Joseph Lawless

 

Recent Posts by Joseph Lawless

  • Millennial Pulse

    "We Celebrated Love": Same Sex Marriage Law Ignites Passion for Equality Nationwide

    Jun 27, 2011Joseph Lawless

    gay-marriage-150Tears, hugs, and joy overflowed as New York City celebrated a new era of equality for gay Americans. And the feeling is contagious.

    gay-marriage-150Tears, hugs, and joy overflowed as New York City celebrated a new era of equality for gay Americans. And the feeling is contagious.

    It was about thirteen months ago that I began religiously to examine all things Proposition 8, the voter-activated referendum that revoked the right of same-sex couples to marry in California (I covered the topic on this blog while working as an intern for the Roosevelt Institute last summer). As the trial progressed, friends and I would follow the ebb and flow of anxiety and potential victory. In August of 2010, Prop 8 was deemed unconstitutional by a federal court, representing a small victory in a battle for equality that has been raging since 1969, when the New York bar Stonewall was raided by police in an act of blatant homophobia.

    Fast forward to Albany, New York on Friday, June 24th, 2011. After years of disavowing what equality truly means, the New York legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The passage of the law ignited flames of passion and celebration. Those outside Stonewall shed tears and shared hugs; Americans across the nation celebrated one of the greatest victories seen yet by the gay rights movement.

    There are dozens of political lessons to be learned by considering the route this legislation took to eventually reach the floor and its monumental passage. It might, however, be beneficial to us all to take a step back and really consider what has happened here. The legalization of gay marriage in New York has unleashed a bolt of lightning across our country and has reinvigorated the battle for equality. It has demonstrated that success can happen, that government can act in the interest of its supporters, and that as a nation our notions of true equality continue to evolve.

    Standing at the Pride parade in New York this past weekend, I was overcome on numerous occasions. Men and women walked down 5th Avenue with signs reading "Accepting Proposals," "I Do," and "Equality is for All." Wedding marches played and tears came to my eyes. I danced down the street with my friends and celebrated with true abandon. Not only have I had the privilege to witness such a monumental event in the history of the movement for equality, but I felt recognized. What made me an American became tactile; I felt it in my hands and throughout my entire body.

    This is not the end of the battle. And this change does not mean that equality has been won for all peoples of all communities -- in fact, far from it.

    But it means that we celebrated love. We celebrated something wonderfully human and did so without regard or apology. We celebrated community and the collective drive to extend and redefine what being American means to all people. Some things should be that simple. And they were this weekend.

    Joseph Lawless is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Roosevelt Institute intern.

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  • A Proud Step Toward Equality – Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional

    Aug 5, 2010Joseph Lawless

    gay-marriage-150The first round of the Prop 8 battle closes with a knock-out.

    Within moments of the release of the decision, celebrations broke out in grand style.  Facebook statuses displayed a collective triumph as congested newsfeeds signaled social change.

    gay-marriage-150The first round of the Prop 8 battle closes with a knock-out.

    Within moments of the release of the decision, celebrations broke out in grand style.  Facebook statuses displayed a collective triumph as congested newsfeeds signaled social change.

    After months of litigation, cross-examination, and questioning that shook the core of the American values system, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the landmark same-sex marriage case in California, had come to its close.

    In question was the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a voter-activated referendum that solidified the definition of marriage as a union between individuals of the opposite sex.  Judge Vaughn Walker of the District Court of Northern California gave a ruling now hailed as a landmark moment in the battle for LGBT equality.

    Judge Walker overturned the Proposition, citing its violations of both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Though certain to be appealed upward, and likely to be reviewed and ruled on by the highest court in the country, Judge Walker's opinion represents a deliberately crafted exposition of facts that bind readers to the demand for equality.

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    Judge Walker worked diligently to compile a laundry list of facts that supported the notion of marriage equality.  In doing so, he has provided higher courts with statistics, data, and proven evidence that fit within the framework of our country's Constitution.  Higher courts will likely buttress Judge Walker's decision out of deference to the first hundred pages of his decision.  District courts, like Walker's, determine the specific facts.  Circuit courts, where the case will soon find itself, take the facts and apply them to a broader context.

    The gravity of this moment, however, goes far beyond words on paper and the turn of law.  For many, many Americans, this is a moment of inclusion and justice.  Marriage is fundamental -- its benefits are numerous and the joy it provides without qualification.

    The bottom line is that the battle for equality will rage on.  Many more judges will have their say, but there will always be a singular hope for a system of justice and equality and makes no claims of superiority because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or class.

    Joseph Lawless is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania and a Roosevelt Institute summer intern.

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