tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post3495780449306177969..comments2023-09-26T10:11:12.865-04:00Comments on My Feet Only Walk Forward: Why I Am Not Marching This WeekendBrandon Lacy Camposhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-7885274371302082832009-10-08T22:33:51.009-04:002009-10-08T22:33:51.009-04:00re: The country knows that we exist everywhere now...re: The country knows that we exist everywhere now...I think the time of the effective 'march on washington' has long past...<br /><br />I think you are right. The 1979 March probably didn't need a coherent agenda, it just had to happen. Times have changed, and tactics have to, too.G. Kaimana Daushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089185473745218676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-43736837305161610302009-10-08T12:04:48.179-04:002009-10-08T12:04:48.179-04:00Hey David: No schoolin', no schoolin'. But...Hey David: No schoolin', no schoolin'. But, it is true, DADT has always been extremely narrowly constructed. It's an old issue that really had it's "peak" during the Clinton era. I actually believe that DADT will soon to come to an end, particularly in light of nation's such as Israel and Great Britain having axed their own restrictions on queer folks in the military.<br /><br />Now if the issue was really centered on solving anti-queer violence in the military combined with an anti-poverty draft campaign that was broad based and coalitional with youth and people of color, I would be on board. As a matter of fact, a few years ago NYAC and the AFSC launched a joint campaign and had some great materials about youth military recruitment and the impact on queer youth.Brandon Lacy Camposhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-58976779541182942442009-10-08T11:55:54.108-04:002009-10-08T11:55:54.108-04:00@Brandon: Ah...appropriately 'schooled'
...@Brandon: Ah...appropriately 'schooled'<br /><br />My social justice background may have assumed there was more to repealing DADT then there really was...the optimist in me, I guess...<br /><br />thanks.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10468190976563165540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-28291867668605673952009-10-08T07:58:32.118-04:002009-10-08T07:58:32.118-04:00That is to say the economic justice framework and ...That is to say the economic justice framework and the recruiting issues that you mention are completely missing from the dialogue around Gays in the Military as a movement issue.Brandon Lacy Camposhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-14457784280193092092009-10-08T07:57:16.791-04:002009-10-08T07:57:16.791-04:00David: Gays in the military, unfortunately, has be...David: Gays in the military, unfortunately, has been largely focused on mostly white men and women that have been ejected from the military due to their sexuality. And it has been an issue that has been narrowly focused on the rights of gays to serve openly in the military. <br /><br />Poor people of color often do not construct their identity primarily around their sexuality and that is not likely to change with the dropping of DADT. The way the issue is currently framed lands it squarely in a majoritarian middle class framework. It also doesn't speak, generally, to working class white folks in the military, either.Brandon Lacy Camposhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-66960336563817290882009-10-07T22:31:31.946-04:002009-10-07T22:31:31.946-04:00Hey B...
So, for the most part, I agree with you ...Hey B...<br /><br />So, for the most part, I agree with you that abandoning the "folks on the frontlines and in the trenches" is a failure, however, I do see "Gays in the Military" as not solely a white issue...especially if you think about where recruiters are targeting populations in lower income neighborhoods...it seems to me that the military can and has been a means for people of color to get out of their 'hood and forge a career or skills so long as they can be who they need to be...<br /><br />Am I missing a perspective here?Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10468190976563165540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-78273542101766544132009-10-07T18:05:33.220-04:002009-10-07T18:05:33.220-04:00Hey Cedric!
