You say you want a Revolution?

November 13, 2008

By James Miko
Gossip Boy Editor

The night of November 4, 2008, saw great national change and progression in our country. Joining with others, LGBTs across the nation had given their lives, their spirits, and their money to move America towards a vision of full equality.

On the morning of November 5^th, however, LGBTs found that despite their efforts for all, they were left behind and lost rights to marry and adopt in certain states. An Election Day victory for progressives, became a painful defeat for gay civil rights. People, whose rights had been staunchly defended by gays, turned their backs on them. Those who should know more than anyone what being treated as second class citizens felt like decided that the culmination of their dream didn’t include every one.

Dr. King said he had a dream where ALL people would be treated as equals. At first whites didn’t get what that “all” meant; now many still don’t. It now looks like many people of color don’t get what that “all” means either. The March on Washington in the video above was organized by Bayard Rustin, an openly gay black civil rights activist, who had led actions long before Dr. King came on the scene. It was Rustin who taught Dr. King about non-violent Ghandian civil disobedience. Dr. King was a face to the movement, but Rustin was its heart, soul, and mind.

He was asked not to participate in the march he created, because of his homosexuality. For years, the NAACP refused to give recognition to Rustin for his civil rights efforts.

Prior to his death in 1987 Rustin said, “"The barometer of where one is on human rights questions is no longer the black community, it's the gay community. Because it is the community which is most easily mistreated." Rustin’s partner of ten years Walter Naegle still survives. His lover and partner spent 40 years, being abused and jailed, for his desire to see that blacks and gays achieve full equality in America. One must wonder what Naegle feels about the black community turning its back on gays, when gays helped advance racial causes that led them to having an African-American become the most powerful person in the world.

There’s plenty of mad to go around. We can blame the blacks, the Mormons, religious conservatives, and more. Mostly, we need to blame ourselves for lack of involvement and not taking control of our destinies and our community. We left things up to certain people that never really had our interests at heart. Change has now come and that’s not acceptable to many of us now.

Last week, resentment, anger, a sense of betrayal, and sadness began building across the land. LGBTs and their supporters took to the streets and the birth of a new – stronger and larger – gay rights movement was born. Within hours a national day of protest was launched and now includes cities in every state of the nation. Three cities in Oklahoma will be holding demonstrations: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Stillwater. All are being led by new voices of leadership that will take Oklahoma out of the rut and get it moving forward again.

On Saturday at 12:30 pm in every time zone hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, will join in a simultaneous demand for equal rights and an end to hate and discrimination. Suitably, Oklahoma City’s action will take place on the steps of the State Capitol. [Note: Action has moved to City Hall now.]

Oklahoma City has seen its usual slate of pro-LGBT leaders and organizations fall silent during this important action and unwilling to activate their resources and unite with all LGBTs in a significant and historical event that will set the course of leadership and community involvement for years to come. Certainly, change has been sweeping through the LGBT community as it has got caught up in a national belief that the old ways of doing things have failed. Gay causes in Oklahoma had stagnated, while the state as a whole became even redder. LGBT leadership and media had failed in every respect and many decided it was time to change that too. It could be that those people have realized their old habits and exclusionary practices can’t get the job done in this new age. This time maybe they’re the ones feeling powerless and excluded.

In recent years an established gated community within Oklahoma City found most LGBTs left out. The elitist inner-circle made it quite clear that they were exclusionary and self-serving. They picked the wrong year in American history to continue being that way. New leadership, a sense of community, a cry for equal rights, and more was being born right under their eyes and they failed to notice up until the moment they were displaced and fresh, strong, determined leaders stepped forward with the realization that equal rights cannot be achieved through a cocktail party circuit where attendees stand around patting each other on the back over their delusionary beliefs they’ve accomplished something. Nor can equality be achieved through ineffective letters that lack force or follow up and only amount to a weak “you shouldn’t do that to us”. The pillars of their self-imposed power over the gay community were built on weak foundations and mere weeks saw them topple.

Anyone watching election returns on November 4^th could look at the McCain/Palin watch party and see a small gathering of pasty has-beens desperately trying to hold onto power and clinging to out-dated traditions and ways of doing things. In comparison, the Obama/Biden watch saw a sea of spirited and galvanized people seeking change and justice and tuned in to modern technology and networking. In its own way, that has now occurred within the OKC LGBT community and throughout the state. That night self-governance, empowerment, and the people taking power from a select few dawned a new era.

Republicans and old LGBT leaders were lucky the guillotine wasn’t brought out. 

Show up Saturday people. Stand your ground and make your footprint on history. Retain your new power and your new spirit for the common benefit of all and guard yourselves against the intrigue of a handful of opportunistic abusers. Very importantly, guard yourselves against becoming what you are replacing. Always keep in your hearts that it is not for you…it is for all.            

You say you want a revolution? You got one.