The sad state of Pennsylvania

To the editor:

I couldn’t help but notice all over my social media recently the excitement about the possibility of Illinois becoming the latest state to accept marriage equality. My first reaction was a similar excitement at watching a pro-gay tide of history wash over the country, state by state, seemingly inexorable.

Take that, Rick Santorum!

And then I thought, Wait, could Rick Santorum be having the last laugh? In all the discussions of which states will be next on the path to marriage equality, what the time frame might be and what strategies may be employed, conspicuously missing is any mention of Rick Santorum’s home state. As far as Pennsylvania is concerned, marriage equality is not even on the wishful-thinking agenda. Why is that?

Well, those of us who reside in Pennsylvania have a popular, and only partly joking, description of our state: Pennsylvania consists of Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west and Alabama in the middle. I say “partly joking” because those of us saying it have to laugh, lest we break into tears at the tragic accuracy of the description.

With the exception of Ed Rendell’s recent, shining tenure as governor, Pennsylvania state politics have been dominated by Republicans for as long as I’ve lived here. (I relocated here from Texas in 1979 — yes, I’m that old.) In fact, currently, it’s really pretty sad how regressive the center of the state has become. We’ve got a state legislature whose agenda would make Paul Ryan’s nipples stand up and a governor who is not only owned lock, stock and pipeline by oil companies, but who also seems to kneel worshipfully at the altar of Mitch McConnell.

It’s ironic, really, considering that Philadelphia is one of the most progressive cities in the country. We’ve got a strong (some might say too strong) labor-union presence; the city’s politics is overwhelmingly Democratic; and as far as LGBT issues are concerned, we’re at or near the top of the heap nationally. Also, because of its large and progressive population, Philadelphia (with help from Pittsburgh) is often able to swing Pennsylvania into the blue column during presidential elections. But somehow, Philadelphia’s and Pittsburgh’s clout during presidential elections is not translated into any discernable influence over statewide politics.

Throughout most of the state, Philadelphia is more than a little despised. This attitude manifests itself in the frequently adversarial relationship our city has with Harrisburg, resulting in the state often cutting or withholding much-needed funds for such things as schools and transportation.

So, we’ve got a solidly Democratic city with a mostly moribund Republican presence, while on the state level, the situation is exactly reversed. One of the results is that Pennsylvania is nowhere near even starting the process of gaining marriage equality. Why is that?

Let me state upfront that I’m not here to crucify local activists like PGN publisher Mark Segal. Our local LGBT community, exemplified by Mark and a whole slew of his colleagues and adversaries, for all its contentiousness, nevertheless gets a lot of good things done. Nor am I coming down on local politicians like our new State Rep. Brian Sims, who is proving to be a fresh and energetic (if not particularly imaginative) voice for us in Harrisburg. Who I am criticizing, mostly, is the state Democratic leadership, which has been thoroughly inadequate and inept at promoting Democratic candidates and a progressive agenda in our state. In fact, the slate of candidates fielded by the Democrats on the statewide level has been as lame and ineffectual as a Log Cabin contingent at a Republican convention. This was exemplified most recently by Dan Onorato’s campaign for governor, which had all the fire of a matchstick in the middle of Hurricane Sandy. So, if I had to point a finger and cry “J’accuse!” it would be at our state Democratic machine, such as it is.

But our local activists can’t escape some modicum of responsibility. Their inability, thus far, to expand their political and social successes much beyond their local realm betrays a certain weakness of vision and dedication beyond the local.

If there is any lesson to be learned from New York, Washington and other states, it’s that marriage equality frequently depends on the active support of a strong, progressive governor. With such support, it’s even possible to work it through a reluctant conservative legislature. But in Pennsylvania, not only do we have a staunchly conservative Republican state legislature, but a repressive Republican governor — and a tepid state Democratic Party willing to concede the battle before it even starts.

What our Democratic Party needs to do is reinvent itself with the courage of its convictions, rededicate itself to providing a progressive alternative to state Republican hegemony, and perhaps take a few lessons from their more successful brother and sister Democrats from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. And our local activists need likewise reach out more effectively — being careful not to exacerbate the historic resentment the rest of the state has towards Philly and its “big-city ways.”

It’s not an easy task, nor can it happen overnight — though perhaps some hopeful cracks are starting to appear in the Republican hegemony in the center of the state. As reported in this paper, there has been a small flurry of pro-gay ordinances in a number of local municipalities, bucking the Republican machine. It’s not much, but that should lend hope and determination to make and continue the effort.

It’s got to be done, in some manner and fashion, if we ever want to see marriage equality even just discussed seriously in Harrisburg in our lifetime. We need to find a viable progressive gubernatorial candidate, as well as legislative candidates who are, if not Democratic, at least more moderate. There are roughly a dozen states in line where marriage equality may become a reality in the very near future. Activists and politicians in those states aren’t doing anything that we can’t do here.

And it must be done, if we’re ever to free the citizens of this poor state from the shackles of Alabama.

— Gary L. Day Philadelphia

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