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.