Subscribe to Breaking NewsBalliett: Why ‘Day Without a Gay?’
We’re getting a great deal of discussion on Join the Impact about Day Without a Gay. A lot of people have questions about what to do on Dec. 10th, why we chose the 10th, or why we chose this event in general.
I thought I’d take a minute to explain the purpose behind Day Without a Gay (although David Craig has his own personal story that explains why he came up with this idea).
Simply put: The LGBTQ Community contributes $700 Billion per year to the U.S. economy. When you put that into perspective, that’s the same amount as the economic bailout package.
Our community could be, in a sense, the economic bailout… so we’re good enough to put billions a year into the system, but not good enough to be afforded the same rights as everyone else who contributes to that system?
This is ONE of the THREE things Day Without a Gay is all about.
1. An economic boycott for 1 day. On December 10th: International Human Rights Day. Do not use your phone, do not turn on the TV, do not go online, do not buy ANYTHING. Take it one step further if you wish: take $80 out of your bank account and keep it in your pocket all day. We are taxpaying citizens who are asking for the same rights as every other tax paying US citizen.
2. A day of VOLUNTEERING. That’s right. Don’t sit in your house with all your lights off staring at the wall. Let’s get out there and show this world just how much our community has to offer.
There are many ways to volunteer: Go to a soup kitchen, talk at a local school, work at a retirement center, collect food for the LGBTQ Food Drive, or work with your local LGBTQ organization to get marriage equality petition signatures in your area. Join The Impact is teaming up with the Courage Campaign to gather 1 Million Signatures to repeal Prop 8. These are just a few ideas.
3. A day of VISIBILITY. We are asking that people call of work for this event. This is a great way to show just how many of us there are.
Now here’s the IMPORTANT thing to note: there are still many states that do not have sexual identity inclusive ENDA laws. In other words, in many states, an employer can still fire an employee for being gay. Consider your situation both economically and personally before calling off work.
There are MANY WAYS to show visibility on December 10th. If you cannot call off work, we ask that you show up to work wearing a White Knot, but don’t forget to PACK YOUR LUNCH and refrain from that tempting coffee run.
So Join us in making an impact in many ways on December 10th. Let’s show the nation just how expansive our impact can be – how we give to the economy, and how we can all come together and give to our local communities. View the PRESS RELEASE here.
To quote Prop 8 the Musical “There’s Money to be Made.” How are we going to pay for the economic bailout? Why not allow the LGBTQ community to join in Civil Marriage? Could you imagine how much we would spend on weddings?!
Well let’s find out how much won’t be spent on Dec. 10th.
Ahhhh m, makes things clearer that you are a lesbian. At no point did I say that you could not write as you wished. I just don’t believe you experienced the mentioned slight. As for the CNN exit poling, it is still posted. The so called new polling on the subject seems to amazingly gone by the wayside. (Does it seem like many of the lesbians are just a tad bit irrational on this topic?)
trace- no the exit polls from cnn are the urban myth, used to blame a racial minority for a law CREATED and PASSED by white people. if you don’t like to read what i write, guess what? DON’T READ IT. THE END. and of COURSE by discussing racism in the lgbt community and stating the facts i’m just being self pitying victim and fantasizing…what a pat little response in an attempt to quiet me. NICE TRY. I can write what i like..and FOR YOUR PLEASURE, i’ll say it again, when i can go to an no on 8 protest without being called a nigger or otherwise racially intimidated, i’ll think about showing more solidarity with the larger gay community which only chooses to acknowledge my existence when it needs someone to blame.
@menstruation- i’m a lesbian too..and i WILL NOT be taking part, so don’t disparage gay men in an attempt to coerce people into participating in this poorly planned boycott. being a lesbian or a gay man has nothing to do with it…this boycott was hardly publicized and it’s intent is unrealistic. in this economy, people, gay and straight, need their jobs. asking people to take a day off work and possibly put their job in jeopardy for something that might not even have a real econonmic impact is absurd. there are social justice movements that are more important than money but this particular intiative just doesn’t cut the mustard. and i’m a homosexual (female) and highly educated, i didn’t know about “day without gay”. many highly educated homos had no idea what “day without gay” was, so you’re WAY out of line to suggest that anybody who wasn’t aware of it isn’t socially concious. ::rolling my eyes:: do yourself a favor and GET REAL…on every level imaginable.
trace- no the exit polls from cnn are the urban myth, used to blame a racial minority for a law created and PASSED by white people. if you don’t like read what i write, guess what? DON’T READ IT. THE END. and of COURSE by discussing racism in the lgbt community and stating the facts i’m just being self pitying victim and fantasizing…what a pat little response in an attempt to quiet me. NICE TRY. I can write what i like..and FOR YOUR PLEASURE, i’ll say it again, when i can go to an no on 8 protest without being called a nigger or otherwise racially intimidated, i’ll think about showing more solidarity with the larger gay community which only chooses to acknowledge my existence when it needs someone to blame.
@menstruation- i’m a lesbian too..and i WILL NOT be taking part, so don’t disparage gay men in an attempt to coerce people into participating in this poorly planned boycott. being a lesbian or a gay man has nothing to do with it…this boycott was hardly publicized and it’s intent is unrealistic. in this economy, people, gay and straight, need their jobs. asking people to take a day off work and possibly put their job in jeopardy for something that might not even have a real econonmic impact is absurd. there are social justice movements that are more important than money but this particular intiative just doesn’t cut the mustard. and i’m a homosexual (female) and highly educated, i didn’t know about “day without gay”. many highly educated homos had no idea what “day without gay” was, so you’re WAY out of line to suggest that anybody who wasn’t aware of it isn’t socially concious. ::rolling my eyes:: do yourself a favor and GET REAL…on every level imaginable.
