Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: There is more to freedom than marching
Note: Go check out what colleagues Emma and Jenna have to say about this topic.
A few years back I covered a marriage rights rally. After dutifully taking notes during the speeches (all typical and boilerplate), I walked the crowd looking for people to talk to. Spoke to everyone from the older gay male couple, who left the country to get married, to the young straight duo. She was there because for her it was unfair she could marry her love but her father could not do the same.
Walked up to a middle aged gay man, who was standing alone, and he had a lot to say. It was time gays and lesbians got off our collective “lazy butts” and pushed the same sex marriage memo. Anyone who stood in the way of marriage rights didn’t understand the Constitution and Rush Limbaugh was a dupe. After 10 minutes, I thanked him and looked to move on. We talked a bit and he continued with his Limbaugh rant. He said he listened to Limbaugh and was amazed at the intellectual dishonesty.
“And no one is fighting him,” he complained.
He then told me of an idea he had for a radio show. A program where he could logically make the case for gay rights and fight the Limbaughs of the world.
“Do you know I can get such a thing started,” he asked.
As a bottom feeder in the media world, I noted I was not the person to ask about a gig; however, why didn’t he volunteer some time to the group that organized the rally. He stared at me for a few seconds.
“Yeah, we need a radio show that fights the hate.”
I want to be kind to this fellow because he wasn’t a kook in the traditional sense (you find them at all political rallies), but the grunt work for freedom wasn’t on his agenda. Instead he wanted the bells and whistles. What do I mean by bells and whistles? Calls for marching on Washington or the fetishization of ACT-UP as if gay rights is a perpetual photo-opp with angry queens.
Yes freedom struggles in America at times have included marching and taking to the streets, but that is not the only quiver. Just because there isn’t some large rally that makes the news stations scurrying doesn’t mean hard work isn’t being done. Look at the organization Lambda Legal. I can’t even think of the last rally they sponsored on their own, but the group is in the trenches doing the work that isn’t particularly glamorous but is essential.
There is nothing wrong with the occasional march, but there is more to rights than yelling some tired cant (am I the only one who groans when “the people united will never be defeated” gets started?). To all of you who point to the civil rights movement as template for what gays and lesbians should do, you need to learn history. What happened in the 196’s came about because lots of people, a few famous most anonymous, did small things. Served a meal, typed a letter, drove a speaker to the next gig, copied a speech, sat down with an ally, donated some cash, sat on a committee. Without those small boring non-dramatic moments freedom never comes.
Water nephew retrieval? WTF?!?
John in Cali said:
“The ruling class doesn’t care about protests because they know it’ll blow over in a few days. Politicians only act when there’s a “clear and present danger” of losing an election and/or a whole lot of money.”
This is exactly why we need to let the current administration know up front that we refuse to fall for what has happened so many times before, the whole “vote for me and I’ll pander to you as long as I need you” bullshit.
Too many times in local and Federal elections we’ve had politicians cozy up to use with promises of protecting our rights only to see them try to shove us back in the closet after election day.
A amn who ran on a patform of hope can’t yank it away once he’s in office. CALL him on it!
Write, call, e-mail, post…raise a voice!
Shawn, so far in your military-phobic rants against me you’ve assumed that I’m from Florida (wrong), I’m a Baptist(WAY wrong), I’m a hunter (I went hunting once since I left the Infantry and found I’d lost my taste for it…my Mom retrained my hunting dog for water nephew retrieval) and somehow put my age at 36 (I wish).
Shawn, how could you BE more wrong? Try familiarizing yourself with some facts and leave the personal attacks to the homophobes. You REALLY suck at them.
