I don’t understand how anyone can NOT be cynical after being continually lied to and used for the political and financial gain of others. If you’re not cynical, or at least very, very angry, you’re not paying enough attention. I for one am sick and tired of having my civil rights used as campaign fodder only to be put back in the closet for 4 more years until the next election. I am tired of people telling me to be patient and to wait my turn. I’ve been waiting for over 20 years now. I am done listening to people telling me that Obama has a lot on his plate, and that there are other pressing issues. Nothing is more important than MY civil rights, period. I am tired of people expecting me to excuse a man who not only lied to us about fighting for our rights, but openly spit in our faces by associating with hatemongers like Rick Warren and Donnie McClurkin, and Doug Kmiec. BTW, Kmiec (who think gays are akin to nazis and are damaged human beings) got HIS reward for being faithful to Obama (he’s now ambassador to malta). So why are we called “cynics” and “whiners” when we demand ours? I’m over people saying that we should concentrate on things like marriage in Maine (how is that going to help me and MY partner in North Carolina???) instead of marching for federally recognized gay rights. I’m through with anyone in our community who continues to apologize for politicians who don’t give a damn about us. So yeah, I’m cynical, I’m loud and I’m PISSED OFF. If that bores you, well then that’s YOUR problem.

RE the Advocate article

I liked it, but I found it intriguing that it did not speak to two of the dynamics that were so important in the recent successes here in MA. (Sorry, but I’m a *firm* believer in recognizing your successes and trying to replicate them.)

First, in MA, between 1989 and the early 00s, our openly-gay community members migrated from the inner city ghettos out to the suburbs, and many people began raising children. This was possible, in part, due to an ENDA like law that passed in MA in 1989, reducing the social penalty for coming out. Sorry, but it just gets really *difficult* to argue against gay marriage, when the two dads help out at your little league games and the two moms are on the PTA alongside you. It just…well…stopped making sense to oppose same-gender marriage when our families were looking and behaving way too much like their families.

The second dynamic was that we changed, for a lack of a better term, our “point of entry” into the political process. I know that this idea came to me when Al Gore became the nominee for the Democratic party in 2000. I remember thinking, “Is this the best we can do? Why don’t we have a better choice?” (He’s since become a LOT more impressive.) But, then it occurred to me that the way to have a better nominee is to find a supportive candidate *early*, support her, and then get her past the nomination and into the office. We tried it with Howard Dean, but we weren’t able to overcome The Scream. We tried it again here in MA with Deval Patrick, and it *worked*! And it was improved upon and replicated with Obama.

Even during the heat of the legislative action on marriage equality, you could see the shift in strategy. By the time the vote came up the second time in the legislature, we had already targeted anti-marriage-equality legislators, successfully working to knock them out of their offices, and we’d replaced them with pro-marriage-equality people. And we fought hard to get our friends in the legislature re-elected (not one pro-marriage-equality incumbent was defeated).

So, you see, if you organize around a candidate who is *already* going to vote for you, and if you work like a dog to get her elected, then you don’t have to do as much yelling and marching in the streets. Or politicking the week of the bill. We did 70% of the work of defeating the anti-marriage-equality forces when, two years earlier, we saw Deval Patrick strongly supporting marriage equality, and we worked like dogs to get him elected. Then, when we needed support from our governor, our guy was already in place wanting to help us and owing us a debt for helping to get him elected.

To replicate this strategy, you need to locate supportive candidates approximately 18 months before the election. Longer, if it’s a presidential election (Obama started campaigning two years in advance). Contrary to popular opinion, you position yourself to win the race six months to a year before the primaries. If you’re getting involved at the point of the primaries, you’re too late.

…and I hope we drop the cynicism. It’s poisonous. It’s also a huge booorreeee! (Sorry…the queen in me just slipped out. I’ll put her back in her room. )

james, if you are a frequent reader of the Advocate online you are aware that for every critical article about Obama, Kerry Eleveld writes 5 propaganda pieces for him. And hers are usually riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. Furthermore, articles that tend to criticize Obama such as a recent piece by Dan Savage, or support the March for Equality by Michalangelo Signorile, are quickly buried and taken off the front page. While Eleveld’s tripe hangs around for days. I will not stand by while she uses us to further her own career. Why do you think she is the only gay journalist who has had direct access to the president? Because she dutifully kisses his ass, that’s why. We deserve much better. This site is much more balanced when it comes to advocacy of the gay community as far as I’m concerned. The Advocate is a propaganda rag.

Joey does have a point. Many in the gay media (in particular The Advocate, which has become more an advocate for the Obama administration than the gay community) have been actively downplaying the march for equality out of fear that it will embarrass President Obama for his lack of action on LGBT issues and will highlight his campaign promises (lies) to our community. Many of us who have been grassroots activists for years are more than a little dismayed that people like Kerry Eleveld and Joe Solmonese are more interested in their own privilege and access than they are about the gay community. Nobody thinks that Oct. 11 will be the end of our struggle, so your question is a bit irrelevant. We will continue to fight for our civil rights until we achieve them. It is especially relevant given that such a historic president should be so lacking when it comes to endorsing the civil rights of millions of Americans. He deserves every bit of scorn the marchers heap on him. Maybe it will shame him into doing the right thing. After all, it was less than a year after the MOW in 1963 that the Civil Rights Act was passed. Every gay person in this country who can make it should be there. And anyone who says that these marches never lead to anything is obviously too young to have attended one. After attending the 93 march as a young man, and witnessing the display of the AIDS quilt, I became an activist for life. Feeling the strength of numbers of ones community is a powerful thing.