What happens to the gay rights movement when same-sex marriage is nationwide?

[retromike22]

Let's assume same-sex marriage is legal nationwide (which looks like a certainty at this point). What happens to the gay rights moviement? Does it just go "Mission Accomplished!" and that's it? I mean what is there left to fight for at that point? Of course there will be occassional court cases of injustice and discrimination, but it's hard for me to see anything major after that.

One thing I was thinking of is perhaps taking the movement internationally to areas where being gay is illegal? An analogy of sorts to this was when the African-American civil rights movement pushed for Apartheid to end in South Africa.

[justfollowingtheelections]

The same thing that happened in other countries where SSM became legal

[Joe Republic]

You think SSM is the only thing the the gay rights movement has been fighting for?  How sad.  Especially as a straight man asking this of a gay man.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Antidiscrimination laws maybe.

[retromike22]

You think SSM is the only thing the the gay rights movement has been fighting for?  How sad.  Especially as a straight man asking this of a gay man.

Not the only thing, but the main thing. Other issues could be bullying (but that seems to be more of a general issue) and visibility in the media and culture.

[The Mikado]

ENDA is a major priority. ENDA's implications might be silly in "right to work" states (I can't fire you because you're gay, but I can fire you for no reason at all as long as I am not stupid enough to verbally or in writing say that it's because you're gay), but it's important nonetheless.

[IceSpear]

Yeah, ENDA is very important as well. It's actually fairly ironic that ENDA, which was basically never controversial and always supported by large majorities, is going to come after gay marriage which was intensely controversial and in the past very unpopular.

[pbrower2a]

Getting homosexuality completely in the mainstream. Anti-discrimination measures.

[The_Doctor]

Probably moving onto the transgender fight; transgender people are still seen as gays were seen in 2004. Remember they include transgenders as part of the LGBT movement.

Barring that, probably anti-discrimination measures. Barring that, probably hopefully diffuse and we move to a society where being gay or straight isn't a huge deal or worthy of advocacy groups or whatever. (NB: I am not a fan of identity advocacy groups. They can be useful at times, and have proven pivotal in history - and I applaud that. But just as well, I believe identity advocacy groups can be divisive too). 

[Supersonic]

Antidiscrimination laws maybe.

Yeah, this. Housing/workplace protections etc. alongside hate crime laws.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I hope there's a movement to ban antigay psychiatry ("conversion therapy" or whatever it's called). It's quackery, and several states have already banned it.

And I hope it helps the broader antipsychiatry movement. All psychiatry is quackery, not just conversion therapy.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I hope there's a movement to ban antigay psychiatry ("conversion therapy" or whatever it's called). It's quackery, and several states have already banned it.

And I hope it helps the broader antipsychiatry movement. All psychiatry is quackery, not just conversion therapy.

[ingemann]

Well I would imagine that the gay rights movement goes from being a relative broad movement to becoming a more narrow one, I also imagine that the whole LGBT alliance collapse, when the first three have been somewhat normalised, I would imagine that they will less behind the right of the Transsexuals.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Yeah, ENDA is very important as well. It's actually fairly ironic that ENDA, which was basically never controversial and always supported by large majorities, is going to come after gay marriage which was intensely controversial and in the past very unpopular.

While ENDA has a support of even a majority of Republicans, it is tepid support while the opposition is quite vocal and likely to spend time and money to vote out those who would support it.  That's why when it comes to politics, simply having a majority doesn't already get something done when when those in favor don't make it a priority and those opposed do.

[Mr. Smith]

Media representation for one thing, trying to get it deeper into the sub-conscious.

Beyond Modern Family, how many gay couples raising children, parenting, and otherwise doing normal married people stuff do you really see?

That and other little things to ward off and change what is subconsciously ingrained.

[Flake]

The whole homelessness problem has been ignored by LGBT groups.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

The whole homelessness problem has been ignored by LGBT groups.

It's been ignored by everyone, unfortunately.

[badgate]

Employer Non-Discrimination, hopefully without any of that "religious exemption" bull crap.

[IceSpear]

Yeah, ENDA is very important as well. It's actually fairly ironic that ENDA, which was basically never controversial and always supported by large majorities, is going to come after gay marriage which was intensely controversial and in the past very unpopular.

While ENDA has a support of even a majority of Republicans, it is tepid support while the opposition is quite vocal and likely to spend time and money to vote out those who would support it.  That's why when it comes to politics, simply having a majority doesn't already get something done when when those in favor don't make it a priority and those opposed do.

Maybe that was true back in 2006, but now? I doubt anybody besides the NOM acolytes care at this point.

[user12345]

Employer Non-Discrimination, hopefully without any of that "religious exemption" bull crap.

[checkers]

Another thing would be the removal of "gay panic"/"trans panic" defences from the law - which would tie into the wider struggles for non-discrimination and against hate crimes.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

The whole homelessness problem has been ignored by LGBT groups.

The prevelance of homelessness among LGBT youth is honestly one of the most depressing things I have ever read about. I hear Chicago is a major center for this, and even more disturbing, is this intersects with Chicago's position as like the 2nd largest center for human trafficking in the U.S. (IIRC, San Diego or L.A. is #1).

[pbrower2a]

The whole homelessness problem has been ignored by LGBT groups.

The prevelance of homelessness among LGBT youth is honestly one of the most depressing things I have ever read about. I hear Chicago is a major center for this, and even more disturbing, is this intersects with Chicago's position as like the 2nd largest center for human trafficking in the U.S. (IIRC, San Diego or L.A. is #1).

Maybe that's something I could get involved with with my non-profit experience. Huh.

You are very welcome to this. I am also shocked at the high rate of suicide among homosexual youth. Parental rejection is about as brutal a swipe as there is to the brittle self-esteem of a teenager. LGBT youth are not 'tougher' than straight youth. Homosexuality may not be a parental preference for a son or daughter, but I can imagine far worse -- like alcoholism, drug addiction, or criminality.

[© tweed]

good question.  unlike most historical "civil rights movements" (LGBT activists really believe they are just that), they have plenty of backing from capital and a base of support in the politically active upper-middle class.  LGBT is not and has never been an underclass or working-class movement, and doesn't challenge the rights of capital to create a world in its own image. 

my hunch is that they don't go away or move on to other, more important issues, and instead focus on lobbying for legislation that would further "advance the cause"; perhaps push for soft quotas in hiring and university admissions, making it difficult to terminate the employment of a self-styled LGBT, and perhaps a push for legal recognition of a third, catch-all "non-binary" gender.

[Beet]

Another thing would be the removal of "gay panic"/"trans panic" defences from the law - which would tie into the wider struggles for non-discrimination and against hate crimes.

Yes, this - although is there a list somewhere of cases where this has actually been used successfully?