A small voice

Though the upheaval in the gay community is very real, and there is infighting and protest and concern about how all this Prop 8 stuff will turn out, it's nice to see that there are voices of reason.

Like this one I found on towleroad.com:

Reverend Irene Monroe in the Huffington Post: "The present-day contentious debate between black and queer communities concerning what constitutes a legitimate civil rights issue and which group owns the right to use the term is both fueled and ignored by systemic efforts by our government that deliberately pits both groups against each other rather than upholding the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution that affords each of these marginal groups their inalienable rights. While it is true that the white LGBTQ community needs to work on its racism, white privilege, and single-issue platform that thwart all efforts for coalition building with both straight and queer communities of color, the African-American community needs to work on its homophobia."

And this one:

A similar thing is happening in L.A. after it was revealed that the family manager of the popular El Coyote mexican restaurant had donated $100 to 'Yes on 8'. Word spread quickly over the internet and the manager Marjorie Chrisoffersen came forward and issued this statement: "I have been sick at heart that anyone has been offended by me. I have family, friends, employees from the gay community who are treasured people in my life. I have been a member of the Mormon church all my life. I responded to their request with my personal donation. For years the El Coyote has financially and generously supported the gay community and its charities. Please be my guest for an early lunch Wed., Nov. 12th, @ 11:00 am and allow me to personally speak with you. Please call and make a reservation as seating is limited.

There are of course dumbasses like this one:

Gay and lesbian artists called Monday for an artistic and audience boycott of California Musical Theatre after learning that its artistic director donated $1,000 to a campaign that backed banning gay marriage in California.

Scott Eckern was not available for comment Monday as the revelation has gained stunning momentum on the blogosphere. The California Musical Theatre produces the Music Circus, presents Broadway Sacramento, and recently opened "Forever Plaid" at the capital's newest performing venue, the Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Richard Lewis, the organization's executive producer, said the board of directors will conduct an emergency meeting on the matter this afternoon. He said it was too early to tell how this would affect Eckern's 25-year employment with California Musical Theatre.

In a statement released Monday, Lewis said: "Any political action or the opinion of Scott Eckern is not shared by California Musical Theatre. We have a long history of appreciation for the LGBT community and are truly grateful for their longstanding support."

Links to Eckern's official donation information began appearing Thursday on sites such as the gay political activism site www.goodasyou.org and the more informal conversational forum www.datalounge. The measure was Proposition 8 on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Local openly gay composer Gregg Coffin, who has written nationally produced musicals "Convenience" and "Five Course Love," found it initially difficult to express his feelings about the situation.

"I feel so sad that someone from within my field and someone from within my community, who actually knows me, would contribute to an initiative that reduces me to second-class citizenship," Coffin said.

"I feel so sorry that he chose to support divisiveness and hatred rather than equality and inclusion; especially a man of the theater who works with gay actors, dancers, directors, designers and staff at CMT. The duplicity of it makes me so incredibly sad."...Sacramento Bee.

And unfortunately rappers like trick trick(why can't these guys use their own names), who say assy things like this:

"I’m a go on the record right now with this. Homosexuals are probably not gonna like this album. Fa**ots hate me and I don’t give a f**k. I don’t want your fa**ot money any goddam way. I don’t like it. Carry that shit somewhere else.… It’s just that every time that you turn on the the TV, that sissy s**t is on. And they act like it’s f***ing okay. The world is changing for the worst when s**t like that happen. And I address that issue. I address it hard as hell…"

But my favorite is the duplicitous reader comment in the Sacramento Bee. I'd hate to have this person as a straight friend, cause that shit would be OVER BABY!

