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editorial
A month of GLBT history – where do you fit in?
Published Thursday, 22-Oct-2009 in issue 1139
Our success can be measured by the influence we are having on the world around us. October, which marks GLBT History Month, has truly been a momentous month for the GLBT community both state and nationwide.
These achievements belong not only to those of collective groups, but to the individuals who made it happen.
We tip our hats to those who organized the San Diego contingent to ensure our presence did not go overlooked among the tens of thousands who joined together in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to demand a change at the National Equality March.
Between President Obama’s speech at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner on Saturday night and the inspiring crowd of pro-equality marchers who gathered at the Capitol on Sunday, it was quite a weekend.
That same week, despite heavy attacks from anti-GLBT groups, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law three historic GLBT rights bills: The Harvey Milk Day bill, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, honors the slain civil rights leader with the nation’s first “day of special significance” for an openly GLBT person in the country; The Family Protection and Marriage Recognition Act, also authored by Sen. Leno, underscores that same-sex couples married out of state are entitled to full recognition in California; and the LGBT Domestic Violence Programs Expansion Bill, authored by Assemblymember John A. Pérez, expands funding for LGBT domestic violence programs in California.
These state victories are nothing less than historic, and we are truly grateful.
For decades to come Californians will now learn about Milk’s amazing contributions toward the advancement of civil rights, all married same-sex couples will be treated equally under California law, regardless of whether they married out of state and GLBT survivors of domestic violence will be able to access GLBT supportive services.
Above that, a federal lawmaker is touting an adoption anti-discrimination bill he recently introduced into the House of Representatives as a way to find more homes for children living in the welfare system. The bill also seeks to end bias against adoptions by GLBT parents.
The Every Child Deserves a Family Act, introduced on Oct. 15 by U.S. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., is designed to curtail discrimination against gay people seeking to adopt children by limiting or withholding federal funding to states that prohibit placements with single, gay or transgender adoptive or foster parents.
All of this serves as a reminder that we worked hard to elect a President who would support our rights. We’re in a position to make change happen and the last thing we should do is wait.
Make no mistake, homophobic, extreme right-wing groups will never rest. We learned that last week, when a small group of members from the Westboro Baptist Church came to town to protest San Diego High School’s acceptance of GLBT student groups.
More than 400 local community members and students organized a counterprotest, sending Fred Phelps and the religious right a clear message that there is no room for hate in our community.
While we’ve started to turn the tide, it’s clear that our community has a lot of reasons to be angry and impatient. To that extent, we must continue doing the critical work needed to defend our victories and achieve equality for all.
A hate crimes bill just one Senate vote from the President’s desk, an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) up for debate in Congress before the end of the year and marriage equality fights in states throughout the country and Washington, D.C. help to encourage us. They also serve as a reminder that, while we have momentum, this is no time to rest.
Last week, the brutal beating of a gay man was caught on tape in New York. As the Senate prepares for its final vote on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, make sure your senators watch this shocking video so that they understand that it could just as easily have happened to any GLBT constituent and make them realize the importance of sending the bill to the President without delay.
In all of this we’re reminded there have been nearly as many different views of what really went down in the past few weeks as there were people marching past the White House and protesting in our own backyard.
Of course, we are not a community that sees everything through the same lens and our work to achieve full equality is far from over. Anti-GLBT forces will be there every step of the way, trying to strip us of every right we gain.
As we’re all moving forward, these are the issues people have been discussing and taking part in. With this in mind, we ask you as a reader and member of the community, what will your role be as history continues to be made right before our eyes?
Jerry Pritikin
says:
I have been a one many army fighting for gay,human,civil and equal rights
for 40 years. Earlier this month, thousands and thousands of gay people,
along with many straights marched on Washington... it was my intent to be
there, because I always regretted not going in 1979.Because of a broken
down bus, along with 51 others... we wanted to support Equal Rights for
gays in America, we never made it... but thankful for all those who did go,
and made their voices heard. What I noticed most of all, was the vast
majority of the marchers were very young. It reminded me when President
Kennedy stated in his inaugural speech, that the torch was being passed to
a new generation of Americans... I thought then that he was talking about
me... I was 23 at the time. A get the feeling that the torch is once again
being passed... and I see similarities when JFK came into office and now.
JFK was the first Catholic elected President ... and I was told that would
not happen in my lifetime. It came after 8 years of Eisenhower. Now, we
have the first elected Black President, again something I was told would
not happen in my lifetime, except now I am 72! I have seen much progress
made in gay rights, but its been slow coming. I believe this generation of
fair minded Americans will bring Equal Rights to gays... but they won't
have to wait years, like my generation. Change is good, especially if you
helped make it happen. I have done my share in many ways, and do not intend
to step aside for this new generation... I will be there to help and
continue to speak OUT,
Oct 23, 2009 12:01 PM
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