Oh yes mr. kanin, here we go again with this typical right wing yahoo retort about freedom not being free. Blah,blah,blah. Heard it all before at Nuremburg pal. Just following orders, blah,blah,blah. Yah, your right kanin, I’ve never “served” or whored myself out to the U.S. Military and shure as shit don’t foresee it happening in the future. patriotism is the last refuge to which a coward clings, Kanin. There’s prolly a good reason why you don’t attend Pride marches or protests Kanin. You’re afraid of being spotted and outed! I don’t attend to many either because sadly, as far as I’m concerned, about 75% of the attendees are nothing but breeder tourist strolling around. When I can’t go into one of our own bars without seeing a f*ckin’ hetero couple in there going at it, it’s time to STOP attending these “marches” and let the greedy ass “gay” bar owners know that it’s time for a little bit less “diversity” when it comes to OUR gathering spaces. Same thing at the supposedly gay gyms, man! all the breeder chicks hang out there with their dumbass little brain enslaved boyfriends in tow, coming in to gawk, point and stare! it’s your type of naivete Kanin that I find most laughable. One would expect a bit more intellectual reflection from a 36 year old. Peace out.
Peaceful marches and rallies are generally worthless politically. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have them. They’re a nice way to blow off some steam. And there are other logical reasons to have them (networking, fundraising, etc.)
But as a catalyst for direct action, they have a very poor track record indeed. Millions protested the lraq War in the Spring of 2003. But as the war dragged on, year after bloody year, the weekend crowds got smaller and smaller. Nowadays, with the focus squarely on the economy, an Iraq rally will typically attract only a few dozen diehards. You see the same “fizzle” affect with police shootings, Dafur, Tibet, and any number of causes. The ruling class doesn’t care about protests because they know it’ll blow over in a few days. Politicians only act when there’s a “clear and present danger” of losing an election and/or a whole lot of money.
“Perhaps you can be a bit more “in depth” with that statement. ”
Sadly, it’s not always safe for gays to be open about themselves and their relationships with non-gays. It can also be inappropriate to be open with someone who you know will take offense.
Shawn, your baseless assumptions regarding me personally and your total lack of understanding about what it means to serve in the military have shown you to be a shallow, selfish and prejudiced individual. Get a grasp, develop some depth and maybe one day you will be worthy of the equality others sacrifice to guarantee and safeguard for you.
It is inherent due to equal human worth, but never for one second think that freedom is free.
Hmmm…interesting words there Mr. “cowboy” kanin. “Be open and honest where appropriate”??? Perhaps you can be a bit more “in depth” with that statement. Is there ever a time when it’s not “appropriate” to be honest with yourself Mr. kanin? Oh, of course, I forgot! One shouldn’t be “open or honest” to one’s employer, like, ummmm…..say….the grand fabulous U.S. Military, eh kanin. must be nice towing the policy line and trying to “blend” in with the rest of the M-16 toting mob. Personally speaking I couldn’t tell ya. I’d be quite shocked anyway Mr. kanin to ever see the likes of a fake like you marching in a (GASP) pro-homo parade! what would all your god fearing fellow baptist cowboy buddies think of you then, eh?
We can’t all be Harvey Milk’s. We can’t all carry the rainbow flag in a Pride parade or organize a march on DC.
What we CAN all do is be vigilant and be aware of what is going on around us. Politely disagree with statements about gays based in ignorance or religious dogma. Politely correct stereotypical fallacies voiced by someone who’s watched a little too much “Will and Grace” or seen “Too Wong Foo” and think they know what it means to be gay.
Be open and honest where appropriate about your life and what it means to you to be gay when questioned by the honestly curious and do what you can to fight the fear based in ignorance.
Last night in DC the Gay Mens Chorus had a GREAT free show for high schools and orgs..They were wonderful! One of the best parts was a tour thru our gay history to which they are a part. Money is hard to come by and everyone worked their butts off to put on a great show for the next generation of voters who laughted and cried. Keep up the good work guys and thanks.
We live in a world of TV radio and the Internet Mr. Withers. What the middle aged guy was talking to you about sounds to me innovative, not as you imply unrealistic. Not to downplay the work of all the people plugging away day after day.. but: It is not enough to just work hard and to be right. You have to market yourself too. Things get done after some big TV news event. Think Stonewall, Hurricane Katrina, the AIG bonuses issue and the like. Something is on TV. Then, forces get mobilized and things change. It is the way it works.
