No More Smear The Queer

Nov1 by D Gregory Smith

In a short note to me this weekend, my friend and colleague Brody Levesque shared a personal thought about this election cycle that stopped me:

“I just cannot get over how hateful some of the rhetoric is this time out. In 31 years of being a political reporter, I can’t remember seeing it this bad.”

Wow. Maybe I’m becoming inured or cynical, or maybe I’ve been too busy defending my own turf to make comparisons. But, I wonder if he’s right. When have we had stompings, regular threats of murder, bullying, rallies for hate, such blatant lies, ignorance in campaigns and reactionary forces being such a force in our country since the sixties? Maybe, but I don’t remember it. Feel free to remind me.

What strikes me is the ease with which the populace has accepted this shit. How easy I accepted it. Hmmm. Let’s look something up.

Hate: Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hete; akin to Old High German haz hate, Greek: kedos, care. Date: before 12th century; noun, intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.

See the word “fear”? Just hold onto it for a minute. I’m going to digress slightly, but we’ll get back to this. Promise.

There is one thing that drives American culture more than anything else, and that thing is money.

The Complete Culture of Capitalism has some gruesome side-effects. People with a lot of money have influence and they get whatever they want with little or no accountability, and when they band together, they run the country (see Haliburton). The people with less money have very little influence and they rarely get what they want, even though they outnumber the rich. Why? Because the rich play the fear game. They divide us into opposing groups: Liberal and Conservative, gay and straight, moral and immoral, rich and poor, urban and rural, christian and heathen. They then teach us how to hate each other because our values are being threatened by “the other”. They do that because they have the money to do it, and like a child pitting two divorced parents against each other in order to get what they want, they stand back and watch us fight. Smugly.

This fighting and drama is all a distraction from the real issue, which is, as you probably guessed- money. The only problem with the divorced parents and child analogy is this: the child is really a changeling, a cuckoo. It is not their child, not really their responsibility at all. But the masquerade has been conducted so well that, even when faced by the truth, the parents refuse to accept it.

It’s a simple thing, but a complicated concept. Economics has more schools of thought that political science. But it made me wonder. On a single issue, fighting the gays, some friends of a friend casually wondered about the amount of money the Christian Right has spent over the last 3 decades- from Harvey Milk’s election in 1977 to the present day. It became kind of a fun project for them, and they worked for a while and came up with a conservative figure (pun intended) of 1.4 billion. That goes from before Anita Bryant well beyond the opposition of Prop 8.

Well over a billion dollars. And that was a simple figure. Makes me wonder what a serious graduate student or economist could do with this project.

Almost one and a half billion dollars. That may or may not include pastor’s salaries, plane tickets, gas, power bills, office supplies, etc. That to me, is a campaign to fight fear.

What exactly is fear? I think we take it for granted. Quite simply, fear is what happens when you think you’re going to get something you don’t want. That’s what I’m going to point out. The Christian Right has given up civil discourse in favor of missionary zeal to fight something they think they won’t want- and not only that, they have done it by lying. They perpetuate the ideology before the person. They have de-humanized “The Homosexuals”, for a very simple reason: there is no need to be civil if gays are less than human. It becomes acceptable in schools to bully and “smear the queer.” Do unto others doesn’t count if you’re not talking about real people. It becomes a moral imperative to be hateful and cruel- the irony of all ironies within a Christian context….

So what’s our job? I think there are mainly two right now.

Show Them The Money.
Facts are facts. I don’t think the average American knows how much money has been spent in smearing the queer. Show the people in the pews exactly how much money they have spent in keeping other human beings down.If polls are any indication, the number of people who want us to have equal rights are not outnumbered by those who don’t. The naysayers are just spending more money. And they are spending it in the name of everyone they represent, with or without their permission. Local and national politicians, PACs, even entire denominations and corporations are contributing money to prevent equal rights. I think that if the people knew how much money was being spent in their name, it wouldn’t happen so easily. Accountability would be more highly sought and touted. 8: The Mormon Proposition was on the right track, but it didn’t go far enough. Prop 8 is just the latest and most widely publicized fight in over 40 years of political and social struggling. Our job is to call this funding what it is: prejudice and bigotry. And no matter how they try to hide this money (and hiding is just a way they show they know it’s wrong) we must work to find it. (Where are you, gay economists and forensic accountants?)

Come Out.
Come out as far as you feel you can, and support others when they come out.Reclaim our humanity in the eyes of our oppressors. Harvey Milk said this:

“I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad, but I hope they will take that frustration and that madness and instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay doctor come out, every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let that world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody would imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights.”

We have to be real. We have to be human. Our job is to be visible, to be teachers, to show our families, our neighbors, our churches, our communities and our nation that we are not monsters. We are not the antichrist. We are human beings with feelings and families and jobs and faith. We know fear and pain and loss. We know joy and love and happiness. We are people who love. We are not a threat to anyone’s marriage or faith or family. Personally, I think my most important jobs is to teach other human beings how to love what they do not understand.

