"I think everyone measures their level of equality and opportunity against that of straight-christian-white-males". I don't think that's the case. I think everyone measures their level of equality and opportunity against everyone else.
I am a straight-atheist-white-female, if I'm to choose a "cohort". I've been discriminated against because of my lack of religion and because I'm female (and in the past because I was poor). I DO have more opportunities and privileges than a straight-atheist-african american-female or a gay-atheist-white-female, and on and on. If I were to change just one thing about my cohort, there is VAST differences in the way I'm treated vs others that fall into that other cohort, opening up privileges and opportunities for me that others do not have.
If you add "poor" to any of these cohorts, it's then different yet again. A straight-atheist-white-middle class-female has A LOT more privilege and opportunity than a straight-atheist-white-poor-female. And I'm pretty sure that the straight-atheist-white-poor-female measures that level of opportunity against the straight-atheist-white-middle class-female AS WELL as the straight-christian-white-male.
As far as the AA voting against gay rights, that was not isolated to California. It was proven again in Florida where a large population (>70%) of AA voted for Obama while, in the same election, the same number voted to define marriage as "between one man and one woman" in our state constitution. I'm pretty sure that the homosexuals in the state were not looking at straight-white-Christian-males as their chief enemy at that point.
= new reply since forum marked as read