The Day After a Hard Night | The Bilerico Project:
These are some important words, and--after California, and now Maine--its time we get tough on the Progressive movement as a whole. Its time Progressive and pro-LGBT become SYNONYMOUS! LGBT people have been more than diligent in the fight for Progressive issues for decades, but the Progressive movement always seems to flinch whenever 'queer' comes up.
Look at True Majority, Moveon.org as Prime examples. Though these two groups often picked up and ran with other Progressive causes than their main causes (mostly military), and yet nary a peep out of either about LGBT rights. Two of the largest Progressive lobby groups in our nation, and they covered everything progressive EXCEPT LGBT stuff. Even leading up to the election, Huffington Post--certainly our most prominent Progressive blog--barely did any coverage of any of the LGBT questions.
Health Care
Health Care
Health Care.
Yes, Health Care is an LGBT issue too, but I really don't feel like fighting for it anymore, if America keeps giving us the shaft. I'm pouring ALL of my energy now into LGBT and only LGBT causes. I've fought hard for Progressive causes for over a decade, but when it comes time for my Progressive straight friends to turn out for me, they've always got something better to do. Well now, I'm not available for you anymore. If you want me to come help with Habitat for Humanity, you better write a Letter to the Editor about DOMA first. If you want me to come on down to the War Protest (I used to ORGANIZE those), I want you to lobby your lawmaker on ENDA first.
LGBT people, stop volunteering for Progressive Causes immediately. Stop giving money to Progressive Causes. Take a break from your boards. Start demanding your Progressive friends show ACTIVE not PASSIVE support for LGBT rights if they want you there donating your time, money and expertise. The time you would have been spending with FireDogLake or something, now donate to a local LGBT organization and help THEM get the status and clout that every other Progressive organization gets.
Demand urgency from the rest of the Progressive movement NOW! No more overtures, no more hollow talk. We want you to go to bat for us now, straight progressives. We're done until you give back what you've been taking for decades!
"And there is no polite way to say this--one cannot claim to be fair-minded and still support measures which deny full equality. You either support full justice and civil rights and equality or you don't. Period. End of side-stepping and excuses.
For my friends and family who support civil unions or domestic partnerships but do not support the full equality of my 16-year relationship and the security of my two children which rests on that full equality--and yes, that means marriage, right now, in this country--you have to get off that fence.
We are past the moment when you can claim support of me and other LGBT folks you know and love and yet still stand with those who deny us marriage. To not support marriage equality, right here and right now, means you believe that same-sex couples are less valid, less equal, and less deserving. Such a position is untenable with any claim that one is 'fair-minded.'
We are in a difficult moment. This is a hard day."
These are some important words, and--after California, and now Maine--its time we get tough on the Progressive movement as a whole. Its time Progressive and pro-LGBT become SYNONYMOUS! LGBT people have been more than diligent in the fight for Progressive issues for decades, but the Progressive movement always seems to flinch whenever 'queer' comes up.
Look at True Majority, Moveon.org as Prime examples. Though these two groups often picked up and ran with other Progressive causes than their main causes (mostly military), and yet nary a peep out of either about LGBT rights. Two of the largest Progressive lobby groups in our nation, and they covered everything progressive EXCEPT LGBT stuff. Even leading up to the election, Huffington Post--certainly our most prominent Progressive blog--barely did any coverage of any of the LGBT questions.
Health Care
Health Care
Health Care.
Yes, Health Care is an LGBT issue too, but I really don't feel like fighting for it anymore, if America keeps giving us the shaft. I'm pouring ALL of my energy now into LGBT and only LGBT causes. I've fought hard for Progressive causes for over a decade, but when it comes time for my Progressive straight friends to turn out for me, they've always got something better to do. Well now, I'm not available for you anymore. If you want me to come help with Habitat for Humanity, you better write a Letter to the Editor about DOMA first. If you want me to come on down to the War Protest (I used to ORGANIZE those), I want you to lobby your lawmaker on ENDA first.
LGBT people, stop volunteering for Progressive Causes immediately. Stop giving money to Progressive Causes. Take a break from your boards. Start demanding your Progressive friends show ACTIVE not PASSIVE support for LGBT rights if they want you there donating your time, money and expertise. The time you would have been spending with FireDogLake or something, now donate to a local LGBT organization and help THEM get the status and clout that every other Progressive organization gets.
Demand urgency from the rest of the Progressive movement NOW! No more overtures, no more hollow talk. We want you to go to bat for us now, straight progressives. We're done until you give back what you've been taking for decades!
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