Conservatives: Time To Get Aboard The “Gay Civil Union” Train

Advocating for federal recognition of same-sex unions as distinct but essentially equal in status to marriage would take the issue away from Democrats and likely force Obama into signing such legislation.  It would avoid offending those to whom the term “marriage” connotes a sacred religious covenant. Finally, we would avoid the lengthy, divisive, and unwise (on both practical and political grounds) process of pushing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage.  I realize that among the current crop of Republicans in leadership positions, such “out-of-the-box” thinking is practically non-existent, but this only underscores David Horowitz’s long-held contention that the Republican Party has failed miserably to understand the Art of Political War.

Ann Coulter, to her great credit, evidently realizes the wisdom of reaching out to our gay brothers and sisters, as evidenced by the fact that she will be headlining the “Homocon” event for gay conservatives sponsored by GOProud in NYC next month.  It’s worth noting that Coulter is the first conservative icon to take such a bold step in this direction, and I applaud her for it.  I hope to see others follow her lead.

I would never presume to speak for other gay conservatives, let alone for the gay community at large.  I speak only for myself, as I cannot rationally do otherwise. While I don’t have any particular personal interest in entering a legally-recognized union with a same-sex partner (at least not presently), I recognize that there are millions of gay people in this country that do have such an interest.  As long as the government is involved in sanctioning relationships and granting attendant privileges including visitation and inheritance rights, it makes sense to extend those privileges to same-sex couples as well.  Conservatives would be well-advised to support this idea in a manner consistent with constitutional principles, rather than erect roadblocks at every turn.

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