Wockner on Maine

Veteran reporter Rex Wockner is on the scene as the Pine Tree State goes to the polls today, and offers these observations.

The bottom-bottom line, of course, is that this really is not about marriage. If they thought they could get away with it, the folks who funded this "people's veto" campaign in Maine would take much more away from gays than just marriage. In Washington state on Tuesday, they'll try to take away domestic-partnership rights. In California, they're all freaked out that the Governator signed the Harvey Milk Day bill into law. It's not just that they don't want us to get married. If they could completely invisiblize us and take away all our rights, some of them would do it.

So, we have to keep fighting. If we lose in Maine on Tuesday, the Legislature will just pass the law again and the governor will sign it again. We're not talking about a constitutional amendment here, as was the case with Prop 8 in California. In reality, gays are going to be able to get married in all 50 states, perhaps even very soon if the Olson/Boies Prop 8 case succeeds at the U.S. Supreme Court. And if it doesn't, next up -- very, very soon -- are New Jersey and New York, which will be added to Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and, starting in January, New Hampshire. Where all this is headed could not be clearer. But until then, there will be days like this Tuesday when bigots might force a backward step in the inevitable, unstoppable march to equal treatment under the law for GLBT Americans. The next generation will remember "Yes on 1" voters the way we remember people who believed black folks should drink from separate water fountains. I absolutely guarantee you that.

From the depths of Texas I can tell you there are still quite a few people around who would indeed vote to restore segregation right now, today, if given the opportunity.  And I grew up in the segregated South - it was not something that only happened in history books, kids:  it was real.  I was there. 

And you know what else, young fellers?  For a quarter of a century, every time I was with another man - and I've had two husbands, we won't talk about scratched starts just now - I was breaking the law:  technically a felon, until the Supreme Court ruled otherwise in 2003.  All my generation were love criminals, a stigma not easy to forget.  So I hope Rex is right about the future for gay rights, but I have to say it still seems like a far-away dream here in the land of cotton, where those laws are still on the books in Texas and other states, invalid and unenforceable as they may be.

The Maine Secretary of State says there's a surprisingly "heavy and very steady turnout" at the polls - but which side is getting more supporters to show up?  Wockner will be live-blogging the returns tonight starting about 8 p.m. EST, and you can hear him on the web at POTUS and OutQ.

Gay VIPs on Obama # 5867

Time Magazine cover portrait by Shepard Fairey

Looks like it will be a while before Rex Wockner gets around to posting my response to "I ask gay VIPs how they feel about the new president and what they think he will accomplish for GLBT people," since he's only up to #25 on his blog - Bruce Vilanch.

Actually, I'm still waiting to get Rex's email. Guess the internet tubes iz all clogged up with the inaugural and shit right now.

So here's your Head Trucker's thoughts; just wanted all my Truckbuddies to read it here first:

How do I feel about Obama? On one level, ecstatic. I know it's a great, joyful moment for African-Americans and all that, but when I look at him, I don't see a black President. I see my President. My leader, someone who's on my side. Who cares about me, and my life. Been way too long feeling like the leader of my country is on the other side of a great big wall, fencing me out. But now I don't feel a disconnect between me and my country; I've never felt so proud to be an American as I do right now.

But on another level, as Bishop Robinson said in his prayer yesterday, I see Obama as a mortal man, not a Messiah. I've lived too long to be fooled into that kind of thinking about anybody. He's going to make mistakes, he's going to disappoint people, circumstances will come up that block his best efforts, and of course despite all the fine talk about bringing Change to Washington, he will have to play political games sometimes. That's simply reality. Nobody gets it right all the time. You go back and read about Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Kennedy, etc., they all made their screw-ups and stumbles too. It's the human condition.

I had great hopes for Clinton, but he was in the long run a big disappointment, though infinitely better than the guy who succeeded him. Obama won't do everything I would like to see him do, both because he is, like every other man and woman, a flawed and fallible human being; and also because he is President of a republic, not an absolute monarch or dictator, so his powers are limited.

But I foresee that he will do some good, even great things both for the gays and for the whole country. I expect that by the time he leaves office 8 years from now - and please God the unthinkable apprehensions of danger so many of us feel for him but are afraid to say out loud will not come to pass - that by then we will have universal healthcare in this country, an end to the imperialistic wars, a stabilized and prosperous economy, a return to constitutional government, better friendships and dialogues abroad, the repeal of DADT and DOMA, the passage of ENDA, marriage equality or civil unions in most states, federal tax and pension benefits for gay couples, immigration rights ditto, and a new atmosphere in the land of liberty, justice, and respect for all people, for individuals of every race, color, gender, and orientation.