Reader Comment
"Absolutely disgusting discriminating garbage. I'm referring to the trash being slung in the direction of Scott Eckern. I'm sorry, Marc Shaiman, who's discriminating? Every blog of these self-professed "former" friends of Mr. Eckern indicates that they would have never known by the way he treated them that he would support Prop 8 (actually they use militant hateful language). Really? You mean a person cannot disagree with your lifestyle and still treat you with love and respect? Apparently Mr. Eckern had no problem working with gay and lesbian actors for 25 years. And he did a darn good job. Now, because he exercises his right as an American to contribute to a campaign - he's a bad person? How can you assume he "hates" YOU just because he agrees with traditional marriage. Isn't that a bit self-centered? I don't hate my Gay and Lesbian friends, but they already have every emotional, social, economic, and financial right available to them under the domestic partnership laws in California. If I recall another line from the so-called "lovely book" that Marc Shaiman refers to - God made Adam and Eve... not Adam and Steve. BUT - He says to hate the sin and love the sinner. I, like Mr. Eckern, support Prop 8 and still love my gay and lesbian friends. If Mr. Eckern loses his job and HIS rights are violated, I will personally boycott every business entity that has a member on the board of CMT ... and I'll start by closing my accounts at River City Bank (checking, savings, investments... all of it.) Shame on you for publishing such garbage. Just because someone works in the theatre doesn't mean they are gay (boy if that isn't a HUGE stereotype and yet it's being flung by every G/L blog as IF they aren't invoking a stereotype because THEY said it!) SURPRISE ... there are non-gay people working in and paying for the theatre! And yet, no one asked us for a G/L ID card before we walked in. Why is it that the G/L community is suddenly making it look like Californian's knew what they were doing? Hmmm... maybe they were right... you really were after our children."

I don't even know where to begin to address all the things that are wrong in that letter. But! I will point out one sentence that gives me pause,"Why is it that the G/L community is suddenly making it look like Californian's knew what they were doing?" To which I am compelled to say "??????"

Just a few months ago some simple-minded cracker said to me, "It's not straights against gays."

Oh Yeah?

I thought a few examples of some of the finer and more noble things said about past rights issues was in order.

Here's where that asshole Mark Twain started out on suffrage:(I never liked him much)

"I think I could write a pretty strong argument in favor of female suffrage, but I do not want to do it. I never want to see the women voting, and gabbling about politics, and electioneering. There is something revolting in the thought. It would shock me inexpressibly for an angel to come down from above and ask me to take a drink with him (though I should doubtless consent); but it would shock me still more to see one of our blessed earthly angels peddling election tickets among a mob of shabby scoundrels she never saw before."
- Letter to St. Louis Missouri Democrat, March, 1867

Here's where he ended up 34 years later:

"I know that since the women started out on their crusade they have scored in every project they undertook against unjust laws. I would like to see them help make the laws and those who are to enforce them. I would like to see the whiplash in women's hands."
- quoted in The New York Times, January 21, 1901

And a wonderful example of the duplicity people can delude themselves with while engaging in such horrors as slavery is our very own Thomas Jefferson who said things like this:

"There must doubtless be an unhappy influence on the manners of our people produced by the existence of slavery among us. The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other."

And then went home to all the slaves he owned.

And on the subject if civil rights for African Americans Dick Gregory said:

"Civil Rights: What black folks are given in the U.S. on the installment plan, as in civil-rights bills. Not to be confused with human rights, which are the dignity, stature, humanity, respect, and freedom belonging to all people by right of their birth."

And in the fall of 1957 Arkansas governor Orval Faubus said:

"Blood will run in the streets" if the Little Rock nine tried to attend an all white school.

I find it most interesting that many of those who voted for Prop 8 in California and a goodly number of those who voted for Arkansas' adoption laws are people who have been able to sit at my table and eat my food and then go to the voting booth and think to themselves that I'll understand they think I'm a piece of garbage who needs to have his rights taken away.

I assure you I know plenty of current Californians/Arkansans who fit that bill perfectly.

I feel that I have to say here, yet again, that I really don't care about marriage. It's not likely that I'll ever find anyone to put up with me long enough to even contemplate such a thing, and I really don't care. But to specifically deny me rights that I am already guaranteed by the constitution is the worst insult I can imagine, and as a gay man I've endured some pretty insulting situations. And in their defense I will say I am also certain that I know many current Californians who didn't vote for Prop 8, but they were obviously outnumbered, and I'm willing to bet that to a person they didn't bring it up and try to talk to their pro Prop 8 friends.

People are saying and doing things that their anscestors did over civil rights for African Americans, for Women, for slaves...and yet they still say they love me, their gay friend.

To borrow a phrase-

Bitch, please.