US conservatives change tune on gay rights

When singer Ricky Martin "came out of the closet" back in March of this year, most people's unsurprised reaction to the news was to congratulate the artist for his candor and to wish him well. Last week when Ken Mehlman made an exit from his closet, there was no discerning difference between the reaction to his announcement and the response to Ricky Martin's announcement. Rather than taunting Mehlman for his former views, most pro-gay rights groups preferred to congratulate him for his courage in "coming out." There was likewise no major hoopla from Mehlman's Republican colleagues. Mehlman also told the media that he had spoken to former president George W. Bush and that Bush was, "incredibly supportive."

Ken Mehlman says he now hopes to work as an advocate for gay marriage, adding his name to a list of prominent Republicans who believe the time has come to reject old ideas and embrace the new. Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney came out in favor of gay marriage years ago. Speaking in 2009 the former vice president said, "I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish." Other names on the conservative pro-gay marriage list include former U.S. first lady Laura Bush and the former United States solicitor general Ted Olson, the lawyer who successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 that allowed George W. Bush to assume the presidency.

Prejudice is easier to maintain when you don't directly know a person from the group you're prejudiced against. Today many more people are related to, know, or work with a gay person. The winds of change are blowing, even in the most conservative areas of the United States. In July of this year the Gallup organization released a poll that shows for the first time in American history, over 50% of the American public agrees that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable. Of course many countries in Europe long ago passed that threshold and Taiwan registers a significantly higher "acceptable rating" as well. An Angus Reid Global Monitor poll from 2006 indicates that 75% of Taiwanese believe that homosexual relations are morally acceptable.

The United States -- and Taiwan for that matter -- may not yet be ready to completely embrace the idea of homosexual marriage. But the fact that an ever-increasing number are able to view their fellow gay citizens as individuals worthy of respect and tolerance is a positive development that's worth celebrating.

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