During a conversation, a friend wondered if we are at fault about Prop 8. I asked him to elaborate and he did. He wondered if our "shallow" priorities got in the way of the real ones.
I thought it could be possible, but I also start thinking about other ways we may have contribute to this. I know I'm bringing up issues that may be tough to swallow; but I hope it will get us thinking about this more.
- The NO campaign (in LA) preached to the choir, throwing events in WeHo, having mostly gay galas, advertising in gay areas or popular non-gay areas. We should've been in our embattled areas. We needed to win folks over, I thought.
- We should have presented a more diverse LGBT community. Believe it or not, some folks still think of the gay community as a white-only club. We still need to defeat this issue within the LGBT family.
- Look at our priorities. This is tricky because we should be free to be you and me. But we need to ask ourselves so tough questions. Like...Do we need to be sexual in very gay ad? Do we need to over-hype Folsom Street? Are we truly a community or a community of convenience? Are we diverse enough within our community? Are we promoting the party, sex, drugs image? These are questions similar to the ones most minorities ask themselves as well. I think it's time to critically process what we are actually doing as a community and a people.
- Did we talk to our opponents, not shout, but talk with them about who we are? I know that's far-fetched, but who knows.
- Did we reach out to other people besides our famous allies?
- Did we take our liberal freedoms for granted?
4 comments:
VERY good points--I agree.
<> Folsom is only an issue because anti-gays made it so.
<> I think what should have happened is that people need to see that behind all that Fab and Glam (I think I'm using old terms), there are some very real people who struggle with daily issues just like everyone else.
<> If it means anything, the latin@ glbt has to share much of the blame too. I know of one latina activist there by you and I'm still wondering whether she took any action with respect to a radio host who said if gays win gay marriage, it would lead to latino and black children doing drugs and prostitution.
I am Latino queer artist living in the east coast I do not feel like I ought to take any responsibility for Preposition 8. I do not care about Marriage for gays or straight. But I also opposed the Preposition because it is a bigotry at first hand. I hope that what happen in California gives rise to the queer and progressive communities to bang and to fight back against the Mormon church, the christian right, and those conservatives assholes that infiltrated in the communities of colors. The sad part about this is that if thiese communities were to really know the bull shit that the Conservative Christian and religious right had done against people of color, they then would not have even conceder reading their propaganda. This klan hooded christians need to be outed and need to be confronted even by the media and local political organizations. Having said all that. The queer community also need to examine their own racial shit and their own class bull shit.
lelocolon artist
http://web.mac.com/lelocolon60/
I am Latino queer artist living in the east coast I do not feel like I ought to take any responsibility for Preposition 8. I do not care about Marriage for gays or straight. But I also opposed the Preposition because it is a bigotry at first hand. I hope that what happen in California gives rise to the queer and progressive communities to bang and to fight back against the Mormon church, the christian right, and those conservatives assholes that infiltrated in the communities of colors. The sad part about this is that if thiese communities were to really know the bull shit that the Conservative Christian and religious right had done against people of color, they then would not have even conceder reading their propaganda. This klan hooded christians need to be outed and need to be confronted even by the media and local political organizations. Having said all that. The queer community also need to examine their own racial shit and their own class bull shit.
lelocolon artist
http://web.mac.com/lelocolon60/
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