Since John Wright’s Thanksgiving Day post here on Instant Tea about Blake Wilkinson and his planned protest outside the Mormon bookstore here in Dallas, in which John described Wilkinson as a militant, several people have left posts defending Wilkinson and his in-your-face style. Many of them have also lambasted the high-dollar “rubber chicken” dinners and auctions. They said we need more militancy and less of the fundraising and back-room politics organizations.
Another commented that “If we depended on pissy dinners and blind auctions during the 80’s…about 1/2 of us wouldn’t be here today.”
I have been a journalist for more than 26 years now, and I have spent about 20 of those years in the LGBT media. I have seen a lot of history happening. And speaking from that perspective, I want to warn those who would abandon all else to focus solely on militant, in-your-face, in-the-street activism.
I have been thinking a lot about just this subject for several weeks now, ever since Prop 8 passed. And first of all, I agree, we need more people “in the streets,” confronting bigotry in a loud, proud voice and demanding change. We had that in the 80s and even the early 90s, but it has really died down over the last 10 or 15 years.
But we also need those people walking in the halls of power, raising as much money as possible and using that financial clout to work behind the scenes and grease the wheels, so to speak, to get things done and make progress.
Neither approach alone will get the job done.
I have heard a lot of criticism against the Human Rights Campaign in recent weeks. Some people are putting all the blame for Prop 8 and other defeats on the shoulders of HRC and other groups like Equality California. But I think those organizations have probably been trying to do their part — the big money, behind the scenes gentle persuasion role — and it hasn’t been working because the in-the-street militants were not doing their part. The demonstrations didn’t start, remember, until Prop 8 had already passed. And one group can’t play both roles without diminishing the effectiveness of both.
I am not saying HRC is perfect. They aren’t. But I do wish that both sides of the LGBT rights movement would recognize the necessity of the other, and that the two would work more effectively together.
Just a thought.
6 Comments
Good thought. We need both sides. We also need to tell the “big money” organizations what we expect from them, and make sure they do it. So make a minimum donation, become a member, and keep poking them with a pointy stick til they get it right.
I think many approaches are best. Different approaches reach different people but achieve similar goals. As long as they are with the best of intentions, I think for the most part we should give them a chance to soar or fail of their own accord.
However, I will state uncatagorically that Blake Wikinson’s style is not in-your-face. Clearly anyone who knows him would disagree with you.
Just for the record, I don’t know Blake Wilinson at all and have made no comments on his style. My post simply referred to other comments on Instant Tea.
Tammye
Remember Silence = Death? Still is relevant today. I agree that it takes both. Most of our more militant activist would agree. In LA during the 80’s while we were picketing HMO’s
and pharmaceutical companies, our rich pals were chowing down with Liz Taylor.
I don’t have a problem with overpriced rubber chicken dinners as long as the money is divied out as opposed to divied in. The CEO’s and big wigs of some of these groups openly scourn the street fighters. When in fact they should be taking part of that money to support those with the balls to take it to the street.
The question you should ask……and I would love to hear the answer to………Tammy…is why
do the pissy rubber chicken dinner eaters have such disdain for the street fighters.
One of the reasons I am universally despised in the city, (notice I said one of the reasons) is that when these right wing bloggers/publications throw shit in our direction, I pick it up and throw it right back in their face. Something the Republcian breeders are not accustomed too.
They feel that the “I have a gay friend” gives them a pass to ignore our plight, our rights, and
that we are sick of taking the bread crumbs. We want the whole loaf of bread.
I would do anything in the world to work with you Tammy, Brian, Blake and whoever else to try and bring together these two factions. We have to learn to respect each other for what each of us brings to the table.
Everyone should read the John Wright article about the letter I accidently recieved from
the President of The Eagle Forum that discusses their plan to smear us with lies and “horror stories”.
You are absolutely right Jack. There is disrespect and disdain on both sides of the activism aisle, and it hurts the community as a whole.
I do remember Silence = Death. And I remember G.U.T.S. (Gay Urban Truth Squad). And I remember people like William Waybourn and Bill Hunt and Deb Elder and Charlotte Taft and Bill Travis and many others who were the ones in the streets waving signs and chanting slogans and carrying out “guerilla” actions that forced this city as a whole to sit up and take notice of the LGBT community and the community of people with HIV/AIDS.
I remember candlelight vigils outside Dallas CIty Hall on World AIDS Day when the whole plaza was covered in chalk outlines representing those who died of AIDS. I remember banners hanging off the Cedar Springs bridge over the toll road. I remember people filling the City Council chambers in protest over the Mica England situation.
I remember those things. And I miss them. That’s what has been so glorious to me in the protests over Prop * and down at First Baptist – seeing the anger and the energy and the purpose coming back.
But I also remember that there were also people working behind the scenes, as it were, with city, council and state government, so that when the street activists got the city’s attention, the others could tell the politicians, “Here’s how you can solve the problem.”
Like I said, I don’t believe either side works as effectively without the other. And if either side discounts the other or treats them with disdain, as you pointed out, the whole system breaks down.
It seems to me, here in Dallas, the street activists have not been active enough over the past several years. It was as if the anger and the energy were missing. Hopefully, Prop 8 will be just the kick in the butt we need to get things going again.
i agree wholeheartedly that both styles of action are needed. i never set out to become any sort of activist or spokesman. my comfort level is more in sitting at home posting a comment or two on blogs (which apparently that has ruffled some feathers today). but guess what? i’ve reached the breaking point.
i can’t sit by and watch my rights be stripped from me. i won’t close my eyes and believe that things will work out eventually. and if marching in the pouring rain on capitol hill a couple of weeks ago will bring attention to our cause, i’ll be there. if standing out in front of a mormon bookstore holding a sign will possibly cause someone to examine this issue, i’ll be there. if becoming vocal about gay issues is what it takes, consider it done.
jack, i love your posts. i don’t agree with everything you write but i love hearing what you have to say. tammy, i’ve enjoyed your work here too. hell, i even like what john has to say much of the time, i just felt like in this instance he wasn’t reporting, he was attacking. i barely know blake but i can say i’m glad to know there are people like him out there fighting for my rights and yours.