Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: Comment on Day Without a Gay
Tomorrow, organizers with Join the Impact are asking all LGBTQ people to call in gay to work. That, literally taken, means you get the chance to call your boss and sadly complain, “Can’t make it today, turns out I’m gay.”
As an event organized by a comedian, it’s no surprise that the concept provides for some entertaining imaginary conversations. Still, that doesn’t mean the actual protest isn’t worthwhile.
In these tough economic times some are asking for a reconsideration of the protest tactic. Companies are looking to cut jobs and if you pull a prank like this, you might be next. The reality of this risk is not easily ignored. Fear is a powerful motivator and there are precious few Americans not living in fear these days.
But that doesn’t mean the protest should be called off. If the economy was rosy, if things were perfect, the loss of gay employees for a day would have a much smaller effect. It is the crisis that makes the day without a gay that much more powerful. Boycotting when the boycott brings with it huge risk is a better news story, a better statement, a more effective mode of communicating the gravity of the rights violation in the U.S.
Without visible dissent, demands are often ignored. Lawmakers and judges won’t pay attention if the movement doesn’t maintain visibility. Calling in gay in an economic crisis is exactly what the LGBT struggle needs.
The real problem with day without a gay is that LGBTQ people don’t have enough to gain. Sure, there are 1138 rights that come with marriage, but if the community really cared about those 1138 rights everyone would risk their job. They would take to the streets and demand that their civil disobedience be rewarded with equality.
That said, I won’t lose my job if I don’t go into work tomorrow. And if I would lose my job, I’m not sure marriage would be important enough to justify taking the risk. Does this mean we don’t care? No. But it does put those 1138 rights in perspective.
During the civil rights movement, black and white citizens put everything on the line for equality. I fear the same progress for LGBTQ citizens won’t come without a similar sacrifice.
If we seriously no longer want to remain second class citizens and our human rights really mean anything to us, we need to get more militant, or we will not be taken seriously and listened too by the “establishment” and its institutions At the minimum, “we need to hurt them where it will hurt them the most, and that is in their pocket books!” Because of the present economic crisis and its consequential dearth of employment opportunities, you may have to go to work today “for the man ,” but I submit to you BOYCOTT the system and make NO PURCHASES of any kind, unless it is an absolute emergency! And as for the future, make it a point NOT to patronize any business establishment, or religious and/or secular institution that is philosophically adverse too, or works against our very existence and rights either directly or indirectly. That means “WE,” the LGBT Community, better start doing our homework before we work, shop, pray and drop while we continue living in this adverse system, we call “America Inc.! “
Bob –
I am not just saying “I’m gay get used to it” and then doing nothing. I am also not following our current self-proclaimed leadership either. I protested in November and actually played a roll in running the protest in my city. However, future protests have to make sense and make an impact that is meaningful. Today’s protest should have been encouraged to be a rally at 12 noon maybe in a location in every city and that could have allowed people to work two weeks before Xmas and provided a media opportunity to showcase.
Give me a break. Playing nice, and saying meekly “I am here and I am gay” has not been working.
I remember in the 80s and seeing Act Up in the news, with that picture of the activist crumbling the communion wafer in front of the priest. I thought that was going too far. Time and experience has taught me that I was wrong and Act Up was right. We need to be seen. It is unfortunate that too many of us are pacifists.
Too many of us act like “ooh, if I just hope for it hard enough society will accept us” and “society will eventually give us marriage”. I call BS. We must demand equality. We must demand it now. We must demand it loudly. We must demand it with force. The time to meekly ask has come and gone. What has it gotten us? Proposition H8 is what we got.
Bill Clinton was the only presidential candidate that actively courted the gay vote. What did he do when he got into office? He threw us under the proverbial bus. If our political “friends” would do that to us and we have no political friends in Washington today we must take drastic action.
The problem with gays and lesbians is that too few of us will participate in anything. Too many people feel safe huddled in the back of their closet. Oh, I can’t participate because…I need to make more money…I have class…my employer might get upset…it won’t matter…I have to get my hair done…we already have gay marriage in my state…I have to go find my next trick…blah…blah…blah
If your employer would get upset if you participate, then I feel sorry for you. You must really hate yourself to be willing to work for a company that hates you.
If you think your participation won’t make a difference, just imagine if every gay person in the U.S. could just get together one time and participate it would force everyone else to take notice. It takes everyone.
