The wingnuts of the Republican Party, this time in Texas, have done it again.
Their latest, as endorsed in the state’s GOP Party platform, is to make it a felony to issue a marriage license to gays and lesbians to marry and to re-criminalize sodomy, a law that was found to be unconstitutional in the Lawrence vs. Texas case decided by the Supreme Court in 2003. For those of you not following constitutional laws or civil rights, this case found that there was a right to privacy that guaranteed gays and lesbians the same rights to private sexual intimacy as that held by the majority straight community (see Lambda Legal Defense for more information on the history of this law). Prior to the demise of this 143 year old law, gays in Texas could be jailed, for 5 – 15 years for the same act of sodomy, that was freely committed by their straight brethren in the privacy of their own homes.
It looks like the TX GOP wants the Government back in your bedroom, between your sheets, between your legs and between your cheeks!
With all their talk about individual rights, the GOP seems to feel that these rights are only to be bestowed on the Christian, white, patriarchal, “traditional” members of their ever declining religious right constituency.
I’d argue, that you need to denounce this latest GOP intrusion on individual rights, if you have more than:
half a brain …
half a heart …
half a bit of sexual understanding …
half a bit of sexual experience of your own…
half an understanding of the law …
half a degree of sophistication …
half a bit of non-hypocrisy …
and half a connection to your very own gay brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, children, politicians, mayors, teachers, police officers, military, entertainers, ministers, etc.
Here’s the “well thought out” passage of their platform that I’m referring to:
Marriage Licenses – We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such.
Texas Sodomy Statutes – We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.
Here’s a the clip from the platform reflecting their position:
TX GOP Platform - TX GOP Platform
What should you do about this?
If you support keeping the government out of your bedroom, sexual equality or GLBT causes, here are some recommendations:
- Ask GOP (and right leaning Blue Dog Democratic) candidates serving or running for positions in your district, state or other legislative body for their position on this issue and demand that they repudiate and distance themselves from this draconian, reactionary, antiquated and regressive GOP platform in Texas.
(How about it Mr Neumann, Mr. Walker, Mr Ryan, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Johnson, et. al. where are you on this antiquated platform?) - Don’t even consider the GOP as having any legitimacy as a party to represent the rights of all Americans.
- If you’re Gay, Lesbian, Bi or Transexual, get over any legitimacy that the GOP might have in representing your economic or other parochial interests and terminate your membership and affiliation with the GOP, while renouncing the Gay Republican agenda as presented by the Log Cabin Republicans or the even more conservative and odious GOProud.
- Consider boycotting any travel, meetings, etc. in GOP Governor Rick Perry’s Texas until they reverse themselves on this platform.
- Let the Texas State GOP know what you think of this ludicrous platform.
- Continue to fight for the rights of all to liberty and happiness.
- Keep the government out of your home when it comes to consensual sexual relations between two adults, regardless of the American Taliban’s morality police efforts to intrude on your rights.
Update
I wrote to the Texas GOP through the comment section of their website to complain about their party platform. The auto-response that I received, displayed an arrogance on their part that is reinforced by their platform. The auto-response assumed that one would only comment to the Texas GOP with positive accolades and that you’d be ready to contribute right away. This isn’t the way to do engagement marketing, but obviously they aren’t used to getting complaints and aren’t sophisticated enough to have a human editor respond to comments.
If that’s how they feel the TX GOP should use their money to build a time machine. I might make a donation, it sounds like a win-win.
The TX GOP is living in a different era. I didn’t even go into their positions on Hispanics and immigrants… this in a state where this demographic group will soon be a minority majority.
Their platform also denies the successes and existence of elected Gay & Lesbian office holders in the state of Texas including out Houston, TX Lesbian Mayor Annise Parker and out Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.
Does their crazy platform say that these accomplished women and the thousands of other contributing gays and lesbians in the state of Texas should be denied basic rights? Will Lupe need to arrest herself once the platform is adopted?
If the GoP at large doesn’t condemn this add this to another reason why I won’t vote Republican ever.
Unhidden malicious bigotry and a disturbing wish for the absolute control of private lives is what we have going on here. Remind me again why the far right nut jobs think the Democrats want to take away freedom? I guess it only matters to them if it personally affects them, and they have no problems supporting outright EVIL people like this?
Thanks for the comment. I find it amazing that this was placed on the TX GOP platform. It reflect an out of touch perspective on the world, that coupled with their lack of policy ideas should be enough to make anyone forswear the party until they move back into the mainstream of America.
I probably went too far in saying “evil.” Severely misguided and mean would be more accurate.
Well not to defend them regarding the update, but I remember getting annoyed by emails like that when I signed up for Democratic newsletters and such too. I guess a newsletter isn’t the same as an auto-response though.