Talk:Gay Rights National Lobby

Statement of early successful lobbying does not stand close scrutiny

A statement reads "Among its campaigns alongside the NGLTF was the successful campaign against the "Family Protection Act", a proposed legislation against gay people promoted by the Reagan administration in 1981-82.[3]" The cite is from cornell.edu and is hard to argue by itself.

However, looking up the Family Protection Act online seems to indicate that the proposed legislation was considered anti-women (anti-Title something) by liberals and Democrats (who ran Congress). It never exited the Senate committee. So it never had much of a history to start with.

1981 was a long time ago, gay-wise. 33 years. People born in 1900 and 1910 were still around and voting in quantity. Attitude towards gays was toleration: no beating them up in bars (but no "hate legislation" either. That came later). As indicated by the statement about Bauman being defeated, being gay was not considered an attribute. When the Equal Rights (US Constitutional) Amendment people were accused of having a pro-gay agenda in their wording, they denied it. But it was scuttled anyway.

I doubt that this lobby was much help in pigeonholing the FPA. They were more likely considered a curse by the left and woman's group. Not exactly like being supported by the Nazis or Communists but not exactly welcomed either. I think it should be removed and replaced with something more substantial. I think it is a strain to consider this proposed legislation much of an "early success." Maybe "rallying point" for gays, but needs rewording for that.

The alternative is to explain that the FPA was not primarily considered primarily anti-gay by most people. That would distract from this article. Student7 (talk) 21:23, 2 November 2014 (UTC)