The United States has seen many protest, pride events and rallies of the GLBT community. Starting with Stonewall, Reagan anti-Aids, Matthew Sheppard, Domestic Partnerships, Canada Marriages DOMA, EDNA and now Propsition 8. The inconsistent voice of the GLBT community isn’t much of a threat, especially since the voice fades until the next issue or event. The Political/Religious conservatives just have to be calm and allow this wave to come to surface and then submerge into either micro-culture within itself, blog sphere, internet groups or chats.
The GLBT Sects
The Issues has constantly divided the GLBT community with each issue and task force type agency:
National Gay and Lesbian Task Forc, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, International Lesbian and Gay Association, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Immigration Equality, OUTFront: Amnesty International’s Program on Human Rights and Sexual Identity, Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society, Scouting for All, True Colors, Inc., National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers, International Gay Rodeo Association, Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians, StoneWall Society, Pink Pistols, Parents of Jewish Gays and Lesbians, Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, HRC . . . plus many more.
Then the GLBT community divides itself even more into:
Bisexual, Business Associations, Elders, FFLAG, Gay Men, GLSEN, Historical Societies, Lesbian, Military, PFLAG, Political, Professional, Regional, Sports, Student, Youth . . . and many more.
Each of these (task forces, sub-cultures and micro-cultures) have a need for three things :
- Membership
- Administration
- Money
What happens is that GLBT, Family, Friends and those who want to give and support any issue – - – you have to issue mine. It gets so bad that metropolitan areas have multiple same-issue charities that need your money. Their goals, boards and outreach are almost alike, some too much alike but each need your money or requesting the same Government Grant.
Divide and Conquer
The death of the Feminist movement has been replaced with bikinis, legal proposition and the low level issue of equal pay is now just a television ticker. Even though the Feminist movement has not reached its goal it has divided and divided and divided itself to the point of its demise.
The GLBT community will not survive the Proposition 8 wave. Why? Life goes on. The daily focus will continue to the sublime. If the Prop 8 protest starts to be a weekly event (which I doubt) it will start to be a regular group of individuals who will start off with a pre-protest meeting, then slowly grow into a website, voting a board, fund raising, and then be another GLBT group in the sea of political/social issues . . . and slowly be lost at sea . . . waiting to ride the next wave.
With each division Conservatives and Religious fanatic groups just sit back to watch the strength and protest dwindle down to nothingness. They just laugh at the Gay Pride Day turning from a legitimate protest into over priced parades, carnivals and outdoor concerts. With each Pride Day Festivities the bucket of funds for the GLBT political issues dwindle down . . . while the Conservatives and Religious components prepare and build funds.
Solution
The GLBT community has to create one organization, divided into 50 state, and then into county/districts (based on population). The organization will be the umbrella for all GLBT issues and causes wich will be branched out into the 50 states and local offices. Funds will be divided by population. With this umbrella organization concept it will be one source, for multiple goals and strength of support . . . but save for the important issues. We do not want to be under funded again.
The Pride Day Celebrations should just be march (local courthouse or capital building) and a rally. It should not be an outdoor commercial mall. Anything more or less is failing the GLBT cause.
Until then . . . my money will be wasted on the loudest issue, gambling this time it works.
Hey I was just thinking that you would probably get more frequent readers if you interviewed controversial personalities for your blog.