But most of all, I hope to see a new spirit at work in the gay community, positive, effective, constructive, non-violent, committed to working for change and practicing tolerance and respect worthy of free men and women. Creating a vision of gay life that means being open, honest, contributing members of the whole community of Americans, an integrated life that gives young gays and lesbians something to aspire to, be proud of. Not a life hidden away, secret, frustrated, spent sitting on a barstool, drinking, drugging, and tricking. As so many lives of my generation and the ones before us have been spent. Instead, for the generations who come after us, a real life, a full, free, honest, happy one, a life in the sun, not the shadows.

Like the man said, We are the ones we've been waiting for. That will be the new President's greatest contribution to this nation, I think: empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their lives and make changes for the better. He always talks about what we will do, not what he will do. For that alone, he will go down in history as one of our greatest presidents, I have no doubt. Obama's inauguration will the moment when the sun comes out again after a long, dark winter. Then it will be our time to bloom and grow as a community, as a nation, as one people. And how I long to see the light of that day.

Wockner's Little Black Book

Rex Wockner, dean of gay journalists, probably knows everybody who's anybody in gaydom. Now he's hauled out his little black book of email addresses for some of the best gay minds in the country, and he's running a series this week of their opinions about Obama and what the future holds for the gay community. You should check it out. Several big names you've heard of, and some you may not yet have heard of. Interesting to hear what their thoughts are.

We've Only Just Begun

Veteran journalist Rex Wockner has this to say about the notion that Stonewall 2.0 is fizzling out:

That's because Stonewall 2.0 already happened. Stonewall itself lasted three nights in 1969, but it set the stage for much that came after it. Stonewall 2.0 lasted, at minimum, 11 days -- and, I suggest, set the stage for much that will come after it.

In David Carter's book Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, one Michael Fader told Carter: "We all had a collective feeling like we'd had enough of this kind of shit. ... Everyone in the crowd felt that we were never going to go back. It was like the last straw. It was time to reclaim something that had always been taken from us. ... There was something in the air, freedom a long time overdue, and we're going to fight for it. It took different forms, but the bottom line was, we weren't going to go away. And we didn't."

Sound familiar?

Evil Gay Anarcho-Fascists: Protest Reax

Well, we got people's attention with all the Prop 8 protests last week. Some was positive, but here are some negative reactions: some funny, some hateful, some appalled.

As I've said before, nonviolence is the only way to go here, folks. Let's get smart, not stupid. Remember: we are the 5 percent, straights are the great big 95 percent. It's a new day in America, but even so, violence and vandalism on our part won't get us what we want.

I well recall growing up in the segregated South of the 1960's, and the reactions of my parents and their friends to the riots and violence of those times: "You see how the n*ggers are when you let them get out of line . . . " they would say. They ignored all the good arguments in favor of civil rights and focused only on the looting, burning, and spilled blood.

And in fact, the grown-ups of my childhood never were persuaded by even the nonviolent civil rights leaders; they simply acquiesced, eventually, in the face of the new civil rights laws and court orders. Of course, the anarchy and race war they feared would follow all that never came to pass; but fear is a powerful, dangerous thing. We need to lessen people's fears about gay people, not increase them.

I do pray the hotheads among us simmer down and listen to reason. Rex Wockner celebrates what he terms Activism 4.0:

We have now indeed entered Activism 4.0 or whatever the hell you want to call it. Our "leaders" let us down and you -- you, the average gay or lesbian citizen who just wants to have equal rights and maybe even get married -- you have seized power by using Facebook and your blogs, e-mail and Twitter, MySpace and text-messages to launch a new gay movement . . . . You don't have to listen to the gay "leaders" who failed you anymore, you don't have to give them any more money, you just have to figure out what you want to do next with the power that now is yours -- to get what you want: Full equality.

Yeah, well that sounds real nice, Rex. But I don't know. I'm all for grassroots organization; but without a clear leader, without a clear strategy, will the results be anything but mediocre, at best? It's one thing to alert a bunch of folks about a party in the streets and get them to show up; it's quite another thing to do the grueling long-haul work of educating and persuading the 95 percent to vote for equal rights.

Will all this grassroots energy coalesce into an effective, enduring force for change, or just peter out after the Next Big Groovy Thing comes along? I think some leadership is needed, and the national orgs are probably doing some much-needed reassessing of themselves right now. Sort of like the Republican party, you know?

Joe Jervis has a great post on the piggish Newt Gingrich, who is very sure of where this is all going:

I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion.

