Why Every Gay Rights Advocate Should Be a Feminist

Jennifer Vanasco, a prominent journalist of gay issues, recently penned an article "Same-Sex Marriage is Not the New Abortion." Vanasco argues that gay marriage is an issue of fairness while abortion is an issue of privacy and morality.

While Vanasco draws an important distinction between gay marriage and abortion, gay rights and women's rights might have more in common than you'd think.

Both movements share common enemies and common goals. Most recently, gay advocates and several women’s organizations both rallied to protest CBS’s decision to air the Focus on the Family ad during the Super Bowl. This isn’t the first time that our causes have intersected, and as Kristina Schake writes.

“Women and gays have been, if not in the same boat, then at least sailing in the same direction,” Schake said.

In fact, we've been sailing together for centuries, overcoming subjugation, rape, genocide, violence and a systemic withholding of our rights. Despite our similarities, some have tried to classify the gay rights movement as something different, implying that women's rights, particularly concerning choice, is something shameful or less-than. Dividing, separating and classifying our causes only tears apart two groups which are inextricably bound.

A popular question among heterosexuals who are trying to figure out this whole gay thing is "Who's the man and who's the woman?" They want to know about gender roles because heterosexual society has a strict and uniform place for men and women. Any gay man who has ever been called a flamer, sissy, nancy or fairy, and any lesbian who has ever been called a dyke understands that disrupting these iron-clad gender roles is a big ol' no-no.

Regardless of what the rights are that we're fighting for, there's evidence that sexism and homophobia are strongly related. Evaluating the similarities and differences of our cause diverts attention from the fight we're both waging against those who hate us. Instead of engaging in a contest to see which right is more valid, we must join together against those that believe that a woman's right to choose a pregnancy or a man's right to choose a husband are the same thing -- sinful abominations. To many organizations -- such as Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, The Family Research Council and a litany of others -- gay rights and women's rights are categorized together as the greatest enemies of God and the church.

It is the responsibility of every gay rights advocate to be a women's rights advocate, because they are our sisters in the cause for equality. Women's advocates have helped shatter the gender roles and prejudices which play such a huge role in gay subjugation. We'd be wise to celebrate their victories and causes as our own.

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