Gay Rights

I hope you will join me and thousands of other people today to either participate in or watch Oklahoma City’s annual Gay Pride Parade.

The parade starts at 6 p.m. at N.W. 36th Street and Classen Boulevard, goes north, then turns west on N.W. 39th Street before it ends just west of Penn Avenue. In a change this year, all the events of the related festival will be held in the N.W. 39th Street and Penn Avenue area.

Anyone who has attended the Gay Pride celebration over the years here knows just how much it has grown, which represents the growing acceptance of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) community.

But there’s still much to be done here in Oklahoma. Many of our political leaders here—state Rep. Sally Kern, for example—continue to promote intolerance of the gay community to provoke fear. Gay people still face discrimination and even violence for who they are.

On a happier note, the huge celebration this weekend of our thriving gay community and of diversity in general projects a different image of Oklahoma than most people have about our state.

Also, the decision by the New York State Senate Friday to legalize same-sex marriage is a major victory for gay rights everywhere in this country and this should energize the crowd.

Let’s celebrate!

It seems clear by now that a growing number of people believe the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in regards to sexual orientation denies people equal rights and should be abolished.

Under DADT, gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers can serve in the military as long as they don’t reveal their sexual orientation. It bars openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people from service.

DADT, implemented in 1993, has been controversial since its inception. Some advocates saw it as a first step to full inclusion for gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the military while others thought the policy simply legalized institutional discrimination. In any event, 17 years later the policy seems ridiculously archaic and even psychologically abusive. Sexual orientation should not be a factor in determining whether someone can join the military.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a DADT repeal bill, but it’s been stalled in the Senate.

Oklahoma’s own U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s extreme opposition to the issue is what repeal advocates face in trying to get the Senate to act. In September, according to one site, Inhofe said this at the Value Voters Summit about gays people serving in the military:

I do not have to tell you the problems that would happen if you have an open gay situation there that allows people to use the military as a forum for their liberal agenda . . . if you vote yes, you are voting for open gay activity in the military, and you are voting for abortions in our hospitals.

But Inhofe’s skewed views are not shared by a majority of the American people. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean recently sent out an email message from Democracy For America that talked about recent developments in trying to end the discrimination. Dean writes:

Earlier this year we seemed to be making progress. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen testified before Congress in support of repealing the ban. Then in September, after repeal passed in the House of Representatives, Republicans in the Senate killed it. They saw this as a chance to play politics with the civil rights of American men and women just before the midterm election. It was disgusting.

This is not a tough one. In poll after poll -- two more released just last week -- a clear majority of Americans have said they think Don't Ask Don't Tell should be repealed. More than 70 percent of active duty and reserve troops have said that the effect of repealing the policy would be "positive, mixed or nonexistent".

The American people know repealing the ban is the right thing to do because requiring someone to lie about who they are, in order to serve their country goes against our values. As General Mullen said during his testimony before Congress, "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is the right thing to do. It is a matter of integrity."

Here’s a site that will help you contact Senators about repealing DADT.

The Oklahoma City LGBT Pride Parade starts at 6 p.m. today near Memorial Park at NW 36th St. and Classen. The parade goes down Classen to 39th St. and then ends near The Strip at Penn.

This year’s parade will honor the late Paul Thompson, a civic leader who helped organize the first Oklahoma City Gay Pride Parade.

A related festival, featuring music, food and gift booths, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Park. Other events will be held at The Strip before the parade begins.

The LGBT Parade, which has grown substantially over the years, attracts a diverse crowd of participants and spectators, and it’s always a lot of fun.