Comments on: Lesbian pioneer Del Martin is dead

By: GNBRob

GNBRob — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:22:46 +0000

In The Life is also going to be doing a tribute during their season premiere apparently.

By: misspronouced

misspronouced — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:03:02 +0000

here’s a nice personal tribute to del: http://www.pushback.org/2008/08/28/del-martin-lgbt-rights-activist-dies/

By: Kip

Kip — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:05:47 +0000

Maybe I’m just being uber-sensitive but the headline for this story was really CRASS! It would have been much better had it simply read “Lesbian Pioneer Del Martin Dies” — words do matter, and how we use them matter, and it just seemed to me that the headline was insensitive and sensationalized.

By: GayMan

GayMan — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:42:07 +0000

Thank you Del Martin for your contribution to advancing LGBT rights. You will not be forgotten.

By: dj shiva

dj shiva — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:07:40 +0000

this made me so sad. much love goes out to phyllis and the rest of del’s family (and her worldwide extended family).

del: thanks for lighting the torch. we’ll keep it burning and keep fighting!

R.I.P. Del

By: grmonli

grmonli — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:55:56 +0000

A sad farewell to a legend in the LGBT community!
Thank you Del and Phyllis for all the great work you did for those who come behind you.
At least one dream came true and she was able to be legally married before she passed.
Here in New York we still do not have that right but hopefully we will one day soon and we have those like Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon to thank for it….so thank you!

By: Archbishop Bruce J. Simpson

Archbishop Bruce J. Simpson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:10:29 +0000

Rest in Peace Del. My sympathies to you Phyllis. You will one day be together again.

By: TigerTzu

TigerTzu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:11:20 +0000

Instead of referring to ourselves by an ever-expanding alphabet soup acronym, why not simplify it with a term that covers us all no matter where we fall in line due to our orientation. That term is Second-Class Citizen.

By: Kevin F

Kevin F — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:57:47 +0000

Jack… we strongly disagree… my “partner” and I were together 16 years. When I would introduce him as my “partner”, most uninformed people would ask “What business are you in together?”. I can’t call him my spouse, it doesn’t sound right. As of 14JUL he is my Husband, and I love calling him that just as he does.

By: Tristan Robin

Tristan Robin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:01:42 +0000

“Please do not use the gender-polarity words of “wife” and “husband” for any GLBT couples. We married GLBT folks have a non-binary word: “spouse.” Our culture must educate itself in this semantic regard. It also keeps us from confusing straight people who don’t yet quite know the proper way to refer us.”

With all due respect, there IS no “proper” way to refer to us. There is no “us” in this issue. Some blacks want to be referred to as African American, some black, some person-of-color, and I even know one black woman who refers to herself as colored. Is one of them more “proper” than another.

I don’t believe it’s my job to keep the straight community from being “confused” about my relationship. Frankly, some of their relationships confuse the hell out of me. But, it’s not my concern.

I am fortunate to have been able to enter a legal civil partnership – and though everybody at our ceremony (including the Justice of the Peace) used the word ‘marriage’ in the ceremony – I will probably always refer to my long-time partner as my partner. He’s been called that for so many years, it’s not worth the effort to try to change. I certainly wouldn’t OBJECT to calling him my husband, nor him calling me his husband, but it seems like such a petty thing to worry about when there are myriad legal and protection issues at stake.

I also have to own up to being a man of a certain age and to me calling another man my “husband” is a tad too precious for my comfort level. I don’t MIND it – but in my personal history, it’s the way drag queens and transsexuals referred to their partners and it kinda gives me the weirds. Maybe not p.c. – but honest.

Back to the issue – LOL – we should never feel required to adapt our vocabulary to be “proper” – only to keep from damaging others.