Joe also has pictures of Newt's three wives and tells how he got them, to show just how sincere Newt is about all his traditional religion.

Joe also has a long quote by ex-gay preacher James Hartline, who raises the anarchy warning in this newsflash from Heaven:

Each time homosexual activists attempt to force their agenda on California, there have been raging, massive, incinerating fires sweeping across the California landscape.

Today, people are running for their lives as 800 California homes have burned down and the firestorm is spreading like a nuclear holocaust. Yet, the radical homosexual anarchists rampage upon the streets of this state demanding the destruction of marriage and family, and the establishment of their socialistic dark vision for society.

You see, the problem is this: God has plans for California in the near days ahead. Thus, these attempts to force an ungodly tyranny on this state are being met blow with blow by God. God is saying, "California shall be a refuge for America when the catastrophes come. California belongs to Me, not the advocates of sexual anarchy."

Yeah, he's an idiot. But people listen to preachers like this, and believe them. They won't turn the channel and listen to us, especially if we are being ugly and violent. They will remember that one image to the exclusion of all others. Let's not give them the ammo to shoot us down with.

On AOL's Political Machine, blogger Liza Porteus Viana asks, "Is Anarchy the Answer in Proposition 8 Protests?" I'm not sure why she calls a handful of asshole incidents "anarchy" but I think the choice of words is telling: people's deepest fears are being stoked now. Liza says,

Yes, there's frustration, but funneling that frustration into more productive, effective methods of pushing your cause will do a lot more good than just further alienating those whose support you could use. If the idea is to encourage others to be more open-minded and accepting of those different from them, beating them into submission (metaphorically speaking, hopefully) might not be the best route.

And you should read some of the posted comments below Liza's story, which includes a local news clip of one of those incidents she mentions. A selected few:

Angiebaby: How is vigilante violence going to effect this cause? beating people, vandalizing churches and racial persecution never have, and never will, bring a positive solution to any problem.

reidgator: To the supporters of gay rights: be very careful. Your use of violence may incite others who disagree with other outcomes of this election. Can those who disagree with Obama as president use violence? Some of them may be declraing "We should fight!" Hw about por-life supporters? Can they use violence?

BH: The cause? What is the cause? Is it to turn our civilization into a dmonic III world country? God has set up laws and iit's time our country began to inforce the laws. Marriage has always been recoginized to be between a man and woman. Your cause is evil and children are watching. But more important, God is watching!. Turn from you sin and turn to God and He will deliver you and set you free.

Truth Man: Marriage is between one man and one woman. Thomas Jefferson never envisioned a bunch of queers demanding we change the definition of marriage.

BH, again: Enough is enough, if you want to live in sin in the privacy of your own house, so be it, but don't try to force it on our children, which you are doing in the schools now, and on decent human beings. There is good and evil even though the liberals are doing everything they can to turn our nation into something evil. The blood of the unborn is on your hands and God hears that blood crying out to Him for vengeance. Yes, he is a God of love,but He also is a God of judment. Americans need to rise up and stop this before it's too late.

me: am not gay but voted yes on Prop 8. Violent protestings will not gain a thing. They will only confirm what many already believe. You're going to screw things up for yourselves.

Listen to what these commenters are saying, people: there's a lot of fear and misinformation being spewed about us. Of course, they are totally wrong-headed, but they are part of the big 95 percent. What alternate, positive message have we got to offer to the fair-minded people? We have to persuade, we have to give respect if we want to get respect. Respect - and votes - can't be demanded.

So guys, please stop and think about what you're doing when you get loud and rowdy. Don't louse this moment up for all of us.

You want this to be a free country? Act like it. You want your rights, you better respect the other guy's, too. I'll close with an excerpt from a San Jose Mercury editorial:

Anger is not a strategy. Harassment will not change minds and can cause a wider backlash. Stifling others' rights of expression is destructive to the cause of a minority.
One ugly case was the boisterous protest by dozens of gay marriage supporters outside a small Los Angeles restaurant where the owner's daughter had contributed $100 to Proposition 8. The loss of customers threatened the livelihoods of employees, some of whom were gay and opposed the initiative.

Economic actions dating back to the Montgomery bus boycott are staples of any civil rights struggle. Gay marriage supporters are posting the identities of Proposition 8 donors, and people certainly are free to not patronize businesses owned by those who disagree with them. But the selective boycotts of small donors clearly is meant to send a message of intimidation and suppress the First Amendment right of expression. That is not just self-defeating but dangerous.

