ACTIVIST RALLIES MASSES ON STEPS OF CITY HALL

November 15, 2008

The following is a speech delivered by long-time gay rights activist Jim Nimmo during Saturday’s protest.

Hello, Oklahoma City,

My name is Jim Nimmo.  

I'm very glad to be here to speak about something dear to all of our hearts and minds.

We're here because we want our government to acknowledge our rights as citizens of the the United States. 

We want the First Amendment guarantee of separation of church and state to be honored.  I firmly believe that the religious point of view of particular denominations is standing in the way of our full GLBT civil equality.

The wall of seperation between church and state is being replaced by a wall that seperates gays and lesbians from our government.

I speak and write plainly and directly to try and help our opponents understand the issues.

I may not be the best looking fruit in the basket, but I'm certainly one of the ripest. 

I say that because thirty-nine years ago, when some of you weren't born,  I was just graduating from high school. 

Neil Armstrong was making the first moon walk in July, 1969.

Our enemies and opponents would say we're asking for that moon today.

But in the previous month, June, 1969, in New York City, the first well publiczed and sustained demonstrations against homo-hating bigotry had taken place.  The Stonewall Riots began the shockwave that has been vibrating for nearly 40 years.

Rex Wockner, a well-known Internet blogger and reporter has suggested that the passage of Prop 8 in California and the nationwide events of the past week and today is a renewed Stonewall 2.0 --- a new release of energy and imagination in the fight for GLBT equality.    

Earlier this year we gathered at 39th and Classen for a rally to protest the crude and belittling remarks made by Rep Sally Kern who called us worse than terrorists, worse than cancer, worse than Muslims. 

You'll remember that not long after our Rally Against Sally, she twice carried a hand gun into the restricted State Capitol Building.  She knows the law but she broke it anyway.  She was absolved of all wrong doing, with not even a slap on the wrist.

You try that trick once and your caboose will be in jail for a long time, and  just forget about a second attempt.

Today, we're legally and peacefully assembling and petitioning in full respect of our First Amendment Rights.

Now, you tell me who's the terrorist?

Remember the contests that asked you to say in 25 words or less why you like a certain product or service?

I have a shorter version:  It's called "Tell me in 20 words or less---"

Someone tell me in 20 words or less why my citizenship should be denied, diluted, and disparaged just because I'm a gay man. 

Tell me in 20 words or less why someone else's religious belief should be used to separate me from my partner of 32 years should he need to be hospitalized.

If you can, tell me in 20 words or less why one particular religious belief can be passed into civil law, while another belief is ignored.

In 20 words or less tell me why I can not transfer my Social Security pension to my partner should I die first.

Why, in 20 words or less, am I forced to follow someone else's religious tenets that I do not believe in.   At the same time my partner and I are denied civil liberties such as those enjoyed by our opponenets who are never asked questions about who they love.

As President Obama has said many times, we are one country, neither gay or straight, white collar or blue collar, red state or blue state, we are the United States.

This is something our opponents don't understand.  When they recite the pledge of allegiance do they end it by saying "with suppression and injustice for some"?

I hope our energy here today persists for as long as necessary to force our government to recognize our birthright as citizens of a free country, with liberty and justice for all.