I don't know about you, but I'm in this long-term struggle with the forces of evil, who never, ever give up. Thee people have money and they cynically lie about religion and military service.If your last name isn't Koch, they don't like you. They don't care what you do. They don't care if you die.
The fight over issues and bringing humanity lies way, way deeper in people who aren't in it for money, who don't get involved in politics to pay less taxes. This isn't "progressive" versus anyone else. It is simply caring versus not caring. And we do. And evil never wins for long. Nihilism can't win long term because it has no sustaining foundation. The truth is we're going to care because we're built that way. And they are not, for they're not even built.
This is what true activists can accomplish: with 60 congresspeople, with gay rights on the agenda and voters ready, nothing happened on gay rights. Then our fierce advocate and GetEqual chained themselves to the White House fence, and we were somehow back on the radar. Imagine that.
So obviously I was terribly nervous about meeting this guy. He's a national hero both in and out of battle. He saved us from terrorists like the government says it wants but then it kicks out those same fighters for being gay, even with their enumerable skills.
The Don't Ask Don't Tell law doesn't make any sense and we owe it to our heroes like Choi and Fehrenhback to make sure repeal happens and the correct regulations are written. We'll be on this long term process forever because it's not political for us. We can't live the way you can unless we have equal rights - what we have now is unsustainable.
I am the type of kid who grew up jaded and cynical. I've always said that everyone's too fucked up to be a hero. And I've been right. Even the best among us fall, including myself. But Dan is the closest thing to a hero that exists or will ever possibly exist. I'm hurting here, I hate it. I live in a small town in south Alabama. I'm paralyzed from the waist down and I'm an antiwar angry hippie type. So how does a strongly pro military soldier who'd probably disagree with me on many issues become my hero?
I've explained this before and I'll explain it again and again until everyone starts to get this complicated (truly) concept. It is the stigma. You, if you're sitting there as a white, straight male right now, you may participate in all of life's rights and you have a chance at least to participate in its privileges. You may get married, a huge social event that guides you into normal society. You may join the military. These things are socially validating but they're the big ones.
You may say "my wife" or "my husband" in open conversation. You may put your arm around your significant other without fear of earning a gasp. You may say "baby" or "sweetheart" (but please don't. yuck) and you may kiss. You have inevitably taught yout kids about where babies come from but explaining loving gay relationships is seen as gross.
None of these things are your fault. This is institutional homophobia and bigotry. And this is why we need you, and we need everyone. It's not going away. We all need to become aware of it and the effect it has on some random guy in south Alabama. Any law that is strictly written as a government punishment or condemnation tears us down.
The Nazis, remember them? They were smart in a sick way. They couldn't just kill jews or blacks or anyone. Not right away. They started with stripping them of basic rights. Imposing curfews. Tiny little dehumanizing acts. They did these things and started adding gays into the mix of the bad people who were trying to destroy The Homeland. They more strongly enforced Paragraph 175. Over time, they'd torn down enough of society that they could do whatever they wanted.
I do not compare gays in 2010 to Nazis or gays in the 1940s. I'm saying: let's all stand together to fight this evil. Bigotry and hatred and everything else is not "over there." We are not immune as Americans. I watch gay people get torn down every day, get trashed and mocked and treated as if their issues, like trying to survive, are "ponies."
Dan Choi is one of the few people pushing back on this. Dan's a human with a face. We are no longer a few crazy activists, as I've said before, we're tons of scary activists with faces and names. We are a movement who just wants to serve in the military. We are a movement who wants to get married. You think this can be stopped?
We are fucking terrifying in our simplicity.
This is why I think the government likes the HRC so much. They really do in their hearts want gays to be included in society, but they want us to be included in rich, white LGB society. No thanks. I'm sticking with my transgender friends and my non-white friends and my drag queen friends. I love those people. Assimilation isn't a thing for me. Look at Robin McGeehee. Jeans and t-shirt. Dan Choi - military dress or t-shirt.
We scare them so much with how normal and middle class we are and they want rich people's money. They want cocktails in the White House dining room. We just want freedom. We just don't want to be stigmatized. Anymore.
So can we all fight this thing together? I'm on your side and you're on mine. We're in this together despita our differences but we are just people who want equality. That's our message and it's the only thing we can say.
I told Dan that the least I want is freedom. We talked about the military surveys and he said he wants them thrown out and for the money to be given back. I said, no Dan, give it to the troops for reparations. I got a weird look but I think he enjoyed that idea, though he said it wouldn't be enough.
He told me, "You know, if you chained yourself to the White House fence they wouldn't know what the fuck to do?" I know they wouldn't. I'm a young crippled guy. And I'm there with him and everyone, anytime. Just let me know.
Credit for pics goes to Kitsap River