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Outright Blog Observes Awkward "Moment of Silence" to Honor Equality Week

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Published on Friday, 29 March 2013 17:33

Written by Mike Shipley

In a delightful bit of political spin, we have decided to frame our silence during this very important week in LGBT history as a respectful "moment of silence" while a very serious issue is deliberated before the court. And it's just as well, the alternative and mainstream medias alike have been in an uproar of commentary and typically shallow debate.

One thing that makes this difficult as libertarians to address is the conflict between our egalitarian values, and how we emphasize keeping government OUT of private relationships in order to achieve this. The problem is not limited to the marriage debate, but particularly noticeable at times like these.

The statist parties have obviously done an incredibly good job of casting the issue as a one-sided, pro-state argument, posing as a "left vs. right" conflict over how much government is the right amount. Enter the libertarian with the so-called extremist, radical viewpoint and you have a recipe for dumbfounded looks of confusion.

While we may get an intellectual sort of thrill from the superiority of knowing that we "get it" ... there is such a greater joy that comes from helping others "get it" too. It was great to see the show of support with the icons on Facebook this week, but it was also frustrating to see that outside of liberty activist cirlces, there was no discussion of the proper role of government.

Amidst the confusion, Outright was able to isolate a few sources who commented succinctly thereupon. Cato At Liberty had an interesting take on the issue, as did Jose Conseco as reported on the DListed blog. If Outright had made a public statement, it may have looked a lot like this press release from the Libertarian Party of Virgina:

Chuck Moulton, LPVA chairman, exclaims "The Libertarian Party already demanded marriage equality in its platform 30 years ago - while the big debate in this country was over gay imprisonment! In contrast the Democratic Party only added a marriage equality plank in 2012."

As state chapters of Outright continue to organize, we look forward to seeing how local LGBT liberty activists are able to make our voices heard in the wake of what we hope to be a favorable decision by the Supreme Court. The gay liberation movement has come a long way; equal justice under law for marriage licenses is an idea whose time has come.