The LGBT movement nationwide eagerly awaits a decision any day now from the California Supreme Court on Proposition 8, the controversial gay marriage ban passed by voters in November. Yet the movement and the broader LGBT community is still working to address the fallout from the fall election, when mainstream, mostly white LGBT activists laid the blame for Prop 8’s victory at the door of communities of color. Journalist Kai Wright writes in his recent article “A Fragile Union”: “A stubborn reality persists about gay life—and thus gay politics—40 years into the movement for sexual freedom: Once the marching and the chanting is done, the multihued cry against a universally felt oppression usually breaks down into deeply segregated, often opposing parts, along race lines.  In conversation with Damon Azali-Rojas.

Discussion Topics: 

00:51: What accounted for the passing of Proposition 8? How does the Proposition's passing redefine the roles and responsibilities of the LGBTQ community in its aftermath?

6:09: Why is there an absence of an active dialogue about race in the mainstream queer rights movement? What can be said about this absence's impact on the outcome of the struggle to defeat Proposition 8 and the broader movement for queer rights?

17:03: What strategies have progressive LGBTQ activists employed in reaching out to the conservative wing of the Black Church in order to push back some of the conservative backlash to the queer rights movements?

19:15: What hope does the upcoming California Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8 provide for the queer rights struggle and how does this outlook shape the next steps activists and organizations need to commit in order to move this struggle forward?