Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, issued the following statement tonight on the shift in the balance of power in Congress:
“We’ll cut to the chase: The shift in the balance of power will very likely slow advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights legislation in Congress. Does this mean a blockade on LGBT rights? Not if we can help it. Fact is, our community has always had to fight — and fight hard — for equality. This is nothing new to us. But here’s another fact: There are Americans, from every part of the country, from every background, from every political leaning and of every faith, who support equality for LGBT people — and those numbers grow bigger every day.
“No matter what the political breakdown is in Washington, the Task Force will continue to identify and work with all fair-minded members of Congress who are willing to support and defend equality for LGBT people. Through our New Beginning Initiative, we will continue to push for the administration and its agencies to make tangible changes that benefit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and our families — changes that can be done without Congress. We will continue working with local partners in communities across the country to secure equality. Bottom line: While political winds and players may shift, the fundamental needs of the people do not. No matter who is in office, people need jobs, protection from discrimination, a roof over their heads, a way to feed their families, a fair shake. No one should settle for less — we won’t.”
Rea is putting the best spin she can on this. If we couldn’t get things passed with a majority in both houses, how can we do it now? The answer is we can’t. Her allusion to local politics is true, if we are going to make advancements it will come at the local level for now. The GOP will never help us gain equal rights and the Dems apparently are so busy moving to the center that they don’t have time for us. Sad news, but not the end of the world.