Capitol Hill Blue Forums We shall overcome

I think Obama is just following the instincts that got him elected. I read a story on Slate that explains how PE Obama tapped into people's emotional responses:
Obama in your Heart

The key to influencing people is not so much what you said, but rather how you made them feel. Nobody will remember Warren's prayer during the inauguration, but plenty of Evangelical Christians will remember how it made them feel to see one of their own up there with President Obama. I think we will see Obama's approval rating jump because many E.C.s will stop fearing him.

But now let's segue back onto the thread topic: I think that inducing these same types of feelings will be the key to acceptance of same-sex marriage. It may be lot's of fun to march in a parade with groups of guy's wearing jock straps or leather chaps, with a giant penis float. (And I have nothing aginst celibrating your sexual identity!) But scenes of those events on TV only induce fear in the hearts of Gay Marriage opponents.

If instead LGBT people (and their friends to a lesser extent) can reach out to those who fear them, and help them see that "they are just like me", and deserving of all of life's joys, then we might get somewhere. This approach has certainly worked for some politicians who have reversed their positions after learning that a loved one is gay or lesbian.

I know it's difficult to reach out to your enemies, but that's the only way to turn them into friends.

...for many of us gays, we have no desire to be seen as "just like you" and that is the real test of America's commitment to equality. Can we let people be different and still accept them as equals.

California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown’s decision to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage has been widely hailed as a victory in the fight for gay rights.

But far less attention has been paid to Brown’s lengthy written rejection of some of the principal legal theories put forth by gay marriage advocates in their bid to roll back Proposition 8. In his brief filed on Friday, Brown said he believed a ban on same-sex marriage undermined fundamental liberties enshrined in California’s Constitution.

But the larger chunk of his 111-page legal filing was devoted to shooting down a more technical legal argument used by gay marriage supporters. Brown said attorneys challenging the measure had “failed” to prove their point that the ballot measure offers such a major revision to the state Constitution that it cannot be enacted by a voter-approved initiative alone.

Brown’s decision to throw the weight of his office behind gay marriage has sparked debate over whether his arguments will actually do more harm than good for those hoping to overturn the initiative. Some opponents of gay marriage say they are relieved that Brown, who personally supports gay marriage, did an about-face and will not be offering a half-hearted defense of the initiative before the Supreme Court. At the same time, they say, Brown’s legal position helps undermine a key claim that voters alone cannot decide an issue that makes such a major change to the state’s Constitution.

“That’s game, set and match,” said John C. Eastman, a director of the conservative Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Claremont Institute, who plans to file a brief supporting the ballot measure. “I think he has greatly bolstered the arguments of the Prop. 8 folks.”

Other experts, however, say Brown has carefully forged a novel legal path that the state’s highest court could follow to overturn the initiative. That could be particularly important if the justices reject the other arguments offered by opponents of the measure. “Strategically, I think it’s a clever move,” said Jesse H. Choper, a professor of law at UC Berkeley.

“It gives the California Supreme Court another way to invalidate Prop. 8.” Immediately after the Nov. 4 election, Brown pledged to defend the initiative, saying he believed it was a properly approved amendment to the Constitution.

But now let's segue back onto the thread topic: I think that inducing these same types of feelings will be the key to acceptance of same-sex marriage. It may be lot's of fun to march in a parade with groups of guy's wearing jock straps or leather chaps, with a giant penis float. (And I have nothing aginst celibrating your sexual identity!) But scenes of those events on TV only induce fear in the hearts of Gay Marriage opponents.

If instead LGBT people (and their friends to a lesser extent) can reach out to those who fear them, and help them see that "they are just like me", and deserving of all of life's joys, then we might get somewhere.

I really enjoy the open display of exotic, rude and sexually explicit behavior. I like to always be expanding your horizons rather than conform to them.