English professor Martin Favor, one of four panelists, opened the discussion by addressing the title of the panel. He said the title implies that civil rights refers to racial issues, while gay rights remain a separate entity.
"If injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, why do we get caught up in distinguishing between civil rights and gay rights?" Favor asked. "Why is there resistance to seeing gay rights as civil rights?"
The other panelists -- history professor Annelise Orleck, Beth Robinson '86 and Jamal Brown '08 -- spoke about the role of gay rights in the 2008 presidential election.
Several members of the panel shared personal stories about their experiences on election night, highlighting their conflicting emotions: their celebration of President Barack Obama's victory was tainted by the passage of legislation in various states opposing same-sex marriage, they said.
Orleck also said she remembers standing in front of the television that night and crying when it became clear that anti-gay rights legislation was going to pass across the country.
"The same people that voted for Obama had also voted to strip away rights for gays to get married, to adopt children," she said.
Brown also spoke about his experience on election night, focusing primarily on his reaction to the passing of California's Proposition 8, which defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman. As a California native, he said, the issue affected him deeply. He said he remembers watching as the votes came in for both Obama and Proposition 8, not knowing whether he should be happy.
Brown, a legal assistant at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders in Boston, said opponents of Proposition 8 had not made sufficient efforts to convince minorities to vote against the legislation. Yet after the measure passed, opponents of Proposition 8 labeled black voters as homophobic, Brown said.
"There was a lack of outreach to the African American community, but then a blame on the community for the results," he said.
Despite apparent opposition to same-sex marriage among black voters, Brown argued that the Congressional Black Caucus is more supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues than any other group in Congress.
Orleck also said conflict over anti-gay initiatives can lead to escalating violence against gay people, with transgendered people bearing the brunt of unrest.
"The correlation is undisputed at this point," she said. "If you preach hatred, you sow violence."
Robinson, a lawyer, offered her views on the issue from a legal perspective, and said she was disappointed by the legislation passed on election night.
"During my lifetime, I've certainly seen our efforts to be frustrating, but I've never seen backsliding," Robinson said. "It was a slap in the face, and a reminder that time alone will not lead us to the expansion of gay rights."
Robinson, who led the lobbying effort for Vermont's civil union law, said separating the right to marriage from other equally vital civil rights diminishes the status of same-sex couples before the law.
"We sometimes isolate the right to marry from other civil rights issues, but these struggles are all interconnected," she said. "We can't win any of the battles without winning all of the battles."
Several audience members expressed their support of gay rights during a question period following the discussion. They said most young voters, who overwhelmingly supported Obama, also voted against Proposition 8.
While Robinson agreed, she cautioned against relying on generational change alone to increase gay rights. Panelists pointed to violent crimes against gays and lesbians, which she said are typically perpetrated by young white males, as evidence that more positive action is needed.
"Nothing is inevitable about progress," Robinson said. "Nothing is inevitable about the expansion of civil rights. It takes work."
The discussion was part of a two-week-long celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Getting to the Mountaintop: Working through Conflict toward Reconciliation."
