Hello and welcome everybody to Pride weekend 2009. I can’t imagine the reader of my blog who doesn’t already know the term Pride, the schedule of events, or the many ways in which they will intoxicate themselves this weekend, but sadly I predict that many readers have no clue why.
This year, be different. Have just as good a time, but also know how it came to be.
Forty years ago a little riot broke out in Greenwich Village in New York. In those days, police raids on gay bars were frequent. They weren’t there to break up fights or to check for drugs. They were there to bust people dancing with members of the same sex and cross-dressers (though somehow men wearing makeup were seemingly not an issue). Normally, patrons would go along with it, a few would be arrested, and the bar would reopen later that evening. On the night of June 28, 1969 things went a little differently, however.
It’s that riot that is now commemorated each year. Although “Stonewall” doesn’t necessarily mark the first time a gay man or drag queen stood up for themselves and it certainly wasn’t the largest or most impressive protest in the history of the gay rights movement, it does hold a special significance in how it inspired people not just in NY but all across the globe to begin standing up for their right to be who they are openly, and to be proud of it.
It’s the tireless work of gays, lesbians, transgender people, straights, and many others that has created the environment we have today. Where gay bars have windows. Where men can not only dress in drag but there are television shows about it. Where women are not required to have on at least three pieces of feminine clothing (Although ladies, I do encourage you to. I’ve been fooled one too many times for pointing out cute boys that turned out, in fact, to be lesbians with better hair and clothing than myself.) Living a queer life today is a far cry from the the way things were forty years ago. But our world is not yet perfect.
Tomorrow, when we all gussy up in our finest summer gear to march among our fellow celebrators of queer culture, don’t forget all the work that has gone into making it possible. And on Monday, when normal life resumes, do something a little different:
Stop discrimination dead in it’s tracks each and every time you see it.
Call your representatives and demand marriage equality; an inclusive, nationwide Employment Non-Discrimination Act; the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act.
Come out. To everyone.
And for god sakes, people, this one is really important:
Come together as a group. I really don’t understand why but we have an environment right now where all the different colors
of the rainbow are in separate corners of the room, backs to each other, with their arms crossed. The next person I see judging another person for dressing differently, talking differently, loving differently, or having a different color skin – I’m going to smack them from here to Perez Hilton (too soon?). We all have one common goal – to be ourselves unashamedly. We all know what it’s like to fail to live up to that dream. We should all be together because then we become the majority.
Now get off the internet you dork and go have a vodka soda (low cal, helps you keep your figure), do your hair, listen to some Lady GaGa, and get the heck out because it’s time to live it up for the weekend!
Further reading:
Wikipedia article on the Stonewall riots
Within the past few hours news has begun breaking that Obama is expected to announce the extension of benefits to the partners of same-sex employees of the federal government. So to be fully clear what this means is gay employees of the federal government will be able to provide things like healthcare to their same-sex partners.
This is clearly a response to the growing pressure from the general public surrounding the President’s handling of gay rights issues thus far. In addition to pressure from the media, several big names including HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse and gay blogger Andy Towle have pulled out of an upcoming gay-centered fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. So Obama clearly had to do something.
So, while this is certainly a welcome move, it is not enough. Sorry, Mr. Obama, but LGBT rights are not a slot machine and you can’t just pull the arm and hope your nickel gets you out of this mess. Unless the media outlets are wrong and you are announcing something major tomorrow, understand that it isn’t good enough. There is no appeasement any longer. No small gesture to show that you are still our “fierce advocate.” The only action at this point is strong and swift action on all fronts. Tomorrow, come to the table with the following, or come to the table with the knowledge that you are no friend of an equal America:
- An executive order immediately ending Don’t ask, don’t tell and a timeline for legislation to be introduced to permanently repeal the policy including sponsors in both the House and Senate.