This all boils down to the same thing: the unifying principle of humanity. Most people aren’t interested in oppressing other people. Those that seem to be are lost in the rhetoric that LGBT’s are not human beings. It’s our job to show them that we are. Shakespeare wrote one of the first and most beautiful pleas for civil rights and equality in The Merchant Of Venice, when Shylock, a Jew, finally responds to the blatant prejudice of his day:

“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal’d by the same means, warm’d and cool’d by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

Like Shylock, we have to continually remind the world of our humanity until any rhetoric to the contrary becomes powerless. Until Smear The Queer is no longer played on our playgrounds and in our elections. Unlike Shakespeare, I am not justifying revenge. In fact, I want just the opposite. I’m suggesting militant understanding and sanity. Sanity through honesty, intelligence, perseverance and diligence. We have to stand up and speak when we’re told to sit down and shut up. We have to rebuff the anger and fear with the truth. We have to. Now more than ever.

The most important candidate in this election is fear. And it’s our job to oppose it and expose it for what it really is- a dehumanizing cuckoo.

The only thing we have to lose is our humanity.

Ravndal’s Back

Oct26 by D Gregory Smith

You heard me.

KXLH News is reporting that:

Tim Ravndal, who headed the Big Sky Tea Party until he was ousted following a controversial message he posted on Facebook, has been tapped for a leadership post in the Lewis & Clark Conservative Tea Party organization in Helena.

In an e-mail, Ravndal said that the Lewis & Clark’s Conservative Tea Party is “organized and open for business,” and that the purpose of the group is to stop the “extremists’ outright attacks on our liberty, freedom, integrity and moral values here in Montana and across America.”

The group’s founder, Bobbette Madonna, said she is extremely pleased that Ravndal, the former president of the Big Sky Tea Party Association, has been elected as the group’s executive director.

Great- the man who wanted the “Wyoming instruction manual” on how to hang fruits is in charge of the Lewis & Clark Tea Party. The man who openly espoused the murder of other human beings is the executive director of a Montana political organization hiding behind the skirts of “conservatism”.

KXLH again:

After Ravndal’s comments got picked up by national blogs and local news outlets, he issued an apology on Facebook which has since drawn hundreds of responses: “In sharing news about ACLU suing Montana on the gay marriage issue, I made a mistake and commented on a post that implied that I condone violence against another human being. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Those that know me understand and that is all that matters.” (emphasis mine)

No, Mr Ravndal that is not all that matters. People who preach hate and murder against anyone perceived as different or “immoral” are a threat to the safety of all peace-loving people everywhere. This country was founded on the principle of equal protection under the law. The United States has enshrined life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people in it’s code of law. The law of the United States of America, not the King James Version of the Bible (which is a deficient translation in itself, but I digress).

Your remarks and subsequent “apology” do nothing to appease me. It’s your actions that I find repulsive and dangerous. Actions which, according to photographic proof, are pretty difficult to deny or misconstrue. You meant those remarks. You played along. You contributed to fear, hate and mistrust in the hearts of Montanans and, sadly, other Americans. That casual conversation is much more a measure of your values than any political statement could ever be. That’s who you are.

That’s why I don’t trust you. That’s why you will be held accountable for your words and actions in the future. Too many innocent kids have taken or attempted to take their lives because of words like the ones you and your friends used. Too many minority Americans (pick whichever minority you like) are afraid to live their lives openly for fear of violence or ugliness. That’s why I can’t believe an organization is “proud” to have you unless they have the same beliefs and values that you do- especially the notorious ones.

Sorry, but I have to stop now.

I feel sick.

Cross-published at Bilerico.com

Predators

Oct11 by D Gregory Smith

I am filled with frustration, anger, sadness and pain with the rash of gay teen suicides, the hate speech being spewed by religious leaders, the hate institutionalized by organizations, the violence directed toward peaceful people, the silence by those who should know better and by my own limited ability to do anything about it.

But my frustration has led me to an important insight.

I have come to realize that the hate that leads children to take their own lives is no worse than the pedophilia crisis which shakes the Catholic Church. When a pedophile seduces a child, it is painful and disgusting because of the innocence lost which can never be regained, because of the trust between adults and children in their care which has been corrupted and transformed into the delusional, self-serving predatory destruction of a young soul. It leads many of these children down the path to self-destruction- either by suicide, attempted suicide, drug and alcohol addiction or crippling depression. We are right to be outraged.

It is a violation of innocence, of the right to exist, of the right to trust, of the right to love. It is predatory. We call them predators, because, like wild animals, they stalk, they hunt, they consume, they destroy.

And those who preach hate against gays are no different.

