Why we can’t let up - or we get left behind.

[bluedawg12]

Why we can’t let up - or we get left behind.

We, the GLBT community, understand the BIG issues facing President Elect Barack Obama.

We, the GLBT community, understand that the economy, jobs, health care, the war in Iraq and the precarious war on Afghanistan are among the top pressing concerns waiting for our new President even before he takes the oath of office.

Having said that, we the GLBT community must never let up, for those exact reasons.

Once again we will be shuffled to the back of the line of pressing priorities and forgotten.

The question is how do we maintain an effective, grass roots campaign?

1.) Keep coming back to this GLBT forum. Support it. Post good news and bad news.
Remember, it’s like having a salon with a variety of interesting like minded people. Keep it serious, factual, impassioned and also keep it light.

The GLBT community is among the smartest, most creative, witty, clever, smart @ssed bunch of good people ever that I could ever hope to hang with. I am very proud of us. Our intelligence and our passion.

It is also very important for GLBT people under daily siege of hate baiting, bigoted disinformation that incredibly passes as interviews, news, point counter point, media buy ads, to have a safe place to come to, to have a sense of community to never allow us to be isolated, marginalized, divided and fearful of the worst.


2.) Contact lists of powerful people.

I have already mentioned, as have others, the Pro gay, National Black Justice Coalition, email them, ask for their opinion about the root causes and solutions to Prop8.

www.nbjc.org

Email powerful soon to be CoS, Rahm Emmanuel. Never mind about your opinions of him he IS it and will be powerful and we need allies.
http://www.house.gov/emanuel/

Email Barney Frank an openly gay legislator.
http://www.house.gov/frank/

Email any openly gay legislators.

Let’s build and keep a list.

Invite them to this forum to respond to our concerns.

Post their replies to you.

3.) Let’s follow the Obama model and develop a strong grass roots inter net coalition.

Those who post on Face Book, Twitter, My Space - we need your help to get out smart, appealing, non-angry but persuasive powerful messages.

These are just some ideas from one person. I am asking for other ideas as well.

I am certain as GLBT’s we are creative enough to kick @ss with our message and smart enough to make it work.

My message is not merely the how’s but rather, the reason why we cannot let up.

In a few days our anger will dissipate, our lives will return to some routine, some will get burned out by anger and frustration and resistence, so all I ask is that we keep this GLBT forum strong, vibrant, active and that we stay focused.

There are many of us out there, when one of us get’s weary of the hate and burden, others of us will rise for the next challenge, the next debate, the next item of disinformation.

That’s why GLBT brothers and sisters of every race, religion, ethnicity, we must not let up and we must stay united. We must maintain HOPE.

[bluedawg12]

1. Adding to supporters list: Brian Copeland radio DJ supportive of GLBT

http://www.kgoradio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=3554

He has an emial link on his web site.

ETA:

One other thought, Keith Olberman is doing one of his special commentaries on Propagate-hate-8 on Monday.

It should be worth watching and worth supporting with emails.

[cboy4]

2. Has Barney Frank responded to anything about Prop 8?

I haven't heard anything at all. He's been very quiet and while I like him on our side, it irritates me that he isn't more vocal.

[bluedawg12]

3. I haven't heard a peep out of him -so let's email him!

I expect he is busy with the transition right now, so I'll cut him some slack.
But, I also think a little wake up call from UDU GLBT'ers might stir him.

Also, adding to list:

Rev. Amos Brown, 3rd Baptist Church, San Fran: Rev. Brown has also guested on KGO speaking about his disappointment in his own community wrt Prop 8. He related an incident that occurred during one of his sermons leading up to the election wherein he was attempting to talk to his (largely black) congregation about the importance of voting against Prop 8 only to have one angry parishoner run up to the podium who wrestled the mic away to prevent Rev. Brown from speaking out against Prop 8.

Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell:

Ten Questions for California United Methodists who voted on Proposition 8

Full Disclosure: I am a 75 year old, African American United Methodist clergyman who was first ordained in 1956. I am straight and have been in a heterosexual marriage for almost 51 years. If I had been a resident of California, I would have voted No on Proposition 8 that defined marriage as being limited to one man and one woman.

http://www.rmnblog.org/2008/11/ten-questions-for-califo...

Willy Brown, former mayor of San Francisco. Vehemently opposed prop 8

[cboy4]

4. Well don't cut him too much slack. There should always be

a couple seconds out of his busy schedule to focus on gay rights .. especially this.

How long does it take to dictate a short press release/statement to a staff member?

You know? :)

on edit... Add second line.

[bluedawg12]

5. Agreed - emailing Frank is a start.

Or calling his office. I know, we actually have real lives...but just another option.

Here is another person for outreach:

Adding to our list of pro GLBT people.
Colin Robinson is executive director of the New York State Black Gay Network

http://www.blackaids.org/ShowArticle.aspx?articletype=NEWS&articleid=168&pagenumber=1

.........

Another organization I just found: Black Pride

http://thevitalvoice.com/node/988

>>2008 Black Pride combats homophobia through visibility
By Colin Murphy - Posted on August 8th, 2008

>>> Erise Williams Jr. has been a part of St. Louis Black Pride since it emerged eight years ago from the B Boy Blues Festival, an intervention program sponsored by Williams and the now defunct BABAA (Blacks Assisting Blacks Against AIDS).

Williams, who serves as the president of the St. Louis Black Gay and Lesbian Pride Committee, admits he couldn’t have envisioned the success of Black Pride, which serves as a resource for the metropolitan African American gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community. Black Pride will host the eighth annual St. Louis Black Pride celebration, which culminates on Aug. 17 with a festival at Kiener Plaza downtown.

“It’s a real good tool in terms of bringing the African American GLBT community together,” Williams said of the Aug. 15-17 celebration. “It has also served as a venue or opportunity for the non-African American GLBT community to work with the African American GLBT community<<<

..........

[bluedawg12]

6. Important and interesting glimpse of rw hate and brave AA film maker

This is an article that shows an attempt to counter act the vicious rw hate propaganda, by Dr. Dee Mosbacher who “ thinks African-American churches should know the truth about gay and lesbian people, and she is providing it in a new documentary called ‘All God's Children.’”

The article is hopeful and spot lights a pro-active documentary, but warning, it is hard to read as it also shows the hate agit-prop of the rw .

“The film was created to counteract the effects of a video called "Gay Rights, Special Rights" produced by Lou Sheldon, the leader of the Traditional Values Coalition in Anaheim, California. Sheldon's video has been widely distributed to African-American churches, but it portrays a distorted image of gay and lesbian people.”


Dr. Dee Mossbacher goes on list of heros. Lou Sheldon on the “other” side.

http://www.whosoever.org/Issue6/godschild.html