On April 30th, Philadelphia-based Equality Forum--the world's largest GLBT symposium and celebration--hosted a panel discussion on International Family Values. Held at the Prince Music Theatre on Chestnut Street, the panel was moderated by Evan Wolfson, the leader of Freedom to Marry, an activist organization promoting legal recognition of domestic partnerships. Speakers included the Honorable Volker Beck, member of the German Parliament, the Honorable Alba Martinez, Philadelphia Human Services Commissioner, and David Tseng, National Executive Director of PFLAG.

The panel focused on two issues: the importance of same-sex marriage and progress in that struggle around the world, and the comments of US Senator Rick Santorum. Santorum, a Republican from western Pennsylvania who recently ignited controversy by defending sodomy laws and comparing homosexuality to incest and bestiality, became a major focus of the weeklong Equality Forum.

Beck, Green Party Whip for the Bundestag (German house of Parliament), began by describing how the United States has fallen far behind other countries in recognizing gay and lesbian partnerships. Belgium and the Netherlands already offer marriage to same-sex couples, while Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden offer varying degrees of domestic partner benefits. Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom also offer limited recognition.

In responding to the opposition, Beck said, "[same-sex marriage] is not an attack on family, quite the opposite." Due to the ever-changing definition of "family" and increasing public acceptance of gays and lesbians, full marriage rights seems to be an inevitability for most of Western Europe. In Germany, 60% overall support gay marriage, and among those under 30 years of age, that figure rises to about 75%. It is also supported by many members of the Catholic Church and several Protestant denominations.

However, Beck also noted that Germany must make progress in adoption rights. Currently, only heterosexual married couples or individuals may adopt. So effectively, gay or lesbian couples may raise a child together, but only one would be the legal guardian. To remedy the adoption situation, as well as provide the remaining outstanding marriage benefits, Beck reaffirmed the German Green Party's promise to seek full parity: "legal recognition is vital if justice is to be achieved."

The second speaker was Alba Martinez, Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia's Department of Human Services. She told the audience of her background and how it led to her initial antipathy toward marriage in general. Her father was gay, but in traditional Puerto Rico, marriage was the only acceptable option. Although committed to his family, his job, and his religion, he was unhappy, and lived a secret, second life. For both her mother and father, marriage became a prison.

As a feminist, social advocate, and one who joked about her fear of commitment Martinez saw little reason to push for same-sex marriage. However, she changed her mind after researching and discovering the literally thousands of benefits married couples receive. They include: consumer protections (ie: warrantees apply to family of the buyer), equitable distribution of property in a breakup, privileges in court testimony, availability of married student housing, transfer of property to surviving spouse, the ability to make medical decisions, the right to adopt, health care coverage under a spouse's plan, pension benefits, the right to bring wrongful death suits, and many more.

Martinez stressed the financial advantages of marriage, stating simply, "for the gay community, marriage is not an institution to be romanticized." Many religious denominations already perform commitment ceremonies--what remain are the legal and financial benefits.
She stressed that gays and lesbians need to be as positive and visible as possible, and must become more effective at educating politicians about their issues. "Advocacy isn't enough," she declared, and told the audience that minorities, racial as well as sexual, must fill elected positions and institutions with their own representatives, and work together in one another's causes to unite the efforts of all oppressed people.

The third speaker was David Tseng, the National Executive Director of PFLAG, or Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Generally avoiding the topics of the other speakers, he described his organization. Founded thirty years ago in New York City, PFLAG is a support and advocacy group dedicated to fighting for equality for sexual minorities. It currently has 500 chapters, 250,000 members, and hosts over 2000 support groups each month. Core membership consists of straight parents, who usually join the organization after discovering their GLBT children's orientation. Tseng summarized the group's mantra, saying "you will find no fiercer advocate than a parent fighting for his or her child."
On same-sex marriage, Tseng was clear. Denying people the benefits of civil marriage is blatantly unfair, since heterosexual couples' marriage benefits are subsidized by taxes. He ended by stating, "this is an issue that cannot and must not be marginalized… We don't want more than anyone else, but we don't want less."

After the three panelists had each finished their statements, moderator Evan Wolfson addressed the Santorum controversy. Calling the Senator misguided and wrong, he criticized the far right for trying to impose its values on the rest of America. When faced with vicious comments, he declared, gays and lesbians must not run away. Wolfson pointed out that Santorum also attacked Griswold v Connecticut, the 1965 Supreme Court decision allowing married couples the freedom to use contraception. Clearly, Santorum favors allowing the government power to dictate and regulate the personal activities of citizens, with an extreme reading of Christianity used as the standard. Wolfson said that there were two agendas at work, and GLBT people should not be afraid to show theirs and call out the opposition's. "If we, as an organization, fail to engage the discussion, we will fail the generation for whom we should be fighting."

Gary Davidoff writes for campusphilly.org.