Gay people do whatever you can to gain equal rights and a better life. For more than two years I have been emailing congresspeople to encourage them to pass legislation and donating money to gay orgs (Lambda Legal is great) and so forth.
Both James and Michael make valid points. On the one hand, all the progress we have made is because of those few who labor for the benefit of all. There are thousands that march, write letters, volunteer their time and resources to making our lives better and equal.
On the other hand, apathy remains one of the SCC Communitys’ greatest enemies. I worked on a local GLBT TV show that was ran entirely by volunteers. Out of a pool of tens of thousands of gay people that live in my area, the most we ever had volunteering at one time was about eight or ten, with one of those volunteers being an old, white, straight redneck with an open mind. Our call-in segments usually had no shortage of idiots spouting homophobic dribble, while most of our community remained silent.
Sadly, this situation will never change. There will always be those who sacrifice for the sake of others, and there will always be those willing to let others make that sacrifice. This is simply the nature of people.
Another wonderful organization that is rarely mentioned that doesn’t get the credit it deserves is The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. While the nuns are wild and outrageous, they do some very good work and not just with/for the SCC Community. The local chapter here not only runs bingo games that helps support our community center, they also do wig drives to help cancer victims undergoing chemotherapy. And these are only two examples of the work they do all year long. They may be crazy and wierd in the eyes of some, but if we had more like them the world would be a better place.
I couldn’t disagree more Mr. Withers. While there is lobbying and phone banking and much going on behind the scenes by groups like HRC and EQCA (to name two), the visibility of people in the street demanding equality is an essential piece of the puzzle . . . no matter how dumb you think the chants are.
Prior to the vote in November on Prop 8, my partner and I attended several meetings to discuss a “plan of attack” on how to keep Prop 8 from passing. Visibility on the streets and going into communities that were ignorant about the LGBT community were flatly turned down as affective. We were told phone banking was the key. History now shows that these groups and their leadership were dead wrong. People who contributed to these groups were mislead.
After Prop 8 passed, grassroots groups like Roots Of Equality and ANSWER staged large demos. I attended many of these demos. I chanted. We were talked about on the radio and seen on television worldwide. Gays and Lesbians were seen! There was a face put on the pain of a group told they are not equal.
In my opinion, we needed to be in the streets BEFORE Prop 8 was voted on. We needed to go into the African American community and explain our desire for equality. We needed to make people less frightened and more knowledgeable. We were kept from doing this by the large groups asking for donations and for us to trust their leadership.
It would be nice if all of the LGBT groups (Corporate and Grassroots) could work together. Unfortunately, the large groups don’t want to give up control . . . meaning let the grassroots groups stage demos and go out and talk face to face with people. I’ve seen this scenario play out time and time again over the last 10 years.
So Mr. Withers . . . give donations and sit comfortably at home at your computer. I will not be donating to the large groups who have mislead us. I will be putting a face to a struggle for our equality.
Forget the big national organizations that make the headlines and take a look at what the state and local organizations are doing, particularly in the red states. That is where the real work for equality is happening. I live in South Carolina, one of the most homophobic states, and last year a Human Rights Ordinance guaranteeing protections in housing and public accommodations was passed in the capitol, Columbia. We also saw a school board back down in their attempt to ban GSA’s and we got a bill passed that guarantees full hospital visitation rights for the designated health care power of attorney. Yes, we have our pride marches and our rallies, but that is not where the real work is done. In states like SC, we will have to change lots of hearts and minds to get the big changes through the very conservative legislature, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have victories and make progress.
What makes you think those things aren’t happening daily by the gay community? You sound so bitter and I wonder why? I write letters to my congress/senate, I contribute to the orgs (Lambda Legal being my fav.), and YES I was thrilled to march in the Nov 15 rallies with my daughters holding signs that stated that our family deserves equality. I agree with the premise that there are many things we all should be doing besides just complaining – but to me it seems you think that is all that is going on and I disagree. In CO when one senator compared us to murders recently, over 4000 GLBT & allies wrote letters condeming it…to me, that shows that while we can always strive for better we aren’t just waiting on the side-lines!!!!