Reply #1474: I think it's partially a protective mechanism, partially the diversity

[Prism]

Until relatively recently in American culture, the LGBT community has been under siege from all quarters. Heck, to this day we have to fight with Democrats over whether or not our lives and issues have intrinsic value enough to be addressed directly and vigorously.

From the AIDS epidemic, to hate crimes, to youth homelessness, to the right-wing, a large part of the LBGT community seems to be in a perpetual defensive crouch. This leads to a kind of "take care of our own" mindset. It's us against the world. For me, it's a natural flow from my own life and experiences. It's about the desire for those LGBTers who come after us to have it easier than we did. It's part of clearing the way to progress. It works, but it can be somewhat myopic in scope.

But I think what really prohibits us from making the alliances we should is that we're not much of a monolith as a community. We have LGBT issues in common, but we also have about a quarter of us voting for Republicans. And that's with Republicans openly hostile to our equality. How would those numbers break down if you removed the gay question from the equation. Would 75% of LGBTers still self-identify as liberal/progressive? We're our own little cat herd.

But I do think we're making progress in forging alliances and realizing how our issues intersect with the larger progressive direction (or lack thereof) of the country. In being outcasts, I think a lot of LGBTers are finding in their increased acceptance in society an increased sense of responsibility in realizing that we're not alone, it's not only us who are scapegoated, marginalized, and discriminated against. When you're the underdog, you see the other underdogs and your sympathies naturally lay with them.

Just gotta keep pushing for it, and hopefully we'll get there together.