Continuing on that vein of "what's next?", yesterday, Donovan Slack at the Boston Globe took a look at the prospects for legislative progress in 2011. It's pretty grim, but the Log Cabin Republicans see some hope:
Smaller steps may be possible without congressional approval, however. Rights groups plan to push President Obama’s administration to make regulatory changes, such as reversing a 27-year-old ban on gay men donating blood and requiring that federal contractors not discriminate against gays and lesbians.I'd like to believe that. We'll see. I have a feeling that the GOP leaders and their new crop of teabaggers aren't going to be in any mood to provide benefits to same-sex partners. I think there's still a pretty strong anti-gay contingent in the GOP caucus that will overrule "economic sensibilities." I hope I'm proven wrong (but don't expect to be.)
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of GOP members who support gay rights, said party leaders have already told him that the economy will take center stage as the new Congress is sworn in Wednesday, forcing major social issues into the background.
Cooper, whose group filed the lawsuit that helped lead to the repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell, said he is focusing on smaller-bore provisions that might appeal to the economic sensibilities of Republicans, such as legislation that would affect taxes on health benefits for same-sex partners and spouses.
“If we can stick to what unites us, we’re going to be OK,’’ he said.
As the Globe notes, the big battles are in the courts:
Focus will once again turn to the courts, where rulings against the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers had helped create a favorable political environment for repeal. There are five lawsuits pending across the country that challenge the Defense of Marriage Act, including two key cases in Massachusetts.And, we can expect a decision in the Prop. 8 case early this year, too.