Supporters of equal rights would be wiser to focus on persuading others of the justice of their cause, which will only grow clearer over time.

We Confess: The Mormons Did It

A big ol' honk out to Rex Wockner, dean of gay journalists, for this update on his blog:

The journalist in me has been uncomfortable for days with the routine assertions that Mormons bankrolled the ubiquitous TV ads that convinced California voters to amend their constitution to re-ban same sex marriage. "How exactly do you prove that?" the trained news reporter in me kept asking.

Well, wonder no more. The folks who gave us Prop 8 admit it. From yesterday's New York Times: "In the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons."

As Wockner notes, only 2 percent of California's population is Mormon. And your Head Trucker believes the gay population has got to be at least two or three times bigger than that.

Other very interesting points from the NYT article , "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage":

As proponents of same-sex marriage across the country planned protests on Saturday against the ban, interviews with the main forces behind the ballot measure showed how close its backers believe it came to defeat — and the extraordinary role Mormons played in helping to pass it with money, institutional support and dedicated volunteers.

“We’ve spoken out on other issues, we’ve spoken out on abortion, we’ve spoken out on those other kinds of things,” said Michael R. Otterson, the managing director of public affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormons are formally called, in Salt Lake City. “But we don’t get involved to the degree we did on this.” . . .

[Last June,] the Mormon leadership in Salt Lake City issued a four-paragraph decree to be read to congregations, saying “the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan,” and urging members to become involved with the cause.

“And they sure did,” Mr. Schubert said.

Jeff Flint, another strategist with Protect Marriage, estimated that Mormons made up 80 percent to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts.The canvass work could be exacting and highly detailed. Many Mormon wards in California, not unlike Roman Catholic parishes, were assigned two ZIP codes to cover. Volunteers in one ward, according to training documents written by a Protect Marriage volunteer, obtained by people opposed to Proposition 8 and shown to The New York Times, had tasks ranging from “walkers,” assigned to knock on doors; to “sellers,” who would work with undecided voters later on; and to “closers,” who would get people to the polls on Election Day.

Suggested talking points were equally precise. If initial contact indicated a prospective voter believed God created marriage, the church volunteers were instructed to emphasize that Proposition 8 would restore the definition of marriage God intended.

But if a voter indicated human beings created marriage, Script B would roll instead, emphasizing that Proposition 8 was about marriage, not about attacking gay people, and about restoring into law an earlier ban struck down by the State Supreme Court in May.

“It is not our goal in this campaign to attack the homosexual lifestyle or to convince gays and lesbians that their behavior is wrong — the less we refer to homosexuality, the better,” one of the ward training documents said. “We are pro-marriage, not anti-gay.” . . .

But now that the horse hockey has hit the fan, the article concludes,

[T]he extent of the protests has taken many Mormons by surprise. On Friday, the church’s leadership took the unusual step of issuing a statement calling for “respect” and “civility” in the aftermath of the vote.

“Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues,” the statement said. “People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal.”

Mr. Ashton [millionaire grandson of a former LDS church president] described the protests by same-sex marriage advocates as off-putting. “I think that shows colors,” Mr. Ashton said. “By their fruit, ye shall know them.”

Yeah, and now we've seen your fruit, buddy . . . and it's left a helluva bad taste in our mouths.

What I say: Leave individuals alone; it's a free fucking country, you can believe what you want. I don't care who contributed to what. Like another big ol' queen, Elizabeth I, said during the religious upheavals of her reign, "I do not wish to open a window into men's souls." And none of us truly knows what is in someone else's heart.

But nobody should be harassed, intimidated, or lose their job for their private beliefs. Nobody. Guys, take just a second and turn it around in your mind: I'm living in homophobic small town Texas. I can be fired at any moment simply for being gay, you know? There is no law whatsoever against that in Texas. It sucks, big time.

But that's not right, and you wouldn't want that for yourself or anyone you love; and every one of us has loved ones who aren't quite on the right side of this issue, you know that. So leave individuals alone. The Golden Rule still applies, and it cuts both ways, folks. Two wrongs don't make a right, Mama always said.

Instead, it's the homophobic, intolerant, persecuting organizations - including churches - that deserve the full brunt of our peaceful protests and righteous anger.

So you church leaders want to play in the public political arena, boys? (And the vast majority of homophobic religious leaders are indeed males.) Okay, then you have to deal with the blowback, you can't hide behind the sanctimonious we-are-a-church screen anymore. Oh no. Not when you are stripping Americans of their civil rights. It just don't work that way.

(Screen shot at top from the Salt Lake Tribune video on protests at LDS Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.)