During the summer, junior Brian Stout was fed up with feeling useless in the fight for gay rights. He was fed up with meeting people who had so much passion and energy to offer for the cause but little to do to make change.

He decided to form Outrage, a political campus organization designed to promote activism surrounding LGBT and gender expression rights. Unlike Pride Union or other LGBT groups, Outrage may not necessarily provide comfort or assistance in coming out, relationships, and other personal issues, Stout said.

The group’s timing could not be any better. The battle for same-sex marriage achieved a major accomplishment and immediate setback earlier this month when the California Legislature passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. But then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would veto it.

He claimed that California voters would disapprove of the bill because, five years ago, they passed an initiative that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This bill would declare marriage as between two persons. Schwarzenegger also said that the decision of gay marriage must be made by the courts – no crazy activist legislatures.

Funny. In much of the discourse regarding gay marriage, opponents have claimed that activist judges of the nation’s courts, not legislatures, have pushed their own agenda onto the people by making court decisions with which the common American person would disagree. In fact, in much of the discourse regarding any controversial issue in the past century – for example, abortion and the end of Jim Crow laws – opponents to progressive measures claim that activist judges push their own agenda.

If Ahnold is so concerned about abiding by what he believes is the will of the people, he shouldn’t support any decision that a court would make any more than he’d support legislative decision. Times have changed the country’s attitude – ‘Will & Grace,’ ‘Queer Eye’ and countrywide discussion may have changed it, too. Perhaps he should call for another statewide initiative to see what today’s voters think.

Leaders like former bodybuilder Arnie, too weak to advance civil rights themselves, should remind anyone working for LGBT rights not to forget the general public. After all, the public elects these leaders, and the leaders sometimes pay attention. Outrage members, and anyone else fighting for rights, must remember to lobby, educate and work within their local communities as well – and not get fed up with them. Save the outrage for the lawmakers.

Jean Stevens is a senior magazine journalism, women’s studies and political science major. You can e-mail her at jmstev03@syr.edu.

Published on September 17, 2005 at 12:00 pm