Gay community fears new era of intolerance [View All]

[kskiska]

Equality campaigners are in despair at the rise of the homophobic right


In the bars and cafes of Dupont Circle, the centre of Washington DC's gay scene, the mood is funereal. The American gay community, already reeling from a 'broad and widespread assault' under a Bush presidency, now feels under siege from the country itself.

A week before polling day Washington hosted its annual High Heels Race, a sprint by drag queens that drew large and noisy crowds, both gay and straight. It was a moment of celebration, alive with the optimistic anticipation of a Kerry victory. This weekend, after 11 states voted strongly against gay marriage and civil unions and elected Republicans who had run 'gay-baiting' campaigns, gay advocates are talking about their worst crisis since the Reagan administration or even the Stonewall riots of 1969.

Some are talking about leaving America for good. Performance artist Tim Miller fought a high-profile funding battle with the National Endowment for the Arts that went to the Supreme Court. After travelling to Britain tomorrow for a series of shows, he says he may not return. The Californian, like thousands of gay Americans, is caught in a double bind: he is in a country he feels is rejecting him, and in a relationship with a partner who the authorities will not allow to live in America without the protection of marriage or civil union, which it is not prepared to give. 'My partner has a UK passport,' said Miller. 'We are never sure whether he can stay. What little political hope we had for change has been wiped out. On Monday there were limits on Bush's power. On Tuesday night we had to have a serious conversation about whether we wanted to carry on struggling and feeling like third-class citizens.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,12592,1345502,00.html