- C.d. Kirven protests cautiously during her probationary period
“I’m very excited to be free!” said activist C.d. Kirven.
Kirven was arrested and later received probation for participating in a GetEqual sit-in at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Washington offices in March. When her six months of probation ended on Oct. 7, all charges were dropped.
“According to [the] ENDA 4 attorney yesterday, charges dropped and record clean,” Kirven said in an e-mail.
Four activists were arrested in Pelosi’s office protesting the speaker’s failure to bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act up for a vote in the House. Two of the protesters who live in Washington, D.C. received community service along with their probation.
While on probation, Kirven had to be careful not to get arrested. That didn’t stop her from staging other protests, but she said she’s been careful. Now that her probation is over, she said she won’t tone it down.
“So, I’m planning my next direct action but it won’t be like before,” she said.
Since that time, she and fellow Dallas activist Michael Robinson, who was arrested at the same time in Pelosi’s San Francisco office, have formed their own direct action group, Get Equal Now.
The publicity stunt was totally ineffective. It was a waste of time, energy and money.
It is childish to believe we can “embarrass” or irritate or inconvenience our way to victory. There hasn’t been a single “direct action” or protest in America during the last 20 years. That’s because everyone else knows it doesn’t work and that it’s usually counterproductive.
If LGBT activists want to make a difference they’ll need to change their approach from confrontation to education. Even PETA has learned that lesson.