|
|||||
  The environment following the passage of Prop 8 in California, coupled with the incredible opportunity provided by the election of a Democratic President and overwhelmingly Democratic Congress, gave birth to two ambitious ideas to advance LGBT equality: the National Equality March and the Dallas Principles. This site is directly inspired by the latter effort. Today, sad news came from the former: The co-chairs of the March have both resigned, and the parent organization is in disarray, as was reported widely ( http://www.bilerico.com/2009/11/equality_march_co-directors_resign_group_reorganiz.php ). Some of us who have championed the Principles feel a certain kinship with our young cousins, so today’s news hits hard. While in DC, I was impressed with how many of our community turned out for a march that most people probably thought could not be pulled off at all. Instead, the speeches soared, the weather cooperated, and maybe for the first time it felt as though the anger of the California defeat dissipated and was replaced with a sea of Hope. But today is a sad if not completely unexpected day. I would offer simply that co-chairs Kip Williams and Robin McGehee (and the entire team) took personal ownership of the struggle for equality and we are in a different world today as a result. And, they performed far better than any of us had a right to expect, under very intense pressure. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude, whether they were paid $9,000 or $90,000. There will be many decisions to make and lessons to learn from this effort, but one stands out for me: Whether or not Equality Across America survives, let’s not wait around for someone to form an organization to capitalize on the energy of the Marchers!! We have plenty of old organizations and plenty of newly minted ones already that could be energized by those who were inspired by NEM. This is especially important for thousands of new activists who reacted to Prop 8 by getting behind the March. If 200,000 of us can show up in DC at one time, why can’t we show up at one time at HRC, at the Task Force, at our state and local organizations, and in the offices of legislators like Barney Frank — and demand to be a part of the strategy to achieve full equality? Didn’t we learn that if we don’t show up we have no right to expect change? We need to come out and get the vote out. We need to lobby and whip. We have bills and referenda and coalitions on our plate. And, we need to pass the plate so that leaders aren’t forced into poverty to serve our community. So then, let’s honor Robin and Kip’s service by doing what they did: By taking personal ownership of the struggle for equality.
(No Ratings Yet) Big news! The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has just announced its witness list. It’s an interesting list that raises hope and questions, and I’ve uncovered some facts about the witnesses that you can see by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. But meanwhile, down in West Virginia, longtime Senator Jay Rockefeller IV has been a quiet friend to the LGBT community. Perhaps too quiet. He has cosponsored a bill with sexual orientation and gender identity language, and he voted for the hate crimes bill. He also voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the Senate in 1996, when it failed of passage by a single vote. He’s one of 6 Senators who are quite likely to vote in favor, but who have resisted calls to declare public support. The problem with this closet support is that the leadership will not bring ENDA to a vote unless they know they have the 60 votes necessary to defeat the Republican filibuster. Please call Senator Rockefeller and ask him to speak up. Remind him there’s a hearing on Thursday in the Senate on ENDA. Contact info and more on the ENDA Senate Witness list, just announced, by clicking here. (Reminder to all: We’re liveblogging the hearing at The Bilerico Project Thursday at 10am. You can enter your email in the box at http://bilerico.com for a reminder to tune in.)
|
 
 | ||||