I don't know if we can or if we s...Hey Cedric!<br /><br />I don't know if we can or if we should. I think those marches were strategic, were connected to on the ground organizing, and were a massive way to demonstrate that we exist everywhere.<br /><br />The country knows that we exist everywhere now. I think marching for memorial purposes every decade is a good idea and good fun, but I think the time of the effective 'march on washington' has long past or at least is not currently what is necessary or the best use of time, energy, and resources.Brandon Lacy Camposhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-66030514237881862992009-10-07T15:56:15.095-04:002009-10-07T15:56:15.095-04:00Thank you for this. As you know, I'm still you...Thank you for this. As you know, I'm still young up in this movement. I appreciate a history lesson. But my questions is then, "how do we get the march back to what it once was? -- in terms of the planning being by the people, for the people."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11822328356929639948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-75311481598675032912009-10-07T15:27:26.428-04:002009-10-07T15:27:26.428-04:00@Kaimana the whole damn thing is a contradiction. ...@Kaimana the whole damn thing is a contradiction. I called it earlier, when talking to some friends that are going to the march, that it is a whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" scenario. Good grief.<br /><br />@Thomas Oh I am sure the trans thing was learned from the last 8 or 9 years of a visible ass whoopin' of the HRC by trans folks and trans allies, but they just don't get it. Hell, this last February, Robyn Ochs became the first bisexual activist to win a national queer leadership award from a national LGBT organization, which was the Task Force's Leadership Award (and it came with a gift of $10,000...heyyyyyy). But yeah...BULLSHIT! <br /><br />I didn't know Gaga was bi. That's awesome.<br /><br />@Rosalind I love you sister girl for so many reasons.Brandon Lacy Camposhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309078871229264081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-4329689107607324612009-10-07T14:18:40.799-04:002009-10-07T14:18:40.799-04:00Amen, darling. 'Poorly organized' seems t...Amen, darling. 'Poorly organized' seems to be synonymous with this whole push for Marriage lately. This weekend will be about as successful as the initial push against Prop 8. Fact is, "they" will never learn. Maybe too much 'privilege' has gone to their little heads. Things like grassroots and activism has taken on a whole new meaning lately and it's a little frightening to witness. At this point its hard to estimate the amount of damage we as a community will undergo due to the blatant divisiveness of these so-called "organized" efforts. Unfortunately, we will remember this as being a truly fucked time in LGBT history.Rosalind Christine Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08654216018541007561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-21310447120899113432009-10-07T14:01:12.164-04:002009-10-07T14:01:12.164-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Rosalind Christine Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08654216018541007561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-91643913948379550722009-10-07T13:50:11.208-04:002009-10-07T13:50:11.208-04:00Brandon, you don't know the half of it! My lit...Brandon, you don't know the half of it! My little slice of the pie is that you were right on about this being a "GAY" and "LESBIAN" "HRC" "march": until just about every living (and some deceased) national and regional bi activist in the country (and out of it) threw a shitfest of immense proportions, and one woman gave up most of her week to co-ordinate the last minute lobby effort (and how fucked up is it that we have to lobby for inclusion in what is ostensibly our own community and march), the organizers thought it was entirely o.k. to have just ONE bi identified speaker... Lady Gaga (who'll be marching with the bifolk, yay). She's cool, but not exactly typical or an "activist" with a record in the community.<br /><br />One activist reported she had 76 emails in a single day on the subject, and I opened up my own inbox to see a 47 message long thread on this that was less than 24 hours old.<br /><br />Once the organizers got that this was just not cool, suddenly more bi-identified speakers appeared... but none that we had suggested. Then we were told that if someone could pay their own way, and met other conditions that basically eliminated a large chunk of activists from consideration (even if they could afford it, which most couldn't) - conditions for inclusion that would have been reasonable under other considerations, if they hadn't been imposed on us as a result of the organizers apparent lameness in other areas - they would consider having someone we recommended speak. Fortunately we were able to find someone. So, well have a recognized community activist on the podium - for two whole minutes. Oh yeah, there's no time for translation (apparently no one else gets this either), so she'll be speaking in Spanish without translation (which I totally support - not her fault the organizers created this situation). At least some people will hear from her.<br /><br />Hopefully things have improved since the last time I checked my inbox, but the last time I checked, that's the story - maybe a total of four bi-identified speakers, with exactly one coming from a long list of individuals suggested by the activist community. And that's a very abbreviated version that doesn't include some of the other minor but tragically humorous lunacies involved.<br /><br />I hear there's seven trans speakers (wonder how much of a shit fit they had to pull, and how many of them come from the activist community), so I guess that means this is technically a GLBT march at this point. Technically.<br /><br />I hope it's a success, if only because the cost of failure will be immense, but I'm not going to be paying any attention to it.<br /><br />HRC SUCKS.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11089163773613963793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-54042443169000166692009-10-07T13:42:43.846-04:002009-10-07T13:42:43.846-04:00So don't you contradict yourself with the last...So don't you contradict yourself with the last paragraph? I don't want to march either but I live here and have friends coming in from out of town. I can see the headlines now about the poor attendance. The organizers' reputations won't be stained, but our movementS (plural intended) will. I had a conflict with the Sunday march, but now I don't.<br /><br />I agree with all your points. So it's damned if I do and damned if I don't. And I bet the organizers are counting on that.<br /><br />I love your writing. Keep walking forward (ie, not in the direction of DC this weekend ;).G. Kaimana Daushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089185473745218676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813774273050712407.post-59670159531322878482009-10-07T13:40:39.270-04:002009-10-07T13:40:39.270-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.G. Kaimana Daushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089185473745218676noreply@blogger.com