- A clear condemnation of the abusive and offensive language used in last week’s brief supporting DOMA along with a timeline for introducing legislation to permanently repeal DOMA, sponsors in both the House and Senate, and the immediate dismissal of all staffers involved in allowing this version of the brief to be issued.
- A date in the next two weeks for the return of the Matthew Shepard Act to Congress for immediate vote and a promise to sign the bill into law no later than the anniversary of the Stonewall riots on June 28.
- A publicly-announced policy shift supporting full same-sex marriage equality.
- The immediate appointment of a top-level adviser on gay-rights issues.
Sources:
AMERICABlog – Obama not to address any of his eight promises tomorrow…
The New Civil Rights Movement – Obama extends benefits to Federal LGBT Employees’ Partners
The Rachel Maddow Show
UPDATE: The Rachel Maddow video clip has been fixed and a few new articles and tweets have been added since mid-day.
I feel as though I’m constantly re-tweeting and posting to Facebook a wealth of articles about the (snail-paced) advancement of gay rights issues. I’m now going to post a collection of each days articles, video clips, editorials, and quotes in a post called the Equality Roundup (name is open to more creative suggestions).
- The New York Times has published yet another strong editorial in support of gay rights -- this time the going after the Obama administration for their harshly worded and completely unnecessary brief issued last week in support of the Defense of (bigoted) Marriage Act. In the brief, the Obama-appointed Justice Department compares same-sex marriage to incest and marriage between children and adults.
[ View the full editorial here. ] - Rachel Maddow, the only-slightly-sarcastic-but-incredibly-witty MSNBC host brought former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean to discuss the president’s stance on gay rights. During the interview Dean calls Do(b)MA unconstitutional and says that it was a mistake of the Obama administration to issue the legal brief. He also suggests that the administration might now have to move Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to the front of their agenda in order to make up for their blunder.
- glaadBLOG posted their commentary on June 9th’s “The 700 Club” in which Pat Robertson advises the mother of a gay child to tell her son that being gay is “an abomination before God” and goes on to say that “if somebody’s on the way to hell you’ve got to love them to rescue them.” He also insists that gay people are not born that way but rather “made homosexuals” through abuse.
[ View the full story and video. ]
- Tonight PBS airs the documentary “ASK NOT” -- “ASK NOT explores the history of the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans willing to risk their lives for a country that criminalizes the act of coming out.” If you are in Chicago it airs on Channel 11 and 11.1 at 10pm and 3:30am as well as channel 11.2 at 4pm.
[ More information and showtimes here. ]
- Cleve Jones responded to concerns about the upcoming March on Washington over at The Bilerco Project. He covered ten reasons why such a march would be a success for gay rights. The gist of his argument is that this march is supposed to help ignite a larger movement nationwide.
[ Full post available at The Bilerco Project. ]
- Multiple bloggers and twitter users posted links to a very simple page -- “Obama’s Plan for Gay Rights.”
[ Obama's full plan available here. ]
- And finally -- some tweets:
@ntinaz RT @DCBadger: As much as I love the DNC email from POTUS re: Health Care, where’s email re: LGBTQ rights? #p2
@ntinaz RT @jtbritto RT @hobronto: http://www.obamasplanforgayrights.com/
@perezhilton Join us this October! RT @NtlEqMarch 10 Reasons to March, by Cleve Jones http://is.gd/13Atk
A friend of mine (hi Jamie!) forwarded this wonderful note to me on Facebook. It has apparently been making the rounds and to be completely honest I can not recall reading any better written argument for why marriage rights are so important to homosexuals. In fact I was so impressed that I contacted Terry (the author) to get his permission to publish his note on my blog. Comments are of course encouraged!
