Marcial (R) and Benjamin Cable-McCarthy (L) 1993
New Op-Ed Draws Historical Parallels Between Today’s Attacks and America’s Darkest Eras of Persecution
LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, August 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — New Op-Ed Draws Historical Parallels Between Today’s Attacks and America’s Darkest Eras of Persecution
In a blistering new op-ed, journalist and activist Ben Cable, writing under his Citizen Ben platform, warns that the United States is “standing at the cliff edge” as the Trump administration and Project 2025 allies move to dismantle marriage equality and roll back hard-fought LGBTQ+ rights.
The piece, titled First They Came for Women’s Rights… Now They’re Coming for LGBTQ+ Families, traces the political and legal attacks on same-sex marriage to historical moments when the U.S. criminalized LGBTQ+ existence. Cable details decades of persecution — from police raids and blacklists to the FBI’s Lavender Scare under J. Edgar Hoover — showing how quickly civil liberties can vanish.
“This is not a hypothetical threat,” Cable writes. “It is a coordinated, well-funded effort to erase the legal foundation of hundreds of thousands of American families. Once marriage falls, all other rights are next.”
The op-ed connects past and present:
Historical persecution — arrests for public dancing or affection, Hollywood blacklists, and government surveillance of LGBTQ+ citizens.
Modern parallels — ICE monitoring Pride events, political leaders advocating bans on drag performances and gender-affirming care, and the expansion of extremist watchlists to include LGBTQ+ activists.
Urgent warning — The Supreme Court’s potential consideration this fall of a case that could challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
About Ben Cable
In 1993, Ben Cable stood alongside his partner, Marcial Cable-McCarthy, in one of the earliest legal battles for marriage equality, when such a stance was considered political suicide. That same year, Cable shared the podium with Rev. Jesse Jackson at the National Press Club during the March on Washington. In front of the gathered media, Cable asked the Reverend if he supported gay marriage, to which Jackson famously replied, “And why not?” It was the affirmation Cable needed during what became an uphill, costly, and emotional battle.
Support for their gay marriage fight came largely from heterosexual allies, as many LGBTQ+ organizations were focused on issues like Gays in the Military and the AIDS crisis. Their legal team consisted mainly of family and attorney Paul S. Marchand, with later public backing from celebrity attorney Gloria Allred and an amicus brief from the ACLU. Ultimately, the California Supreme Court denied their case—but their courage, persistence, and visibility helped pave the way for the eventual nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.
Cable, who continues to fight for civil rights through investigative journalism and public advocacy, frames the current moment as one that affects every American:
“If they can dissolve the marriages of LGBTQ+ couples overnight, no civil liberty is safe — not yours, not mine, not anyone’s.”
The article calls for immediate civic action, urging readers to speak out, support legal defense organizations like Lambda Legal and the ACLU, and vote in every election — local to federal.
The full op-ed is available now on Citizen Ben at: CitizenBen.Substack.com
Ben Cable
Citizen Ben
+1 302-592-6206
ben@citizenben.net
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