BY MELANIE NATHAN
nathan@privatecourts.com
simplicity in the name of a movement
What happened to our LGBTQI movement? Since 1970, post Stonewall, – Good question. Nothing. We have a quest for gay marriage rights, we have a quest for social security, we have a quest for immigration equality, to serve in the army, to not have crimes committed against us because we are gay, we have a quest for employment equality and the list goes on.
We are denied many rights in many States under State Law
We are denied 1,137 rights on a Federal Level
For almost 40 years we have been rallying around organizations, while they advance their ownership- of the future of our rights,which has ultimately turned into a cannibalization of our movement.
There is NO MOVEMENT eat has been chomped at and is now in pieces called DADT, ENDA, DOMA – What do we really want?Is it not complete equality – The color of my skin is GAY!
Environment:
- BAD:
We are stuck in a milieu of Republican obstructionists,
an election (midterm) about to happen
a majority in Congress
a President the victim of serious racial attacks and unprecedented disrespect
Catholic Bishops and Evangelicals impacting Congress and the separation of Church and State.
- GOOD: Is this any different from USA as usual?
- Well we have one advantage at this time -a majority in Congress. (ah but the elections! Oh well that lasted a minute!
How does this comport? The current environment only precludes piecemeal legislation-and yet we forge on the same path to nowhere.
Our LGBT organizations have formed mostly around specific arenas of our struggle, which has actually wedged us all into compartments in our activism. There has been no Universal message for our movement. Guess what? That is the tone the USA public has been hearing and so they are accepting the tone we have set. Our own attitude by way of how we approach our rights- asking for a little at a time – reflects uncertainty and insecurity- it has done little more than to make us look as if we believe we agree with our marginalization.
The closest endeavor to universal message is “marriage” and that one is fraught with problems – why? Because it sets us up for the religious arguments which have been working successfully against us and also for the “leave it to the States” excuse also working against us.
I believe all is not negative and I do not look back along the path of the past and say ‘oops we made a mistake.’ No, we did not; it was our path and it is done and it has gained a lot for us by way of visibility. There is so much more that is acceptable that was not and the marriage road has given us a good measure of legitimacy and won us many friends.
But what I am critical of, is our failure to take stock when we enter crossroads and I believe we are at one right now.
In other words we cannot go forward in the same direction, we must choose a left or right turn and then we can forge a new road. The left turn is = do something completely different and the right turn = do the same thing.
What we have going for us is a Volcano about to erupt and we must harness that energy in a way that will work. The first little eruption can be noted by GET EQUALITY’s push for Choi et al – chaining themselves to the White House fence in the hope of getting attention – because in truth that is all they may have accomplished and yet did not. It caused more harm and the energy was not favorable harnessed.
So back to my point – the larva bubbling under are all of you who have “equality” as a middle name or in the fore of your mind and others of you who are of good conscience and allies.
So now it is time to utilize what is emerging from beneath – let us take the left turn here. The organizations and leadership can join in or they can crawl like tortoise to the finish line taking the right path.
The Left path is the PINK PRINT – it takes us right back to the beginning – what it does is it gives us the cement – the foundation for equality. If we have a Civil Rights Amendment to the ACT of 1969 – where we ask for one thing – not 100 things. Just one thing. If we pool everything we have into this one thing; hence the number …1… significantly displayed on the PRINT… and ask for what we are entitled to A CIVIL RIGHTS AMENDMENT to include the word “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” placed neatly next to the words “race and gender,” we would be setting the foundation for the Mansion to come….
After that our right to equality is solidified and we cannot be denied anything thereafter. What will fall will be an Omnibus to repeal all discriminatory law. We will not need ENDA and DADT will fall. As for UAFA – we will no longer have the problem as all the DHS will have to do will be to change their forms a little.
So Find me a champion. Find us a Senator and a member of the House. Who wants to join this PINK PRINT? Who wants to have a one Goal Movement ? For 40 years we have tried the other way and we are still begging for one piece of miserable legislation that a gay friendly President has yet to support to the point of passage.
What do we have to lose?
Our lives are no one’s priority – we must stop relying on those who do have a lot to loose – we are gong to have to make sacrifices and do this from the bottom up – so to speak. The leadership can follow. But please leadership, HRC, et al, do not tell us to be patient while you fight for one piece at a time.
There IS no such thing as not possible. But it sure is not possible if you dont not try.
Signing up for the Pink Print! One Goal – Mission Sexual Orientation and Gender ID as an amendment to the Civil Rights Act.
By Melanie Nathan
Nothing to lose. It’s GO TIME!
Great article…tell me what more can I do to help our cause.