What's The Big Deal?

by Chris Bodenner
Confronting the tension over gay marriage between two loyal Dem constituencies, blacks and gays, Atlantic contributors/Californians Caitlin Flanagan and Ben Schwartz write:

“This is our moment,” the president-elect has told us, stirringly. This is our time to stand shoulder to shoulder, the hipsters of Washington Square and the minivan moms of Minnetonka. Our nation is seeing huge numbers of its citizens slide into actual and virtually intractable, if we keep hold of President Bush’s policies poverty. We can stand together on these big issues, or we can balkanize ourselves with the help of good old-fashioned identity politics, which didn’t serve too well the last time around.

Savage seethes:

For many of usObama supporters, just as concerned about the economy as anyone elsemarriage equality is one of the "big issues." Sorry.

And, sorry, but we're going to keep pressing for our full civil rights. That many straight African Americans object to same-sex marriage not just for religion reasons, but also because "many blacks feel a significant aversion to homosexuality itself" is, um, a very interesting observation, but I don't see how you get from that assertion to your strongly implied, although never explicitly stated, advice for gay and lesbian Americans: STFU, give this marriage equality thing a rest, so that we can "regain... lost ground," and focus on the "big issues," the important stuff, the stuff that matterslike our 401Ks.

The exact same advice could be given to liberal and progressive homophobeswhatever their ages, races, or religious beliefswho voted for Obama and against the rights of same-sex couples: Give your "significant aversion to homosexuality" a rest and focus on the "big issues."

I'm with Dan.  Antagonizing evangelicals with two Josephs and two Marys is identity politics.  Demanding equal rights and recognition for all loving couples is not.