The author of the tumultuous diaries of the last two weeks has left the building. He was a founder of this series, and the primary source of leadership.
The group remains at a cross roads, it's unclear, at this our ordinary publishing time, if a new leader, a new mission or a new direction will emerge or even if this series will continue at all.
It isn't the intention of many of the remaining members to re-stir the boiling pot of last two weeks' diary.
However, in the comment thread of the last week, at least one poster insisted that by virtue of a common byline each diary in a Series is an expression of agreement of every individual associated with the group. This is an unfair assessment to make, of any community series, on Daily Kos or elsewhere. It's reasonable we all assume that there will be dissent within the community series under which opinions are published and that each diary author speaks for him or herself. Community series exist to highlight voices and topics community members feel are worthy of entertaining, even if there is internal disagreement and dissent. It is likely anyone saying otherwise is being disingenuous.
To be clear, GLBT and Friends at Daily Kos has operated as thus: people who speak to LGBT issues are invited to join. Topics are tossed round, agreed upon, as is a publishing schedule. Rhetorical tactics and framing choices are trusted to the diarist author. The author attaches a comment to the auto-tip jar, titled "Diarist's Tip Jar."
There is no WGLB group vetting process before a diary is published. And by necessity; many times topics are a reaction to breaking news. In reality, such a system would probably be untenable, rarely are diaries prepared with sufficient lead time to provide group vetting. Imagine a process where everyone in a group would read a diary and provide their feedback and someone would assimilate it into a final product. We're all just volunteers with real jobs and lives. Waiting for everyone's approval on every word is a process that surely would ultimately render every diary unpublishable.
And, in truth, this process has worked fine. The group has certainly dissented or disagreed with content. But never have we had members feel the burning desire to distance themselves from the work or leave the group in protest.
Let it be said, internally, there was sharp reaction to the initial diary of Sept 24.A sampling of the comments that circulated amongst the group:
I'm going to make a request here. Can we consider adopting a policy of not using phrases like Jim Crow when discussing our issues? The diary today was right to thrash Obama and Holder, but the comments have become unhinged because a lot of AA (African American) members see this as racially insensitive.
I strongly agree with you.
I agree. There's no advantage to enflaming this war.
It seems to me unreasonable that you used the group account with which we are all associated for your drama. There are several of us here that do not wish to be associated with that.
If you want to write something like that under your own name, please be my guest. But I have to agree that I don't think it's appropriate to use the GLBT and Friends account for it, since then people think we're all in on it.
In response to internal dissent the author replied.
This Friday I will have the follow-up diary explaining where I was coming from and why I wrote such an incendiary diary.
In fact, in reaction to the diary of Oct 1, at least two regulars left the group in protest, one saying:
today's diary. it just went up and it's filled with more racially insensitive language. i'm leaving this group.
Another:
Please do not post this kind of stuff under the group account. I realize that you clearly stated that you are the author, but use of the group account lends confusion... As I've said repeatedly, you could quite easily have pointed out the similarities between Jim Crow and the current system of de jure discrimination against the LGBT community without making the claim that Jim Crow is running the DOJ.
In fact, the author, the last remaining founder of WGLB and the defacto leader of this group, announced his intention to abdicate leadership and distance himself from the group, and has since gone silent. [It should be noted, this was not in response to any call for such an action from any member. In fact, many encouraged him to stay.]
Now, left without a leader, fewer members, an unclear mission, the question has been asked, has GLBT and Friends at Daily Kos out served its usefulness? Is it worth the trouble to regroup, find new leadership, re-examine our mission and working processes?
At one point, LGBT issues scarcely made the rec list, and a coalescing of the reccing power of a community was a smart strategy to get noticed.
But of late, many LGBT posters have enjoyed prominence and support, and many straight allies too, have many times stood up and drawn attention to issues of importance to the LGBT community. Scarcely a day passes without an LGBT diary making the rec list. Perhaps the series can be retired, having accomplished the mission of acquiring a prominent place in the discussion for LGBT issues and voices on this blog.
But community diaries serve other functions as well. The same-day, same-time, same-bat-channel serves as a virtual weekly coffee klatch. Many may drop by to see what our community is concerned with, and that has value as well.
But has that camaraderie gone missing of late? Even before the most recent dust-up, this group had been experiencing something of a malaise. The format was experimented with, but with mixed results.
Long-time members have left, as they do. Some have drifted to other venues, like the new offshoot blog that launched several months ago, also to FireDogLake and other places. Some drift is natural course of life. But some have expressed the sentiment that Daily Kos has taken a hostile turn in the last few years.
