ENDA, SplENDA and the ENDA-Bendah...

For several long weeks much of the LGBT community has been struggling with the evolution of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the forms of H.R. 2015 and H.R. 3685... also known as ENDA and SplENDA respectively. This has indeed been a monumental month for our community but it has certainly been historic for reasons that differ greatly from the once-anticipated passage of a transgender inclusive ENDA.

Somehow the LGBT movement has gone from pushing a trans-inclusive ENDA that was originally introduced by Rep. Barney Frank to a fractured mob and now has realigned along the lines of transgender inclusion. The balance of power among the political homos has shifted. Frank is no longer the respected voice of LGBT individuals in Congress. The Human Rights Campaign has lost all credibility - not just for their willingness to turn a deaf ear to the transgender community but for having blatantly lied to that community. Rep. Tammy Baldwin has stepped into the spotlight as the new figurehead of LGBT voices in the House. A massive groundswell of grassroots support has been launched under the auspices of United ENDA, a coalition project led by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The drama, divisiveness and almost cannibalistic nature of the internal struggle of the LGBT movement to deal with the curve ball that was thrown at us when Rep. Frank introduced a thoroughly misguided SplENDA, a.k.a. H.R. 3865, was devastating. Friendships with colleagues at other LGBT organizations became tense, some were severed and every word had more meanings behind it than a cat has lives. Long after this legislative battle has been resolved the wounds we have received will still be raw for years to come.

After all is said and done this has been a pointless battle. No matter what the outcome, Barney Frank has set the transgender community back years in their march toward equality and inclusion. This legislation will never reach the desk of the President and under this administration would never see a signature. We have torn apart a community for an unrealistic goal, one that was poorly timed and ill-conceived given the realities of the political climate.

My Last Supper Came From the Street Vendor

Tuesday afternoon brought hoots of laughter and gasps of shock to my office and my cell phone as friends and colleagues began to discuss the Folsom Street Fair poster that has drawn much criticism for parodying Leonardo DaVinci’s The Last Supper. Conservative groups are up in arms over a poster that parodies a painting and all I can do is wonder where the time honored concept of satire and parody has gone when the power of symbolism has been corrupted so heartily.
For hundreds of years literary giants and other denizens of the art world have used satire and parody to convey political messages. The time honored tradition of political cartoons has been a staple of the American newspaper industry since before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the American people once revered such wit but it seems that – at least for some conservative and religious groups – the value of that particular form of art has depreciated beyond repair.
This is not the first time that The Last Supper has been manipulated, parodied or taken satirically and I can assure you that it will not be the last. Other bloggers have already compiled long lists of other parodies and, as they point out, I can’t recall the same level of vocal protest against the Simpson’s when Homer sat in Moe’s Tavern smack in the middle of an imitation of The Last Supper.
The statements issued on Tuesday demonstrate, if anything, the excessive closed-mindedness of some communities. While I readily accept that DaVinci’s painting portrays a symbol for the Christian community I am prepared to argue, as I would have during the controversy over the cartoons of Muhammad, that par t of the power of symbols is that they outlive their parodies and in many ways it is a sign of respect to the symbol that it is target by parody. A month from now the poster for Folsom Street Fair will be forgotten by most but DaVinci’s famous canvas will still grace art history texts and print shops around the world.
Perhaps it would be a better use of time for our self-loathing brethren to take the time to reflect on the true nature of symbolism that to jump up on a soapbox to decry a poster for an event, that deep down at heart, they really wish they could attend this weekend. I know I’ll be there and I promise that my last supper in San Francisco will be a hot dog from a leather-clad street vendor.

Gays - the next generation

We often use the expression “children are our future” when we talk about anything related to young people. It is one of the most cliché turns of phrase that ever enters those discussions but, like most clichés, it is also axiomatic. It is basic biology that we grow older and die and that children really are the future – of the species, of society and certainly of the LGBT movement.
I read, not long ago, that my generation is going to be the first generation that will not surpass our parents in terms of growth. I can only assume that this refers to the notion that the Baby Boomers have pushed the envelope of capitalism, establishing broader free market economies, accumulating personal wealth and owning property. The next generation will most likely attain the same level of material success but we cannot reasonably expect to experience that kind of growth. Instead our opportunity to shine comes from affecting social change.
Sitting in a coffee shop this evening I heard a couple talking. They were probably in their mid- to late-fifties, the same age as my parents. Their conversation was an observation of the soon-to-be college graduates milling around them and their disappointment in that group. Young people were being written off as unmotivated, shallow, ungrateful and a waste of a generation. It was shocking; and it made me think.
Thursday a group of high school students from Philadelphia came to visit the Task Force’s DC office. They had some really great questions and were truly interested in what they could do for the LGBT movement. Some of the questions they asked were the basic “what are the challenges facing the gay community?” type. Others ventured into the legal aspects of marriage and how constitutional law helps or hinders the progress of the movement. These students even pushed the conversation with us as far as the work the Task Force does at the intersections with other movements. It was truly an exciting hour and a half conversation.
Here were young people who believed so deeply that marriage and domestic partnership rights should be bestowed to the LGBT community as a matter of fairness and equality and who were appalled that in May of 2007 there still isn’t a federal law protecting LGBT people from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. These are kids who get it and were excited that there was more they could learn, more they can do at home and that there are ways for them to get involved. It may be cliché and a little trite but children really are our future. As our movement continues to reach out to different communities that have been underrepresented, including the elders of our community, it is important for us to remember that we have a bright future ahead of us; these kids reminded me.

Get ready for the parade!

Temperatures all across the country are rising – this is certainly true here in the District of Columbia – and that can only mean one thing. Summer is almost here! Students are taking exams and packing up their dorms, parents are anxiously awaiting the start of summer camp or a family vacation and communities all over the United States are gearing up for Pride season.
I attended my first Pride in June of 2005 as a freshly minted intern at an LGBT rights organization. It was the end of my first week in the office and I was excited and nervous. This was the first time I would be out in public representing the org and it was also my first time at Pride. Around 11am the crowd began to grow and it was an incredible sight. LGBT people of all kinds were converging on those four blocks on Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate being themselves, to revel in the camaraderie of their peers and to support the community.
Two years later I am thrilled that I get to spend a large part of my summer traveling around the country to different Pride celebrations sharing the work we do and reaching out to new people. Hearing the stories people feel comfortable sharing with us on the road is one of the most rewarding parts of working here and I am looking forward to taking a few of our summer interns with me. It is an experience that no desk job will ever provide them with.
This time of year is also an opportunity to revisit the history of the LGBT movement. Pride festivals have not always been the light hearted reverie that they have become today in many communities. The first parades were marches held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Marches held in that first decade had a decidedly political sentiment. We have made a lot of progress since those days in many ways but the message behind Pride is still the same. We are a community, we are people and we will not be ignored.
If you have never attended Pride in your community, or if you have never traveled to the closest festival to you, then I recommend that you look at the summer ahead of you and take that trip. Load up on stickers, fans, t-shirts, brochures, newsletters and a slew of free trinkets. And know that if you are looking for the chance to get involved with the community, to meet new people or simply to look at some local eye candy then Pride season is for you.

*This is an edited version of another post I wrote for another blog*