This is an incredibly stupid idea. Immigrant rights groups tried “a day without a Mexican” and it was a total failure – even in downtown Los Angeles! Not to mention this idea has gotten almost no publicity, I doubt many gay people even know about it. How is this supposed to impact the average American? It won’t. It will have the opposite effect that it’s intended to have, because NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
Menstruator says: “Any educated homosexual (male and female) know about this and will take part. If you are getting your news from Fox news still, maybe you aren’t aware of it.”
Sorry, I’m gay, highly educated but think this is an incredibly stupid idea and won’t be participating.
What would really be cool is if all the gays in the military came out at once. I think this would have more impact than “calling in gay” to work.
I’m just not feeling “day without a gay”. It seems quite silly, actually. Even the title is perhaps childish, if not a bit offensive. If we want to have an impact, we need to have a more thought out strategy, instead of something that one or two people came up with and publicized on some websites. We’re smarter than that.
While the “Day without Gay” is a good idea, I don’t think it will have any impact in changing things.
Sadly it is the Christian Fundementalist religions that have been at the forefront of denying gays their rights. To make any impact they must see vast loss of people attending church, and VAST LOST OF INCOME.
To make a major impact we need to make it where people are either afraid or do not want to go to church.
My company, today, is laying off a bunch of people. I have to let a handful go myself. I feel fortunate to have a good job in this economy and to have an employer who totally, 100% recognizes my rights, and did so long before the state of Mass did…so I would NEVER slap them in the face by not showing up for work.
Day without a gay should be about our spending power. It should not try to show the business world that when the heat is turned up, we take our ball and go home. I don’t want my employer thinking “Dave is a good employee, a good leader, except when he decides to bring political activism to his job.”
The workplace is the wrong place for this.
If you work in an unfriendly workplace, then maybe it does make sense…but really, all days should be without gays in those places. Maybe just one day will show them who they would sorely miss if we followed true supply/demand and didn’t work at those companies in the first place.
So good luck with your day. Wednesday is my day to deliver Meals on Wheels so I’m already volunteering…and I won’t spend money.
But I won’t punish my employer. That doesn’t make any sense to me.
I’m not at all shocked by the gay male response to this on the whole. I realize how hard it is for a man not to make money for just one day, but isn’t this more important than money? Your rights? Or is it because you’re also sticking up for my rights as a lesbian that makes it so hard for the solidarity?
If we don’t speak up now? What shall we do? Just keep our heads down and act like we have opposite sex love interests?
This idea is huge and important and MANY more people know about it than just the people on this site.
Any educated homosexual (male and female) know about this and will take part. If you are getting your news from Fox news still, maybe you aren’t aware of it.
Russian LGBT Rights Movement expresses its solidarity with the LGBT community of the United States, and declares one-day boycott of goods manufactured in the USA.
Ryazan branch of the LGBT Rights organization supports the position of the Moscow office and also joins the boycott.
Orenburg organization “Pride Praid” Orenburg-LGBT is also expressed solidarity for the “Day Without Gay”
Team of the Volgograd LGBT radio station “Raduga” (”Rainbow”) subscribes to the ideas of leading American LGBT – the human rights movement.
“SDG-Krasnoyarsk” joins the action “Day Without a Gay” at the 10th of December
5.8% in the USA according to a very scientific study a few years ago.
But due to the abomination called the closet, there are still, even in a blind study, people who wouldn’t dare tell that they are gay – who knows if it really is or isn’t traceable. Reminds me of the guy I met who didn’t dare tell his Dad he was gay. Why – because he realized that his ill father would die if he found out. Not terribly different from (long sad story) about how my brother’s life was ruined because he seemed strange, people said he was gay, and it was the most horrible untouchable subject. So my brother never got any help for his real problem – obsessive compulsive disorder, it is too late to help him. And btw (very long second part of the story) my Father died partially because of this homophobia as well.
I call homophobia driven by the right wing churches as exactly as mad as the terrorism we suffered on 9/11. And every year in this country, 3000 gay kids commit suicide. A toll every year equal to 9/11. Driven mostly by the leadership of the same churches who talk about “right to life”. Maybe they need to know the definition of what they are – Hypocrites.
Never heard of “Call in Gay” until now. Lol. Cool idea. I’m gonna nick it.
In sweden gays did something like this in -78. Homosexuality still being an illness in those days people called in sick. It was quite legal and put a gooc point on matters. In -79 it was removed from the list of illnesses.
>> “Do not compare the gay right movement with illegal immigration.”
Gosh, cant compare it to illegal immigration. Cant compare it to black civil rights. What do you suggest we compare it to, huh? Civil rights are civil rights. Period. End of story. If you think we had it so cushy, then clearly you dont know a whole lot about our history — perhaps you should work on that.
Yeah, lots of people can “pass” because their orientation is easily hidden. Does that change anything? Should we just accept any ol’ legal crumbs that come our way because, in theory, everyone else’s struggle is more important?
It’s attitudes like this that’s kept us stuck since 1969.
This whole idea is a losery. No one that doesn’t read this website knows about it and even those of us that do read this site think its laughable and won’t participate. Net effect: total waste of time. At least no one knows about it so that silliness won’t make its way out to the mainstream public. I can hear the jokes already: “Bad hair for a day”