Some left-leaning individuals are finding inspiration this winter in the Presidential campaign of Howard Dean, a man whose reputation is far more progressive than he is. Personally, I found the news indicated by the following headline to be far more inspiring: "Marriage Mania Grips San Francisco: Over 1,700 Gay Couples Tie The Knot."

It's not that I find marriage to be a particularly progressive institution; it isn't. However, the fact that, in the 21st century, homosexual couples still cannot attain the legal and social recognition and benefits that come with getting married is appalling. Perhaps that fact sticks in my craw because, given that my father was gay, I'm personally acquainted with homophobia and the resulting discrimination. But change is in the air, and I find that exciting.

I can't resist noting the irony that the individual who directed San Francisco city officials to start issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples was mayor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat so conservative that he voted for George Bush in 2000! Meanwhile, "liberal" Howard Dean, as well as the majority of mainstream Democrats, staunchly oppose gay marriage. Dean has stated that he is "uncomfortable, the same as anyone else" with gay marriage (as if he has the right to speak for anyone else!). He may be more progressive than, for example, Bill Clinton (Mr."Don't Ask, Don't Tell") was on gay/lesbian issues, but as this rather homophobic statement indicates, he--like most of his fellow Americans--has a long way to go.

While Dean and most other Democratic politicians support civil unions and insist that having a civil union in a state that recognizes it is the same legally as getting married, that simply is not the case. Civil unions, even when accompanied by legal rights equal to marriage, are only recognized at the state level.

With a few exceptions like Dennis Kucinich, Carol Moseley-Braun and, perhaps surprisingly, Gavin Newsom, Democratic politicians today are basically replaying the Civil Rights Movement-era support of most Democrats for continued segregation. Most Democratic politicians back then took a long time to abandon their insistence on "separate but equal" schools and other facilities for people of color. And most Democratic politicians today, although significantly more progressive than Republicans on many issues pertaining to gays and lesbians, are stubbornly resisting public pressure to end the legal and social discrimination involved in the ban on gay marriage. (The Green Party, in contrast, supports gay marriage as part of its platform.)

How will things change? The way to effect change back in the 50s and 60s obviously wasn't voting for racist Democrats; rather, it was taking direct action to overturn segregationist institutions. Likewise, changing things today will happen through direct action against discriminatory institutions, as is happening in San Francisco, not through simply voting for subtly (as opposed to more obviously) homophobic candidates. One can't help wondering what Gavin Newsom's position on gay marriage would be if he were mayor of, say, Richmond, Virginia.

Jeff Melton is a Green Party activist who ran for 9th District Congress in 2002.