The Second Stonewall Rebellion

I have mixed feelings about this (0.00 / 0)

I have an aversion to anything connected to Americablog, partially due to Aravosis' overt hostility towards transsexuals and partially due to his tendency to make everything about him, to the dismissal of everyone else.  

I think this is a good idea in principle, and since I already donate to individuals, not the parties, it's functionally irrelevant for me.  That said, I'd much rather this had originated elsewhere.

juliewaters.com

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by: JulieWaters @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 06:22:28 AM CST

What; I'm a cynic... (4.00 / 1)

We are the first constituency thrown under the bus, tossed to the lions, sacrificed for expediency's sake, despite the national Democratic Party's own rhetoric.

And certainly not the last... Kudos for not taking this lying down due to lesser-evilism.  I hate the duopoly system sooooo much.

http://www.asrblog.com

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by: carbonpenguin @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 09:08:49 AM CST

Pay us... (0.00 / 0)

...to fuck you over.  Another bullshit 'oh just wait, things will get better, we love you' way of exploitation.  What it means is, things will get better when the Corporate Reich decides there's money to be made by it.

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by: PeteySweety @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 09:52:18 AM CST

More food for thought (0.00 / 0)

Is It Time For Civil Disobedience in the LGBT Community?
http://www.davidmixner.com/200... & http://www.davidmixner.com/200...
Enough is enough

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by: MoonWomyn @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 11:30:59 AM CST

"...First, you have to get their attention!" (0.00 / 0)

...And this is definitely the way to get their attention!  

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by: Sue Prent @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 11:36:32 AM CST

I missed something...... (0.00 / 0)

I cant think of a group that the Dems have not thrown under the bus lately...

But to my eye it is not the PARTY, which usually endorses the platform produced by the members from the base, BUT THE ACTUAL INDIVIDUALS YOU ELECT (AND MAKE DIRECT CONTIBUTIONS TO) who fall down when it is time to vote for something that may be identified as progressive.

In the current crop of governorwannabees.... ONLY Racine stands out as someone who consistently puts his verbage and his vote where the party needs to be.  Other seated officials (to include the Sec of State) have a lot of baggage to drag along when it comes to representing the groups that make up a large part of the Party.  Last session, talking to some of the Democratic leadership had me thinking I was actually seated in Jim=Job's office.

We need to elect Democrats who are going to VOTE like Democrats, not like politicians who want to get a safe reelection scorecard to their credit.  Choosing to not fight a battle is the same as choosing to lose one.

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by: hoopmeister @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 11:47:01 AM CST

Not Sure About The Comparison (4.00 / 1)

I whole-heartedly agree that this is a good move for the LGBT community and their supporters, but I'm not sure I like the comparison to Stonewall.  Likening the bravery and unprecedented nature of the Stonewall Rebellion with withholding campaign contributions just doesn't match-up in my mind.  I mean, getting your head bashed-in by riot cops and the threat of jail vs what essentially amounts to "consumer choice" with one's discretionary spending?  Withholding donations may arguably be a good tactic (or better than rioting, at this juncture of time) but the courage it requires pales in comparison to physical revolt.

-In America the people fear their government; in France, it is the government that fears the people

www.integralpsychosis.com

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by: wdh3 @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 14:18:19 PM CST

*nods* (0.00 / 0)

Some of us were out of the closet when and where it was actually physically dangerous to do so.  I'm with you on the problems with the comparison.  

juliewaters.com

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by: JulieWaters @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 14:36:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Too Literal (0.00 / 0)

Look, guys, I'm 57. I came out in 1969 the first time, then again in 1973. It's not like I need anyone to read me the history. You and Julie are being too literal. There is no equation that makes being physically gay bashed, arrested, or evicted from housing or denied child visitation or being thrown out on the street as a teenager by parents the same as standing up politically by publicly signing a petition in opposition to the national party organization that has been nothing but talk while demanding our money to protect our interests, that's true.

But there is something the same about doing it publicly, throwing off the feeling of shame that has kept us forking over money in hopes that this time it would be different, and the DNC and the president we worked to elect would actually keep more than a single promise. We had the audacity to hope, and now we've got the audacity to say publicly that we're done with this scam: deliver the goods or that's it for money.

As far as our Congressional delegation goes, Sen. Leahy has worked on the Hate Crimes bill, now law. He's working on ENDA and has agreed publicly to support repeal of DOMA and DADT. He's been working on the Uniting American Families Act, which is well-intended but still treats same-gender relationships like some other category than marriage - it wouldn't be necessary if DOMA were repealed. I know less about Sen. Sanders' actual support for specific pieces of legislation or repeal of restrictive and discriminatory ones, but I'm pretty sure we can count on his vote, along with Rep. Peter Welch's.

As far as the problem being in the local Democrats to whom the gAyTM campaign suggests you give your money instead, in Vermont, local Democratic legislators for the most part (and with notable exceptions), have delivered on lgbt equality in the state legislature.

NanuqFC
[T]he rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights - both from unjust laws and violent acts. ~ US President Barack Obama

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by: NanuqFC @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 21:44:12 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Hey (0.00 / 0)

I get the intent of the post and tried to be clear (with italics) that a public call/movement of the LGBT community and supporters not donating to the Dems (who don't walk the walk) is a great step... I just noted that the title (and connection to Stonewall a la the lead paragraph) seems a tad too much, from where I sit.  It's not meant as taking away from either you personally (and your experiences) nor the intent of the idea.  

If I called the VT "Healthcare is a Human Right" campaign the second-coming of the Chicago '68 DNC I'd probably be charged with going a bit too far in my comparison as well (or at least, I should)... but that wouldn't detract from the import or necessity of the HiaHR campaign; I just don't like the watering-down of history by hyperbolic elevation of current events (and, hey, on my blog a year and a half ago I tried to draw comparisons between Paris '68 and the uprisings in Tibet at the time, which is exactly the not cool thing I'm talking about).

-In America the people fear their government; in France, it is the government that fears the people

www.integralpsychosis.com

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by: wdh3 @ Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 22:08:32 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I guess my take on it is that... (0.00 / 0)

...this is not even remotely like Stonewall, and it's not even remotely a rebellion.  It's just a group of people saying, essentially, "why the hell are we spending our money on this?"

I guess, to me, it rings like Clarance Thomas referring to a "high tech lynching."

juliewaters.com

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by: JulieWaters @ Sat Nov 28, 2009 at 05:29:31 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I don't know . . . (0.00 / 0)

watering-down of history by hyperbolic elevation of current events is okay with me if it can move me even the smallest step closer to being a full and equal citizen of this country. I don't see a problem here. And Clarance Thomas? Now there's a problematic comparison.

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by: vtrefugee @ Mon Nov 30, 2009 at 18:38:23 PM CST

[ Parent ]