Time to demand full equality

[IndianaGreen]

Time to demand full equality

Amy Kemery and Nicole Colson report on meetings in the Midwest to mobilize for the National Equality March in Washington, D.C.

September 4, 2009

IN SPEAKING engagements in Chicago and Madison, Wis., veteran activist Cleve Jones encouraged people to mobilize for the October 11 National Equality March in Washington, D.C.

Jones, who worked with the famous gay political leader Harvey Milk in San Francisco, is an author and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. He spoke to a capacity crowd of 250 in Chicago on August 29 and an audience of 400 in Madison August 31. Among the two sponsors of the events were Haymarket Books, Join the Impact Chicago, Young Chicago Authors, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ and the Madison-based grassroots coalition LGBTI Equality Now.

In Chicago, members of Young Chicago Authors kicked off the event, performing moving spoken-word pieces in support of LGBT liberation. Also on hand were members of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 743, who have been on strike at SK Hand Tools since they received notice that their health care coverage had been abruptly terminated.

But the highlight of both nights was Jones, who related his experience becoming political by learning about the anti-Vietnam war movement, the women's movement and finally the gay liberation movement—all of which he saw as parts of the same movement for social and economic justice. Jones hitchhiked to San Francisco to become a part of the movement in which he was "allowed to participate in something that was truly brand new," he told the Madison audience.

While the recent Oscar-winning movie Milk has introduced a new audience to the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and ’70s, Jones also spoke of the effect of AIDS and the conservative backlash of the Reagan years on activists who continued to work for justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/04/time-to-demand-full-equality

[Prism]

1. It was actually a bit boring

I attended in Chicago and, well, I'll just say this.

The people who attend these events? Don't need motivating. They don't need "moving readings". They don't need reminders for why they're there. They don't need persuading. The fact they showed up meant they were knee-deep in the movement and didn't need nudging over to our side.

So, in a nutshell, it was a masturbatory event. Don't get me wrong, some of the writing was amazing, beautiful, glad to hear it.

But it was a waste of time and resources. We spend so much time and money on these little events and consider it participating, but what moves forward from it? Who did we convince that wasn't convinced before? How did we get closer to equality from it?

I'm a little tired, a little bored with this stuff. This is HRC-grade self-regard. "We do stuff! See?!" In a room with the already converted. No, no. Go out and do something to move the people who don't believe. That's the job, the goal, the end, the means, the everything.

Everything else is insular and pointless and belongs in the dustbin of yesterday's ineffective self-celebration without a modicum of movement to show for it.

We need to start thinking differently.

[mitchtv]

2. differently is right

Civil disobediance, sit ins, trouble making in general

[plantwomyn]

3. This is what the article said.

"The events in both cities raised funds to pay for buses to bring people to the National Equality March."
I think that's a worthy cause, especially now that I can't go because of finances.
Was that your understanding of what the money was going to?

I agree that we have to get off our asses and hit the streets though. Singing to the Choir ain't gonna cut it. That why I wanted to go to the march.

[mitchtv]

4. I bet we can forget about help from the Dems

the cowards are scared of their shadows

[Prism]

5. Yeah

I won't be able to attend the march for various reasons, and I wanted to do something to pitch in, so a connected friend bounced us into this event.

Maybe my general souring on organizations like HRC is coloring my impressions. I see them spend so much money on their fundraising gatherings, where it seems people are more focused on being seen, hobnobbing, and celebrating themselves than rolling up their sleeves and getting in the trenches. I've developed almost an allergic reaction to this stuff.

The event was just fine for what it was, but the entire time I couldn't help but think "We should be doing more."