Open Letter to My Friend Who Opposes Gay Marriage
By Terry Allen-Rouman
May 27, 2009
Thank you for your message, which I’m keeping private at your request, and for your honesty. But I disagree with you. People say that just because they are against gay marriage doesn’t mean they are homophobic. I agree that they do not necessarily “fear” gays, as “phobic” implies, but they are absolutely demonstrating that they feel gays are somehow inferior. My being gay is defined by my being in love with a man rather than a woman. If someone does not see my relationship as equal to a non-gay relationship, I can only conclude they somehow feel, even if subconsciously, that I am inferior.
Marriage in the United States is actually two different institutions, civil marriage and religious marriage. Many couples enjoy both, while others have only one or the other.
Civil marriage legally confers over 1,400 legal rights on a couple, things such as the right to file joint taxes, the right to visit each other in the hospital, the right to inherit each other’s property without lengthy and expensive additional processes in place. In addition to state rights, the federal government confers over 1,100 rights to married couples and up until recently recognized each state’s civil marriages to confer these rights – now they single out same-gender marriages for exclusion of these rights. Some states, including California, grant many, if not all, of the same state rights as civil marriage under a separate umbrella, such as domestic partnership. But as with other civil rights struggles, separate has proven not to be equal. First and foremost, not all rights are granted to these other types of relationships (especially federal rights in this case). And perhaps as important, at least to me, many people in society simply don’t understand the other types of relationships – everyone understands marriage. With one word, husband, I am able to convey and receive respect for my lifelong commitment to my husband, a “right” that you enjoy, probably without a second thought.
Religious marriage is an institution defined separately by each religion, church, or synagogue. Many religions do not recognize each other’s marriages. I absolutely honor your decision to belong to a religion that does not sanction same-gender marriages. But other religions do sanction same-gender marriages. And at least in the United States, our laws are not supposed to be driven by one religion over another, and certainly are not supposed to suppress any religion. Your church defines “marriage” one way – and I am not trying to change how your church defines it. But I deeply resent Californians voting for, and even being allowed to vote for, changing how my religion defines “marriage.”
Not long ago, interracial marriage was outlawed in many states, using remarkably similar arguments as those used today by those opposing same-gender marriage. Interracial marriage was against many people’s religions at the time, and it was argued that allowing interracial marriage would undermine the entire institution of marriage. Luckily, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against interracial marriage, ruling in 1967 that “marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man.”
Jason and I had our religious wedding in 1993, well before we were allowed to have our civil marriage in 2008. Now, although our marriages remain valid, the voters of California have decided not to allow other same-gender couples to enjoy this same right, and the California Supreme Court has agreed. For the first time in history, the majority of voters have rewritten a state’s constitution to discriminate against a minority. This is a dangerous precedent. I find it interesting that although 52.3% of voters voted for Prop. 8 in November, this represents only 30.2% of eligible California voters, and only 19.0% of all Californians. So less than one in five Californians is all it takes to eliminate a group of people’s rights.
Luckily, our country continues to define equality more and more broadly. And history has never looked back kindly at those who have stood in the way of equality. More and more Californians and more and more Americans support same-gender marriage each year, realizing that equality needs to include everyone. I look forward to the day that it does.
Every time I head out to a protest this is the song that I have playing in my head. Gay rights is probably not exactly what Mraz was thinking when he wrote the song but I can’t help but be moved by the lyrics in that context.
“No I won’t hesitate no more, no more / It can not wait / I’m sure.”
It was wonderful seeing familiar faces and new faces alike last night. The crowd was an angry group of people happy to cherish their diversity, queer or otherwise. There was one thing we all shared in common though – we were all human, and we were all equal.
The NY Times has been publishing an amazing number of Op-Eds in support of gay rights lately. Saturday’s installment came in the form of “La Cage aux Democrats.” Frank Rich discusses the lack of movement from the current administration despite growing public support for equality for gay couples. Interestingly he chose to frame the article with Adam Lambert’s performance of “A Change Is Gonna Come” during the American Idol finale, which, by the way, was an spectacular and moving performance.
In other news Hillary Clinton made a very classy move in announcing that gay American diplomats serving under the State Department will be offered equal benefits. Thank you Hillary! Full story, again, at the NY Times.
