by Alan Bounville
Below is my extended response to the article titled “The LGBT Grassroots vs. HRC: Fighting for a One-Bill Equality Strategy (And Our Lives)”
posted on February 12, 2012 by Todd Fernandez on The Huffington Post.
(Huffington limits responses to a certain character count, which was
well under the characters I used in my response.)
Every action each of us takes is another step towards the day when we
will be equal under all the laws and seen as such by everyone. Though
full equality is never actually achieved by any act of legislatio n,
dreaming big, which a single bill allows us to do, both simplifies and
humanizes TBLGQ and allied people in this struggle. Pragmatism will not
galvanize. Simplicity will. So I say, lets simplify the message around
one bill, one call for full equality and see those who want to
compartmen talize our struggle to acronyms like DADT, DOMA, ENDA have to
defend the belief that we are only worth one piece of equality at a
time.
A challenge for everyone who reads this – call one of your local,
state or federal elected official’s office and ask – Does elected
official so-and-so support full civil rights and full social equality
for people based on their gender expression, gender identity or sexual
orientation? Yes or no. – and watch them squirm. Don’t let them off the
hook either. When they try to switch the topic or talk about one piece
of legislatio n that may be on the table right now, insist on an answer
to your incredibly simple question. All but a few of our elected
officials have ever been asked this simple question. They are used to us
being led by a piece-meal agenda fed to us by organizations like HRC
or the Task Force. And they are used to themselves driving the agenda
for our equality.
But before calling anyone, ask yourself – Do I deserve full equality?
Do I deserve to wake up tomorrow and be treated as an equal in every
way by everyone and by every law? – I’ve posed this question to
thousands of us – queer and allied folks. And I’ve learned that there
are many of us who haven’t yet asked ourselves that seemingly simple
question.
So each of us can do some soul searching. Then we can from an
empowered place start asking others about their feelings on our full
personhood. And from there the impossible can and will become possible
in ways we can’t see today. That’s transformation. And that’s what will
build our movement towards its crescendo.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
(Into the Light Walk) My response to Huffington Post article about full TBLGQ equality bill!
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Captivating post and content. I am glad i found it here. I learned a lot. Thanks! :)
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