Gay History, One Man's Memory

[Dat]

Dat,

Clearly we see history very differently. You see great step changes where I see multiple small steps.

I do see it as many, many, many, many small steps. There were too many small steps to even count. Of course there were a few large steps thrown in there for good measure. There just wasn't any backward motion. It's no longer that way. Up until recently (last decade or so), there was no backward motion. Only forward. Always.

Maybe it's complacency. I don't know. I just find it amazing that people (not all) tend to sit around, do nothing, and just wait for someone to give them a little something. We have allowed this movement to be taken out of our hands. It isn't ours anymore.

Have you been to Pride over the last few years? When is the last time you've seen Pride based on politics and the civil rights movement? When is the last time you saw booths set up letting the community know about things that were being planned politically. Information on how the community could donate their time, money, and energy. The only booths you see now are the one's that sell the little trinkets. When was the last time a march ended on the state house lawn? With chanting, signs, etc. I think you'd have to go back to the late 90s or further to see that.

There is still some, albeit, minimal civil rights talk. It's more about partying. We lost our way. We stopped marching for our rights and began marching for fun. I guess IMO, Pride has very little to do with civil rights any more. Civil rights have take a backseat to much of our community when you are talking abut Pride.

That's pretty much why I don't march any more. I'll help set up a booth or two with information regarding upcoming events for politicians, upcoming protests. Guess what? A mere handful will stop by. We don't have the pretty bumper stickers or pins.

I really don't want to come off as angry nor do I think all is lost. It's just that the outcome is no longer fully in our hands. We have given too much of that responsibility away.