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I happen to agree with an editorial today by The Washington Blade's Chris Crain that the GLBT movement needs to get more aggressive. I think he lays out a solid case that we are letting our "friends" ignore our interests and that we are running away from a national conversation about marriage, to our own detriment. We can win the marriage debate within a decade, if we only have the courage to open our mouths and stand up for ourselves.
12 Comments:
Chris is right on. We need to fire out GLBT leaders. Take a wrecking ball to the HRC building and start over from scratch. I am so tired of getting out hat handed to us.
How true! Seems like organizations like HRC develop that "inside-the-Beltway" mentality and quit giving a rat's ass what the rest of us think or care about.
Ironically, I received a survey from HRC earlier this week. They probably regret sending me one since I didn't pull any punches ... not that I think it was do any good or change the organizational culture, but at least it made me feel good.
posted by Van, at
11/04/2005 2:18 PM
I've been saying it for years. Our socalled gay political organizations are playing too much kissey kissey and kow-towing far too much to get what we've always deserved, equal rights as taxpayers. We get nothing from them. They throw us a bone to appease us for a while, then they think we'll be content and won't bother them any more. Its not good enough, never has been, never will be. We need some in-their-face politics right now, no more grovelling or ass-kissing for empty promises never fulfilled. Its time to ACT UP all over again whether they like it or not. All out war is what we need. They need to see how angry we are and that they're not going to get our vote unless they put up or shut up. Enough is enough!
The only way to win the culture war is to stack the courts with moderate to left leaning jurists. With the jackass we have as a president, its unlikely to happen.
posted by Ivan, at
11/04/2005 3:05 PM
I'd say the HRC is way behind the eight-ball in that it doesn't liase all that effectively with state lgbt organizations. At least NGLTF is trying to help these state organizations grow. I give my money and time to the state organisations and to legal organisations. NancyP
posted by Anonymous, at
11/04/2005 4:36 PM
I think that there is an important lesson in all of this current hysterics surrounding the lives of gays and lesbians: that it became a political football in the first place. I don't know about the rest of the blog readers but I was caught off guard by the rise of the influence of the religious right. For years, I thought they were on the fringes, a joke if you will. But low and behold, they seized very powerful positions and turned the nation of the US as a whole, against gays and lesbians, made them out to be a threat to families and society. It is interesting in itself that this could happen in 2005 let alone the country with the world's largest gay population. Most change in the hearts and minds of heterosexuals comes from personally knowing gay people. I think a big opportunity has been overlooked in the celebrity world. Where are key celebrities in publically denouncing the hateful bully tactics of right wing christians. To these ears, the silence has been deafening. As far as our political organizations, they are grossly underfunded and not going to bat where they should. For instance in Oregon, how could one woman, namely, Karen Minnis, have such as influence on gay equality. Why did she get away with her hateful arrogance? In Canada, it has been a bit of different story because the country itself is built on diversity and is essentially and country of minorities and Prime Minister Martin, although a religous man, did not interject his personal beliefs into the lives of others as Bush clearly is doing. As well, the religious right in Canada is not as powerful as the US although they are working deligently behind the scenes to change that. What is sadly missing is that sectors of society who see us as evil and demonize us in turn, do this without recognizing the fact we are every bit as human as they are with exactly the same needs, rights should be a given, not something we have to fight or beg for.
posted by BC WaterBoy, at
11/04/2005 9:45 PM
I love HRC because they make sure the more radical elements of the movement pipe it down and know their place. The last thing we need are naked leatherman with assless chaps and sicko drag queens representing us. HRC presents a respectable front and face for the gay community. We should support these efforts.
As for them pushing too hard? They should keep a low profile. Why rile up the straight people with stuff like marriage? If we just try to fit in a little more, we will gain our rights. Why must we scare or antagonize straight America?
It is the radical activists who are responsible for us not reaching our goals. Don't blame HRC or other establishment groups. They are doing a splendid job! Chris Crain is dead wrong and is uncouth. I take umbrage at his insousiance.
Let me pose the same question again ... Do you really think that the "Majority" of "white folks" who had "power" in the "south" would've "voted" for "equality" in the "south" for "black folks"?
We hear the same "old" arguments that the Southern Baptist and KKK made in the "south" against the Civil rights act and subsequent SCOTUS rulings that sought to "set things right" for blacks used against Gay Americans.
We've watched over the last decades as States' laws that forbade inter-racial marriage disappear because they were UnConstitutional ... and we've seen intergregation occur against some Southern GOvernors' will ... but change happen'd!
Thank Goodness. Change Happened. I have Faith that Change will happen for Gay Americans as it has for African Americans .... slow but sure ... and always Deserved under the Constitution of these United States!
What is different now about the HRC as opposed to when you worked for them?
Chris has a great number of points to make about how the HRC does business but quite honestly, I haven't seen much of a tactical change in their operation in a great number of years.
posted by Scott, at
11/05/2005 1:35 PM
Chris Crane is a former right winger. He used to be a Republican and probably still is. He's probably fucking Jeff Gannon, just like KKKarl Rove was. Why else would let the failed whore write for The Gay Blade?
We need more libearls to speak out aginst those right wing queers like Crne who want to highjack the agenda. They hate gay marriage and they love the closet. They are a disgrace to the GLBTQ Community.
