ironic that those who shout “liberty!” loudest often respect it least, both by opposing laws necessary to its protecton, and supporting laws not only unnecessary to its protection, but serving only to deny liberty to others.
Good to see you here, David! Welcome aboard!