American Foundation for Equal Rights

Audrey Bilger: Why Straight People Should Be Following the Prop. 8 Federal Trial

Straight people who support same-sex marriage rights frequently identify themselves as “allies.” Many mention gay friends, family members, and acquaintances on whose behalf they advocate and say things like, “This doesn’t really affect me personally” and, “This isn’t really my cause.” “But I support you.”

I get this all the time from acquaintances, who commiserated with my wife and me over the passage of Proposition 8, California’s gay marriage ban, and who express sympathy over other setbacks to marriage equality around the country. As grateful as I am for support and allegiance — and for the hard work of those who promote gay rights as part of a broader program of social justice — I worry that my straight friends may be missing the big picture and that if we don’t collectively pay attention, we could all suffer in the end. The marriage equality debate is not just about gays and lesbians; it’s about the freedom of everyone to set the terms of their own life.

Read the rest of Audrey Bilger’s Huffington Post article here.