My Big Gay Agenda
Steven VanDeLaarschot
Undergraduate/World Politics
Something that we hear of constantly is that gay people have an agenda. I figure it’s high time that I set the record straight and define my own agenda because, being both gay and into politics, I naturally have one.
The first and most important aspect of my agenda is equality. It is something that this nation believes in and has believed in for two centuries. There have been quite a few issues that have shown that theory and practice are not the same, from slavery to women being barred from voting. While those issues have been remedied, there is still one gaping flaw when it comes to the practice of equality and that is the second-class status that we gays have. In only a handful of states could I get married to another man and that marriage would not be respected in the majority of the other states. Obviously equality is a very important issue for someone who is not equal and this naturally inclines me to supporting those who believe in equality for all. It is very confusing to me why any gay people would support the Republican Party when most Republicans work to prevent equal rights for gays and lesbians.
During one of his inaugural speeches, Richard Nixon said “We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another.” That seems like particularly timely advice when considering the endless partisanship we see in politics today. Republicans often seem to be in lockstep when just about any vote comes up, Democrats a little less so, but the problem is there for both parties. If we could have a genuine dialogue where both sides acknowledge that both sides are trying to help the American people, we might be able to get more done and have less venomous politics.
I will admit to liking the idea of Democrats winning often, but think about what has occurred with a mix of Republican and Democratic leaders in office. When Nixon was president the EPA was created and there was a Democratic Congress at the time this was done. When Bill Clinton was president the budget was balanced and we even had a surplus for a short while, Congress was controlled by Republicans at the time. We need to be willing to sit down and talk to each other and listen to each other’s ideas even if we may disagree with them.
What else shall I include in my agenda? Progress and moving forward. That is something I love about Wisconsin, our motto simply is “Forward.” Do you know what progress looks like? A five day workweek, maternity leave, no child labor, women voting, legalization of sodomy (because what we do in bed should not be the government’s business), cell phones, computers, student government. We honestly cannot predict what new inventions will be created in the future and all that, but we should keep moving forward. If we don’t keep moving forward we will get left behind.
Think of it this way: America has huge competitors economically from China and India to Russia and Brazil and everyone else in between. We cannot rely on manufacturing and industry to power our economy alone because labor is much cheaper in China and India and they have many, many more people to do it. They don’t even care about good working conditions, see Apple factories in China where they install nets to catch people as they jump off of buildings to commit suicide because their working conditions are so terrible. Instead of improving their working conditions, they just make it harder for workers to commit suicide.
Our economy can do better than that if we rely on innovation and new technologies. If we focus on green technologies and develop new things in that direction we can grow the economy without having any serious competitors. Our answer to our economic troubles should not be to rebuild an old industrial model, but to lead the way into new models and new technologies. If we don’t lead the way, who will? We need to put more emphasis on research and development to create the amazing new thing of the future.
We also need to remain open to new ideas. There is incredible potential for what humans can do. Scientists in Siberia have bred foxes that are as tame as dogs and can make just as good pets. We have found a way to get ourselves into space and to the moon and look at the most distant galaxies. We cannot move forward if we restrict ourselves to outdated traditions. Clinging to philosophies that say we cannot do X, Y, and Z do not help us if that is all they focus on. The Taliban are an example of this with their fundamentalist beliefs and it did not help the people of Afghanistan.
What else? None of this seems all that controversial right now, I think, although I’m probably a little biased when I say equality is a good thing. In all fairness I will admit that just a few short decades ago I would have been classified as having a mental disorder for being gay, so I like the idea of moving past the idea of being handicapped to a perfectly capable member of society who should be treated just like everyone else. I also like the idea of being treated as if I’m not choosing to be a minority. To flip the argument of choice on its head, I bet all you straight people chose to like the opposite sex. You all chose to be in the majority. Right? I bet its true since we all know gay people like me chose to be a minority, so the natural corollary to that point would be that everyone else chose to be straight.