And from me – a very special thank you to all those brave men and women who have fought for our country. And extra thanks to the gay service-members who have not only fought for us but have done so while being forced to hide yet still gave their best.
As a teenager, I, like many homosexuals, struggled to accept and love myself for who I was. The world makes it incredibly difficult to believe that being gay is okay. The idea that “gayness” is something to be ashamed of has become so ingrained in American culture that it is almost impossible to avoid encountering some form of bigotry each and every day.
Only when I finally came to believe in, accept, and be proud of myself did I begin to see that changes were happening in the world around me. Being gay was becoming more and more socially acceptable. I even stopped fearing that I would be killed for being gay (yes, this was a fear that I lived with for years.) I still never imagined that I would one day be allowed to marry.
Then in December 2003, in a twist that I really never thought I would see, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that gays could not be denied the right to marry. The emotions that were stirred in me were strong. My heart swelled with hope and my eyes teared. Thinking back on it still causes those same feelings to resurface today.
Five years later and relatively little progress has been made though. On the contrary, a lot of steps backward have been witnessed. DOMA still prevents any union between same-sex couples from being recognized federally, a handful of states have constitutional amendments outlawing gay marriage, and what is arguably the most progressive state in the nation has claimed a first: stripping rights from a minority that were previously afforded to them.
At the same time celebrities are coming out, television shows and movies are regularly featuring gay characters, major corporations are enacting by-laws protecting gay employees and offering domestic partner benefits (links go to companies that scored 100 on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for 2009), and gay-straight alliances are becoming commonplace in schools.
So why is it, then, that the gay rights movement has moved at a snail’s pace? Why is it that five years later only two states offer homosexuals the right to marry while so many states have been able to quickly outlaw that capability? It’s because we are too lazy.
A few months ago, after Proposition 8 passed and gays in lesbians in California stripped of their rights, half a million people around the country came out in protest. Chicago alone saw 10,000 take to the streets. Finally people were upset and demanding action. What happened that day was amazing. People of every orientation, race, religion and background imaginable were out in full force fighting for what is right. Not only was it empowering but it was emotional. I struggled at times to hold back tears. I was full of happiness, pride, comfort… outrage, anger, and motivation.
I looked around at my friends who came with me as we poured out onto Michigan Avenue. Everywhere there were chants. “Gay, straight, black, white same struggle, same fight.” “What do we want? Equal Rights. When do we want it? Now.” “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Homophobia’s got to go.” Shoppers in stores along the Magnificent Mile came to the windows and drivers stuck in traffic cheered instead of getting angry. It seemed that maybe things would start turning around.
Two months later, on January 10th, Chicago’s DOMA protest drew barely one hundred and garnered no news coverage.
Some chose to sleep in because it was snowing. Others stayed home with hangovers. Quite a few people didn’t bother to take the day off from work. Out of over three hundred people that I invited personally only three showed up, and quite ironically, all three were straight.
I was there with my three friends and a small handful of others. We all had picket signs. We also were covered in snow, cold and drenched, feet soaked from road slush and ourselves very hungover. But for the few who made it that day we realized that equality mattered more than a few extra winks of sleep.
What I want people to understand is that for progress to happen we have to fight for it. Politely but steadily and without wavering. The single reason why bigots have been able to make so much progress is because they, not we, have been organized and committed to their mission.
On the eve of a “change we can believe in” it is important to remember that the changes we want don’t happen while idly waiting for them.
- Educate people through casual conversation.
- Stop people when they call things “gay” or use the word “faggot.”
- Attend events like the protests that have happened. Attendance get media coverage and media coverage reaches far and wide.
- Absolutely under no circumstances support anything or anyone that supports bigoted views.
- Fight not just for your own rights but for those of others.
- Leave your comfort zone, push the limits.
- Come out – to everyone.