There does seem to be a contingent on Kos that is dismissive of expressions of the LGBT community's feelings of disappointment, malaise, grief, depression, frustration and anger about failure of leadership on our issues in 2009 and 2010. Call it a recognition of our right to full equality under the law, call it a pony, whatever it is, it isn't coming any time soon.
Activists convene at the Pentagon July 31, 1965 to protest the military's ban on gay servicemembers.
At times, the ignorance is what's frustrating. The clock did not start ticking when President Obama took office. The LGBT community waited patiently and worked through the long Bush era. During the time support was built in the public opinion and with allies in Congress. There was a perfectly reasonable expectation, that absent Bush's foreboding veto pen, change could be ushered in for our community as well. The table had been well-set, but so far, no meal has been served.
And a rare window of opportunity has been squandered. And it is not for trying and failing, but for failing to try. Disappointment seems inevitable, particularly when these bills have been promised so many times, and in such unequivocal language.
Perhaps the disarray in WGLB and Friends at Daily Kos is just another manifestation of chaos that seems to be surrounding the LGBT community at large right now. There is much fury and finger-pointing at some worthy targets, and some that defy explanation. It isn't unfair to say circular firing squads are convening in some quarters.
If the LGBT community appears to be acting without good sense, keep in mind, we're in senseless times. On the issue of DADT, we have nearly unprecedented levels of public approval--nearly 80%--majority votes for repeal in both the House and the Senate (43-56), the nominal support of the Administration and Pentagon. But still, nothing can be delivered.
Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly has published an excellent and expansive interview with 15 leaders of the LGBT community, State of Play. In it, Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, graciously owns her part in the debacle that has been LGBT progress over two years:
"I failed.
We had a colossal fail this year. But it is simplistic and unhelpful to say that any particular person failed, because every single one of us failed.
The community failed. The movement failed. The organizations failed. Congress failed. The president failed. Government failed – part of why government failed is because they didn't prioritize us."
If there is agreement on anything within the LGBT community it may be that everything we're trying isn't working.
Having agreed we're looking at a massive failure, the question is what to do next? This where our disagreements are sharpest. Robin McGhee, co-founder and director of Get Equal, a group that can rightfully claim a lot of credit for much of the heat our government felt to address DADT in 2010, is challenged to articulate a strategy that will succeed and is quoted:
"I don't know that answer."
Perhaps many in the LGBT community are subconsciously processing profound feelings of grief and loss. Hopes were very high in 2007 and 2008, the stark realities of 2009 and 2010 portend an even darker future of what to expect legislatively in 2011 and 2012 and beyond.
Understand, many strongly suspect that the promise of repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will fail this Congress and be deferred indefinitely. Legislative handicap does not favor it passing the Senate if it has already failed once. And it appears there is no contingency plan for helping LGB servicemembers if legislation fails. Reduced majorities next session make passage even more unlikely. Executive remedies to stop investigations, harassment and discharges are apparently off the table. Judicial relief will take years even in the best case scenario.
It seems apparent, ENDA--legislation protecting LGBT Americans from employment discrimination--will enter its 37th year languishing in Congress in 2011 with little hope of passing that session either. It can be attributed to the legislative realities. But it is also true it's from lack of any will-power among Congress or the Administration to actually work for the votes or make the case that passing the bill this is "important." If ENDA will move in 2011 or 2012, it will be because we see a very sharp turn in Congressional and Democratic leadership on this issue. It won't pass itself, and the LGBT community and their allies seems impotent to force them.
Should the Democrats lose a majority in the House or Senate that will take key legislation like ENDA, DOMA repeal, the The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, Student Non-Discrimination Act or Uniting American Families off the table entirely, until a majority can be regained. After 1992, it took 14 years to rebuild a majority capable of setting the agenda.
It's hard not to feel the prospects for meaningful, enduring change for our community are bleak. In short: many in the community are understandably verklempt.
So, what's the point of today's diary? Just a heads up on what's going on with GLBT. Also to solicit feedback.
Question to other community blog members: do you have a vetting process? How have you handled dissent? Do you have formal rules spelled out? Procedures?
Question to the community at large, if this community series went silent, would you miss it?
If you would lament the passing of this series and have never contributed a diary, this would be the time to raise your hand and contribute.
Is GLBT and Friends at Daily Kos worth fighting for?
This diary authored by Clarknt67 | Follow him on TwitterClarknt67