I also like the idea of respecting women. Women should be paid equally and if they want an abortion, it’s their choice. The thing about choice is what I’ve supported all along. If a woman wants to have an abortion for just about any reason, I think she should be able to get one. Men like me shouldn’t be getting in the way of that. I’ll never know what it’s like to carry a child and give birth and all that, nor do I want to. Pro-choice says it all and I’m not making the choice, I just think women should be allowed to and aside from that it isn’t my business.
This reminds me of the pro-life argument. I disagree with it, but I’d like to provide some food for thought. To be truly consistent with the term pro-life, I feel like one would have to be supportive of good and affordable health care for everyone. Socialized medicine and all that because if you’re pro-life you would want people to live as long and healthy lives as possible. One would also be supportive of good public education that is affordable for everyone. This would help people lead better lives with better jobs, better pay, and more intelligent choices. To be really pro-life, one should be supportive of a person’s health from cradle to grave and not just in the womb. One would also be against the death penalty and for gun control because the former is killing people and the latter gives people easier ways to kill people.
Then there is the pro-family argument. That term as it is used is a lie. Anti-gay is both honest and truthful. If one were really pro-family they would be supportive of all kinds of families regardless of gender and sexual orientation and all that. I want a family, just one composed of me and my husband (whenever I might find one). I don’t need kids, but gay couples should be able to have kids if they want. Pro-family should be about supporting loving families, it shouldn’t be this catchphrase for discrimination against a vulnerable minority.
What else? Education and infrastructure. Not very sexy issues, but very important. We need the best possible education system we can get to prepare future generations for the world. That means supporting teachers and public education, while of course not discriminating against private education (and by keeping Madison in the UW System). We also need good roads and airports and internet and phone lines and all that. It allows for easier movement of goods and ideas. Plus I’m sure none of us like the idea of bridges collapsing while we’re on them.
I am a Student Senator and I try to make UW-Eau Claire a better place for its students in whatever small ways I can. I am a gay man and therefore also a second-class citizen, so I would like to be equal and accepted. I’m not out to corrupt the youth of America or seduce straight men, I just want equality.
Undergraduate/World Politics
Something that we hear of constantly is that gay people have an agenda. I figure it’s high time that I set the record straight and define my own agenda because, being both gay and into politics, I naturally have one.
The first and most important aspect of my agenda is equality. It is something that this nation believes in and has believed in for two centuries. There have been quite a few issues that have shown that theory and practice are not the same, from slavery to women being barred from voting. While those issues have been remedied, there is still one gaping flaw when it comes to the practice of equality and that is the second-class status that we gays have. In only a handful of states could I get married to another man and that marriage would not be respected in the majority of the other states. Obviously equality is a very important issue for someone who is not equal and this naturally inclines me to supporting those who believe in equality for all. It is very confusing to me why any gay people would support the Republican Party when most Republicans work to prevent equal rights for gays and lesbians.
During one of his inaugural speeches, Richard Nixon said “We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another.” That seems like particularly timely advice when considering the endless partisanship we see in politics today. Republicans often seem to be in lockstep when just about any vote comes up, Democrats a little less so, but the problem is there for both parties. If we could have a genuine dialogue where both sides acknowledge that both sides are trying to help the American people, we might be able to get more done and have less venomous politics.
I will admit to liking the idea of Democrats winning often, but think about what has occurred with a mix of Republican and Democratic leaders in office. When Nixon was president the EPA was created and there was a Democratic Congress at the time this was done. When Bill Clinton was president the budget was balanced and we even had a surplus for a short while, Congress was controlled by Republicans at the time. We need to be willing to sit down and talk to each other and listen to each other’s ideas even if we may disagree with them.
What else shall I include in my agenda? Progress and moving forward. That is something I love about Wisconsin, our motto simply is “Forward.” Do you know what progress looks like? A five day workweek, maternity leave, no child labor, women voting, legalization of sodomy (because what we do in bed should not be the government’s business), cell phones, computers, student government. We honestly cannot predict what new inventions will be created in the future and all that, but we should keep moving forward. If we don’t keep moving forward we will get left behind.