GLBT issues will never be taken seriously by the rest of society as long as there are so many GLBT people who don’t take our issues serious. Trust me, those who would vilify us and want to keep us down are organized. Their message gets through. Just this once, let our message get through.
I think this idea comes from good intentions, but it’s inane and ineffective. If you’re out you probably work for a gay-supportive employer, so you’re probably just hurting someone who supports you while risking your job. If you’re not out or you work for an employer who is hostile to gays, you’re probably not intending to come out this way. When the day is over and nobody notices we were missing, what will that say?
Today is one where its hard to make a choice. We all have responsibilities. We have jobs. Some of us have children. Some of us have a union/marriage with another. Some of us only have ourselves. And we live everywhere. What is hard in this time of economic volitility is to set this all aside for one day off which many of us in the end will charge vacation time for anyway. Today, I am observing the economic boycott of the Day Without Gay because I value what my job provides to my family and that my paycheck for today will go half to bills and half to paying for our wedding next Fall. So in honor of that I am not spending money on anything today. But I cannot shirk a responsibility that is a value I was raised with. My company has a non-discrimination policy. My company would allow my partner to be on my benefits if we wanted it. My state protects gays in the workplace. However, what we really need to emphasize today is that we are here in the office and will not hide our lives from the chatter around the water cooler. We need to turn to our cubemates and talk about our partners or reveal a peace of ourselves today. It is by revealing and not just protesting that we will ever pierce the hard coating of denial that many straights have in this country. Those in the middle part of the nation should call their HR departments and ask about sexual orientation being added to the company discrimination policy. Bond with your fellow gay coworkers today and set up monthly lunches to emphasize our uniqueness in the workplace. Pack a lunch for your boyfriend, partner, husband, wife, or significant other. Reveal yourself today, don’t hide.
You guys living in those gay friendly bubbles who actually can take the day off without getting fired, but aren’t…yeah, thanks for nothing. I don’t know why the hell I stick up for you. Solidarity is an illusion. Enjoy your privileges.
Because of the media coverage, my employer found out about it and preemptively told me I couldn’t do it. Since I can be fired for being gay in my state, I don’t have the choice that some of you have. But, y’all don’t give a crap, do you?
We need to do what the suffragettes did and stand watch day and night outside of the whitehouse until gay marriage is passed.
Ok, I live in Mass and we have Marriage Equality here. Why would I want to hurt the state that has recognized that I am equal We’ve been battling this for years here and not once did I hear much from California.
Great point…we have to feel the impact on a consistent basis before we will ever sacrifice for the greater good. As long as gays and lesbians can hide their heads and avoid being known as homosexual, there is an incentive to avoid sacrificing.
We should all follow the idea of one of the posters…perform excellently at our jobs…so much so that we are considered the best of the best…while clearly and reasonably clarifying that we are not straight, but we can contribute as much as anyone else. THEN we can correlate our input with our request for equal rights.
I’m not doing it. I love my job and it has a 100% rating from the HRC.
I think the concept of calling out gay is ineffective and particularly risky given the present state of our economy. If gay people make up 10% of the population, it doesn’t mean that we (the 10%) are evenly distributed amongst industries or even in cities. So, as in my case being the only Out LGBT person in a defense contractor (republican-dominated industry) company of more than 1000, calling off “Gay” isn’t going to make much of a splash. I’m only one. However, I can make an impact by being out and being effective in the work I do. Just being myself, being effective, professional, and reliable has earned respect and, I think, changed a lot of my peers perceptions about gay people. I don’t think calling off from work “gay” accomplishes anything. In areas where there are enough gay folks to walk off and actually make an impact, chances are that city or workplace is already predominantly LGBT friendly. Why hurt our allies????
I see no reason to cause harm to my company that has a perfect rating regarding gay subjects.
Such an ill conceived idea.
How did I guess Ruby-Sachs would support it?
I to Agree With the Call in Gay Protest its a great idea right up there with the Us Armed Forces coming out day that no one ever really participates in its all about actually getting people to participate!!!
I totally agree with this. The LGBT community is too afraid of making a scene. But that’s just it, we NEED to make a scene. However, it’s not that most of them don’t care, we just have other things to worry about. Sure I want full rights just as much as the next LGBT out there does, but right now I have to focus on school and work and I just can’t afford to work for this at the moment. It’s a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless.