Editorial

Gay registry a good start

The landmark vote in Cleveland Heights to create a domestic partner registry is a huge victory for the gay rights movement. While not the first locality to ratify such a provision, Cleveland Heights is the first in Ohio and the first in the nation to pass a nonmarital partner list as the direct result of a petition drive.

This significant difference from other cities such as San Francisco, which also keeps a partner registry, paves the way for citizens in other counties and cities across the country to begin similar lists that, all together, could swing the momentum in the gay rights movement.

The recent successes in the gay rights realm come amid continued intolerance of several other minorities, especially after Sept. 11. The abortion debate has flared up again in recent weeks after Bush signed a bill that outlawed the intact dilation and extraction abortion technique, used during the second and third trimester. The right of free speech has also been called into question by the increased powers the government has been granted in courtrooms and libraries, among other places.

Amid all of this, though, the gay rights movement seems to be gaining momentum, at least, in one small Ohio city. Though the city council in Cleveland Heights voted against the registry, the public showed their support with 51 percent of the vote.

The implications of a small Ohio suburban city believing that gay partner rights are a big enough issue to petition their city to create a registry – and then overriding their unfavorable decision – speaks volumes about how far the movement has come in the last decades.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s order that banned gay men and women from federal jobs in 1953 took two decades to dissolve. Riots in the late 1960s and continued organizing during the following years forced states to begin decriminalizing homosexuality and propping up anti-discrimination laws to include gays. The 1990s brought the subsquent loosening of the military policy through the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which, unfortunately, did not provide the real protections that many gays needed to feel comfortable serving.

In the past year, the Supreme Court’s ruling that Texas’ sodomy law was unconstitutional, allowed gays protection in their private lives. The recent Anglican Church’s appointment of Gene Robinson, its first openly gay bishop, points to a new acceptance of gays in high, religious posts.

The U has made efforts to increase their presence on campus this semester, after changing their name from the more traditional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Union. The Multicultural Resource Center continues to provide services to queer and transgendered people on campus, as well as the Edmonia Lewis Center, the great accomplishment of the late Rachel Beverly.

In light of the recent national trends that have pointed to the increasing acceptance of LGBT lifestyles, Oberlin should celebrate the fact that, in the midst of one of the grimest moments regarding Americans’ fundamental freedoms, one marginalized people are continuing to be heard and accepted in mainstream culture more and more.

While many couples who arrive on the doorstep of Cleveland Heights City Hall may not be concerned with the significance of their city’s initiative, the fact is that their small suburb has started the ball rolling toward a fundamental change in the way homosexuality is viewed and dealt with in the United States.

To keep the momentum going, it will take more than the recognition of same-sex relationships. Canada has already paved the way by allowing gay marriages, much to the chagrin of conservatives and many American politicians.

Extending rights to gay people necessitates open dialogue and the continuous efforts from communities like Cleveland Heights. The United States must continue to devote its attention toward the burgeoning gay rights movement.

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board—the Editor in Chief and Commentary Editor—and do not necessarily reflect the view of the staff of the Review.

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