Just days after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision let stand a federal court decision striking down Prop 8, many same sex couples in California are filing for marriage licenses and performing wedding ceremonies. In San Francisco alone, over 563 marriage licenses were processed over Pride weekend.
The decision on Prop 8 and the finding of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court represent a victory for the movement for lesbian, gay, bi and transgender liberation. Nonetheless, marriage equality for all same-sex couples in the United States has not yet been achieved. Further struggle in the streets and in the courts will be required before the civil right of marriage is available to all in the United States.
Why has it been important to fight for marriage equality? The ability to be married under the law validates same-sex long-term relationships as being just as important as heterosexual marriages. In addition, legal marriage provides countless protections for same-sex families, including hospital visitation, parental rights, inheritance and spousal coverage for employer-provided health insurance and other benefits.
Marriage equality is not the end of the road for LGBT equality in the U.S. It is only one of many milestones on the road to full liberation for the LGBT community. Only 21 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, while 17 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression. This means that it is legal to discriminate against LGBT people in a majority of states. Because of discrimination, many LGBT people, especially youth and people of color, face economic hardship that cannot be remedied by the right to marry.
The state of LGBT youth and workers
The National Coalition for the Homeless reported in 2009 that:
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Of homeless youth, 20 percent are LGBT. In comparison, the general youth population is only 10 percent LGBT.
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While homeless youth typically experience severe family conflict as the primary reason for their homelessness, LGBT youth are twice as likely to experience sexual abuse before the age of 12.
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LGBT youth, once homeless, are at higher risk for victimization, mental health problems, and unsafe sexual practices; 58.7 percent of LGBT homeless youth have been sexually victimized compared to 33.4 percent of heterosexual homeless youth.
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LGBT youth are roughly 7.4 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence than heterosexual homeless youth.
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LGBT homeless youth commit suicide at higher rates (62 percent) than heterosexual homeless youth (29 percent).
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American Center for Progress reports that 97 percent of transgender men and women are discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender identity and gender expression.
These statistics are indicative of the suffering that capitalism causes LGBT workers.
How can we achieve full liberation?
While marriage equality is a step in the right direction, it is but the first of many steps. What we need is a system where health care is free to all, where it is completely unacceptable and unheard of for a worker to be denied employment, let alone discriminated against, in their workplace, where all people are truly equally and united. The solution is socialism.
The benefits of socialism for the LGBT community can be seen in Cuba. Even though it is a poor country, dealing with the consequences of decades of economic embargo by the United States, Cuba provides free sexual reassignment surgery to transgender persons, and quality health care is a right for all. Cuba, unlike the U.S., has a national government agency (CENESEX, or Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual) dedicated strictly to sexuality, LGBT issues and sexual education.
How can we achieve full liberation? Let’s organize and struggle; together we can win.
