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Atrios raises an interesting question- should those pissed off by Arizona's new immigration law do as Margaret Cho does:
Or vote with their feet, as he says, by getting the hell out of Arizona?
On its face, it may seem as simple as coming down to whether you're undocumented or not. If you're undocumented and now at greater risk of being deported, of course you would leave. Proof of ID is required at the polls (or providing similar documents), so how much collective mobilization can actually be had by undocumented immigrants who choose to stay?
I don't actually think it's that simple at all. There is something to be said for staying to influence others and the outcome of an election. I'm gay, and if my local elected officials passed a law that allowed discrimination in something extremely personal- like being required to sign a document swearing that I am straight before being able to get a job or apartment, or being arrested for holding hands with my lover in public- I could say "fuck you" to the District of Columbia and move.
Or I could talk to every single straight ally I know and make them aware of how heinous the law is, who voted for it, etc. Not to mention organizing the LGBT community. I say this because when the Obama administration extended hospital benefits for same-sex couples, I wrote at the time how many e-mails I got from straight allies who didn't know that wasn't already law- and when I wrote back to mention that it's legal to discriminate in employment on the basis of sexual orientation in 29 states, they were even further shocked. Despite the media glare on the Arizona law prior to Gov. Brewer's signature, some people just don't get what life is like for oppressed communities, and it takes a member of that community to, as Harvey Milk put it, "educate" that community, be they Dan Whites or straight friends.
So there is something to be said for staying and fighting. It's a very personal choice and certainly depends on each individual's situation in a variety of respects- and it's not my place or anyone else's to make a blanket ask to do either. And if a state like Oklahoma passed one of those anti-gay laws, it's going to be a long slog towards equality. But oppressed communities simply packing up and leaving whenever they are oppressed may not be the best strategy, both in terms of repealing the law and in terms of creating allies- neighbors, co-workers, other kids at school, etc.- who treat you as you'd want to be treated over the long-term.
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