GOP jumped the "gay" shark. - Democratic Underground

LeftHander

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Mon Jun-05-06 10:48 AM
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GOP jumped the "gay" shark.

Washington Out of Step on Marriage Ban

(WARNING: I am going say something positive about corporate America...)

For decades corporate America has been evolving and in doing so it has changed our culture. As with all things, the influence corporations have had on America is both positive and negative. This essay is going to focus on the positive aspect of that corporate influence, specifically in the area of corporate diversity. For the most part the essay will be based on fact that most companies are making the workplace a friendly, open and welcoming environment for all people. Many have made great strides and there is still constant effort being made in this area. The spectre of racism, bigotry and hate are ever present in our society and without safeguards to keep it in check it will raise it's head and damage our society, culture and business. In general the trend is positive and corporations are not making rules to close doors or openly force employees into one bucket or another based on race, creed or sexual orientation, it is a true reflection of humanities ability to live and work in harmony.

Companies in recent years have openly embraced the GLBT community as a viable market segment, recognizing that many employees are gay and in relationships, they openly advertise to the GLBT communities and sponsor highly visible events like Pride Fest in Milwaukee coming up June 9th-11th. Many leading Milwaukee and Wisconsin corporations are sponsors for this popular event.

A few searches on the internet reveals a wealth of information on how companies have made their cultures welcoming beyond mere tolerance but ones that openly celebrate diversity. One can quickly find lists of companies that hold diversity and fairness in the workplace as a major factor influencing the corporate culture. Corporations have made genuine efforts to treat all people fairly and equally. (Note: obvious exceptions exist like some CEO compensation...but in general most corporations try to foster respect, fairness and equality in the workplace. In almost all of the places I have worked, racism, harassment and bigoted behavior is not tolerated.)

It is an appropriate time to compare the private sector with the action of lawmakers in Washington as they begin to debate a controversial same sex marriage ban amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment defines marriage to being of a one man and one woman and will effectively eliminate public recognition of same sex unions. It appears at first glance to be a fairly simple issue. But under the surface it opens the door for much chaos in society and is akin to state sponsored oppression.

This year there is a state constitutional amendment on the ballot in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin language recognizes marriage as between one woman and one man and it goes further to prevent any same sex or heterosexual union that is legally equal to marriage. Common law partnerships and civil unions would be banned. With many public bodies like the University system in Wisconsin offering domestic partnership benefits to same sex couples it makes one wonder what effect such an amendment would have on these policies.

Many believe the amendment being brought to the floor by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R) is purely political and designed to further divide and America in a mid-term election year and drive conservative voters to the polls but the result will be to vote for discrimination and set the stage to rollback diversity gains made by minorities out of fear from the conservative right. Clearly these marriage protection proposals are shortsighted and do not really seem to be in step with the direction our society is heading.

The first question that comes to mind is how would a proposal such as the kind being pushed by conservatives in Washington play in corporate America? For the vast majority of corporations in America the answer is, not very well. For decades corporate America has learned the hard lessons of what can happen when racism and hate go unchecked in a work environment. The results were expensive as lawsuits were brought to bear and those unjustly treated were awarded large sums or rulings forced the corporations to change hiring and management practices to eliminate harrasment and discrimination based on race, creed and sexual orientation. The public sector has also opened doors with programs forcing employers to diversify its workforce and offer opportunities to minorities who would otherwise have been passed by. Affirmative action has been under attack of late by the same conservative forces that seek to close other doors and that debate is beyond the scope of this article. But it must be said that in the past affirmative action was one of the tools that drove corporations to adopt diversity programs and policies.

When diversity in the corporation matures a company extends benefits policies to include benefits to partners of employees in a same sex domestic relationship. Clearly this trend is directly at odds with the current, radically conservative political climate in America. Another question that begs to be asked is what kind of corporate support for marriage amendments is there and also support for the politicians that are advancing such divisive policies? Does a corporation support the open discrimination of it's own employees by conservative fundamentalists by continuing to fund campaigns? Is it wise to believe that the marriage bans are innocuous and do not effect the real policy lobbying efforts by corporation in Washington?

With the corporation in the drivers seat in American politics it is unclear how such a divisive issue as marriage bans will play. How will corporate donations to conservative political parties and candidates be effected when the very policies politicians are promoting seek to divide society and will ultimately harm the ability of the corporation to effectively do business? When a government openly discriminates against one group of people it damages the fabric of society and disrupts business and increases conflict in interpersonal communication vital to the success of any business entity.

So how will corporate America stand? Will they stand behind the policies they have made to make America the most welcoming and open of societies or will they fold to a small number of professional politicians who are more keen on pandering to the fanatically religious base in some ideological fantasy quest for a American Christian utopia?

So in essence conservative lawmakers are setting the stage to bite the hand that feeds them. The religious right may provide unflinching support when pandered to but the vast funnel of money for campaigns, junkets and other congressional perks comes from corporate America and that entity is rapidly taking a more open and welcoming stance to GLBT people and in particular, same sex couples.

Is corporate America prepared to roll back the clock with Bill Frist, George W. Bush and the religious right? What is next? Corporate mandatory prayer? Native citizens first?

Is corporate America prepared to deal with the lawsuits that will grow for harassment as America openly proposes a discrimination based amendment and as the rhetoric around gay marriage grows? Just who is creating division? Who is creating barriers? Who is going to support politicians that foster division and oppression? We need to ask our corporate world these questions. Many of the people who attend fundamentalist churches work in corporations and I am sure they have policies the do not tolerate discrimination. The money they earn as employees funds the churches that have pushed for this bad legislation. We are all part of American corporate culture it's diversity and welcoming workplaces are good for business and if it is good for business is good America.(as many conservatives point out)

The culture of corporate greed and personal excess is under scrutiny and has been shown in the case of Enron to not be tolerated. (Even Enron had extensive diversity policies and was considered a great place to work.) With Enron and it's crooked leaders convicted the policies of diversity, openness, honesty and fairness will prevail again in American corporate culture. The gay marriage ban and other extreme Republican neo-conservative policies are not in step with our business culture. Even Coors, long considered a conservative corporation provides domestic partnership benefits to employees. Will Coors continue to support policies that will undermine a harmonious workforce and potentially damage profits? If they support the gay marriage ban and it passes that would lead one to conclude that an employer is no longer required to provide benefits for domestic partnerships because they are not recognized as valid and thus there is no responsibility for some employer to provide these benefits. But who would want to work for such a place?

Will Bill Frist and the rest of congress seek to deny congressional pension benefits to Barney Frank or Tammy Baldwin's domestic partners?

To deny a couple the right to legally marry also carries the ability to deny benefits of any kind because the partnership is not "recognized". This is how out of step with America these marriage protection amendments are and why they will result in a backlash.

Watch the corporate donations for the hardline GOP dry up this year. It is a backlash the narrow focused politicians cannot see coming. The GOP is playing the "gay" card and they have played it poorly. America will respond and do what we ultimately always do...choose the side of fairness and liberty of oppression.

Right now, decision makers at the top of America's corporations should be looking into taking a stance because this issue ultimately will effect how we wish to treat one another and that becomes part of corporate policies and that is part of the fabric of our society. Just who is weaving this fabric? The Religious right and a few self-serving powerful politicians or the collective direction our society is taking?

Supporting marriage bans for same sex couple is to support denying benefits to domestic partnerships and to openly discriminate.

The GOP just jumped the shark...and it was a gay shark.