Looks like Rex Wockner and I are on the same wavelength.

[JackBeck]

After Obama's historic win and the LGBT community's civil rights losses in 4 states, I wondered http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=87735&mesg_id=87735">where do we go from here?

Well, it looks like Rex was thinking along the same lines.

http://wockner.blogspot.com/2008/11/day-music-died-for-gay-leadership.html

A couple of highlights:

The organization No On 8 failed us. Before the TV ad war started, we were up 14-17 points in the polls. Then No On 8 spent some $37 million of your money to spam the California airwaves with really lousy ads, while the other side spent a similar amount to spam the California airwaves with ads that were, whatever else they may have been, effective. While the bad TV ads were not the only component of our loss (last-minute preaching from the pulpits was a factor), had our ads been good ads, we would have held onto our lead. And producing those mindnumbingly expensive ads (which I and many others publicly criticized as they were airing) was one piece of the war that No On 8 had 100% control over.

Although the HRC-like Equality California group is not solely to blame, it's likely fair to say EQCA was the biggest component of the No On 8 coalition, along with such entities as the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, The San Diego LGBT Community Center and others.

My favorite part:

You don't have to listen to the gay "leaders" who failed you anymore, you don't have to give them any more money, you just have to figure out what you want to do next with the power that now is yours -- to get what you want: Full equality. I am intensely eager to see your next steps. It is an exciting time indeed.

Sorry if my previous words were not as inspirational or as expressive as Rex's, but I hope you realize that it's clear he and I are presenting all of us with the same challenge. So what do we do now?

And given the turnout from this past weekend, what do you plan to do with this new power to achieve your equal footing?

[terrya]

1. In answer to your question:

You know, I was impressed with how last weekend's protests were organized. Ok, they were rallies...not productive in of itself...but the call to these rallies via the Internet delivered a pretty damn amazing turnout. We've got the anger and the energy...and the moral high ground...on our side. We could develop, from what happened last weekend, a nationwide organization...based on the internet..to fight for equality. Hell, let's borrow tactics from the Obama campaign...they achieved a pretty good result. :-) Fundraising, television ads, volunteers to help spreading the message.

I'm obviously not an activist. I wish I had some more concrete ideas. But what has happened the last 2 weeks...I've never seen anything like it re: GLBT issues. We can use this exciting energy and passion.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[bluedawg12]

3. I was wondering where next, too.

First, we keep up the support for the California fight in the State Supreme Court.

This can be done by using the internet for getting out information to the GLBTQ community.

By giving our financial support to groups like Lambda who are waging the battle in the Court.

By the power of the wallet, and NOT supporting businesses that attacked our human rights.

By responding thoughtfully to hateful OP ED pieces, many of which have been posted here on GLBT, from Mass. to Silicone Valley.

And, in truth, to take a page from our recent GE, we have not yet "found the one we are waiting for," a national leader, spokesperson, or a cohort of spokes people, who do nothing but write, speak and work toward gay equality issues.


Until a few weeks ago, most of us were quietly living our lives in our own home States, focused on the GE and fighting to put a Democrat in the white house and the vote we were focusing on was for the nations top leader. The very same night the bottom fell out of the gay human rights fight in California and many of us awakened to the virulent hate and lies and persistent homophobia fueled by the reich wing and theofascist cults.

I think the gay movement is in it's early stage of a new 21st century fight. We need time to create a real movement with organization, leaders, thinkers and writer, spokes people. It's been three weeks, I think we are doing pretty well - but the biggest danger will be if we forget, get back to our lives and comfortable denial and daily patterns.

Maybe, if nothing else, we can all pledge to do something positive for the fight for human rights on a daily basis, even if it is something like posting on GLBT for support and presence, or writing a reply to some editor, or bringing news stories of interest to gay forums, such as this, or boycotting bigots.

I think history has some element of inevitability to it, that is, if something is right, if something is timely, if something has become intolerable, the void will be filled. Nature abhors a vacuum. If this sense of outrage is real, and I think it is, then those among us who have the talent will rise to speak and lead.

[keepCAblue]

4. Here are the websites to watch for upcoming events...

I've given up on orgs like HRC (a joke) and the No on 8 organizers - their post-election response was dismal. Move On, likewise, was too busy celebrating Obamarama they completely threw us under the bus.

Even our local community center has been worthless. It took them five days to organize anything after prop 8's passage, and then it was only a community meeting intended to "grieve" and "kvetch"...had it not been for the attendees at the meeting who were chomping at the bit to go march and protest, no such public show of dissent would have ever developed had it been left to our local community center and its so-called "leaders."

Regarding nominating a new national leader for our cause...I VOTE FOR WANDA!

Here are the websites to watch regarding upcoming events:

In addition to http://www.jointheimpact.com, these two are also planning events:

http://www.californiaoutreach.com

http://www.equalityactionnow.org

[AntiFascist]

5. The legal arguments supporting gay marriage in CA...

were all being argued earlier in the year around the time of the Gay Marriage Ruling. From my perspective, half of the problem has been educating the GLBT and progressive communities that this is a deep civil rights issue, potentally affecting other minorities as well, and which could eventually be used in the Federal Supreme Court, particularly when it is adopted by other states. Gays and lesbians are now considered a protected minority (for the first TIME!), and marriage is now a Fundamental Right (in California). How much easier could this be to get across to people?

While our lawyers have been doing an excellent job in court, the leaders of our cause have failed in getting this message, and its importance, out to people in time. The simple act of using real gay and lesbian families in their ads could have worked wonders also, but they chose to take a more conservative approach which ultimately failed.

The grassroots community which has evolved from this can be very powerful, but when money is raised in the future it needs to be spent very carefully in spreading the right messages.

[Maat]

6. Very well-put.

I agree.