Think of it this way: America has huge competitors economically from China and India to Russia and Brazil and everyone else in between. We cannot rely on manufacturing and industry to power our economy alone because labor is much cheaper in China and India and they have many, many more people to do it. They don’t even care about good working conditions, see Apple factories in China where they install nets to catch people as they jump off of buildings to commit suicide because their working conditions are so terrible. Instead of improving their working conditions, they just make it harder for workers to commit suicide.
Our economy can do better than that if we rely on innovation and new technologies. If we focus on green technologies and develop new things in that direction we can grow the economy without having any serious competitors. Our answer to our economic troubles should not be to rebuild an old industrial model, but to lead the way into new models and new technologies. If we don’t lead the way, who will? We need to put more emphasis on research and development to create the amazing new thing of the future.
We also need to remain open to new ideas. There is incredible potential for what humans can do. Scientists in Siberia have bred foxes that are as tame as dogs and can make just as good pets. We have found a way to get ourselves into space and to the moon and look at the most distant galaxies. We cannot move forward if we restrict ourselves to outdated traditions. Clinging to philosophies that say we cannot do X, Y, and Z do not help us if that is all they focus on. The Taliban are an example of this with their fundamentalist beliefs and it did not help the people of Afghanistan.
What else? None of this seems all that controversial right now, I think, although I’m probably a little biased when I say equality is a good thing. In all fairness I will admit that just a few short decades ago I would have been classified as having a mental disorder for being gay, so I like the idea of moving past the idea of being handicapped to a perfectly capable member of society who should be treated just like everyone else. I also like the idea of being treated as if I’m not choosing to be a minority. To flip the argument of choice on its head, I bet all you straight people chose to like the opposite sex. You all chose to be in the majority. Right? I bet its true since we all know gay people like me chose to be a minority, so the natural corollary to that point would be that everyone else chose to be straight.
I also like the idea of respecting women. Women should be paid equally and if they want an abortion, it’s their choice. The thing about choice is what I’ve supported all along. If a woman wants to have an abortion for just about any reason, I think she should be able to get one. Men like me shouldn’t be getting in the way of that. I’ll never know what it’s like to carry a child and give birth and all that, nor do I want to. Pro-choice says it all and I’m not making the choice, I just think women should be allowed to and aside from that it isn’t my business.
This reminds me of the pro-life argument. I disagree with it, but I’d like to provide some food for thought. To be truly consistent with the term pro-life, I feel like one would have to be supportive of good and affordable health care for everyone. Socialized medicine and all that because if you’re pro-life you would want people to live as long and healthy lives as possible. One would also be supportive of good public education that is affordable for everyone. This would help people lead better lives with better jobs, better pay, and more intelligent choices. To be really pro-life, one should be supportive of a person’s health from cradle to grave and not just in the womb. One would also be against the death penalty and for gun control because the former is killing people and the latter gives people easier ways to kill people.
Then there is the pro-family argument. That term as it is used is a lie. Anti-gay is both honest and truthful. If one were really pro-family they would be supportive of all kinds of families regardless of gender and sexual orientation and all that. I want a family, just one composed of me and my husband (whenever I might find one). I don’t need kids, but gay couples should be able to have kids if they want. Pro-family should be about supporting loving families, it shouldn’t be this catchphrase for discrimination against a vulnerable minority.
What else? Education and infrastructure. Not very sexy issues, but very important. We need the best possible education system we can get to prepare future generations for the world. That means supporting teachers and public education, while of course not discriminating against private education (and by keeping Madison in the UW System). We also need good roads and airports and internet and phone lines and all that. It allows for easier movement of goods and ideas. Plus I’m sure none of us like the idea of bridges collapsing while we’re on them.
I am a Student Senator and I try to make UW-Eau Claire a better place for its students in whatever small ways I can. I am a gay man and therefore also a second-class citizen, so I would like to be equal and accepted. I’m not out to corrupt the youth of America or seduce straight men, I just want equality.