I have talked to kids who are terrified because they have feelings which conflict with the “normal” view of the society/community/church/family in which they live. They are not scared because “they know it’s wrong”, they are scared because an adult, perhaps someone close to them or in authority over them has told them that these feelings are wrong. That having those feelings makes them bad. They use words like “sinful”, “disordered”, “unnatural”, “disgusting”, “freak” and on and on…. They are not concerned for the well-being of the children in their care- they are driving them in shame to their deaths.

It’s time to call them what they are. They are predators. They are killing our children. They are destroying our families.

They will not win.

This Is Important!

Sep20 by D Gregory Smith

Also published on The Bilerico Project

It took almost three months, but the story about the hateful Montana GOP platform plank seeking the criminalization of gays has gone national.

The Associated Press ran a story over the weekend that was picked up by The Boston Globe, The Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, and there was even a story on a Montana NBC affiliate station. And more newspapers, I’m told, will be running the story in the next few days.

Why is this important? I’ll tell you why.

It’s important because this is happening all the time. People in charge are doing things that most of the masses would not approve, crossing their fingers and hoping it will go unnoticed. It’s happening when the Christianist agenda, even when unconstitutional, gets pushed into public policy through the side door. And this time they got caught.

It’s important because most Montana Republicans didn’t even know of the plank’s existence, and many are outraged at the discovery. This is just the kind of sneaky right-wing evangelical behavior that erodes our rights- even if it is happening in rural America.

It’s important because behind the scenes there were tireless individuals who wouldn’t let this go. There were people who realized that this platform plank had an impact on the freedom of all Americans, and they kept the legs under this story. They shared the story on Facebook, they sent it to their friends and local news organizations, they wrote letters and made phone calls. There were even allies in the media, the GOP – maybe unsurprisingly not the Log Cabin Republicans, conservatives and local human rights organizations that knew this was important – not just for gay people, but for everyone.

It’s important because it shows hard work, perseverance and a reasonable sense of moral outrage pays off. There’s a realization that activism still works, that sitting on our collective asses and bitching to each other doesn’t.

And that, my friends, is a victory.

PS, Read this if you think we should rest on our laurels…

Update: Change.org now has a petition for the Montana GOP leadership to take the hate out of their platform.

Sign it. All the cool kids are doing it.

Gays, Welcome To The Tea Party?

Sep10 by D Gregory Smith

http://sweetopia.net/2009/05/rainbow-tea-party-cookies-lollipop-flower-cupcakes/

I was the first blogger to break the news of the hateful dialog in which Montana Tea Party president Tim Ravndal was caught. In short, he appeared to advocate the torture/lynching of gay people, conjuring up the disturbing image of Matthew Shepard. And yet, as a gay man living in the West, I couldn’t help but be surprised and somewhat impressed with the official response of the Big Sky Tea Party leadership in announcing Ravndal’s termination:

“We continually make it known that we will not tolerate bigoted dialog, behavior or messages at our functions, our meetings or within our ranks. “If a person demonstrates bigotry relative to race, sex, ethnicity, etc. they are not welcome in our organization. The Tea Party movement is about standing up for individual freedom for everyone,” said chairman Jim Walker.

Wow. Not bad.

So I naturally have to ask myself, “Is the Tea Party officially more gay-inclusive than the Republican Party?” Let me explain.

The Montana Republican party has in its platform plank (as, similarly, does Texas) explicit language calling for the criminalization of homosexual acts:

We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal.

As a party that touts its tolerance, this seems to me to be quite intolerant. In fact, the Big Sky Tea Party now comes across as much more inclusive, less bigoted and homophobic than the Montana GOP, whose official platform (since 2008) clearly is loaded with prejudice, bigotry and intolerance.

I want to be clear- I am not a Republican, a conservative or a Tea Party member. I am an Independent, liberal, gay man living in Montana. But I can’t help but be struck by the diplomacy of my so-called right-wing adversaries vs. the silence and established prejudice of the Grand Old Party.

Which brings me back to the question, “Is the Big Sky Tea Party more supportive of basic human rights than the Montana GOP?”

I find it amusing that we even have to ask the question- and yes, I can honestly appreciate the full-on irony of this moment. But still, no major Republican or Republican groups (even the gay one) has denounced this plank publicly, or even made any semblance of a fuss. Hell, the Democrats haven’t even said anything officially- maybe because it’s too easy. Whatever. It’s just been a few gadflies with an outraged sense of injustice.

So, the answer to the question, on paper anyway, seems to be “Yes”.

Tea anyone?

Update:
Jay Stevens has a more in-depth analysis on Left In The West. Thanks Jay!

Montana Tea Party Hosts “Hanging Of Fruits”?

Sep2 by D Gregory Smith

Is it safe to be gay under the Big Sky?

Fuck no.

Innuendo, bullying and under-the radar criminalization of gay people just aren’t enough. Threats of violence and lynching seem to be the only way to deal with these uppity queers in Montana.

Tim Ravndal, (whose Facebook page lists the following information:
Tim Ravndal, Montana Constitutional Warriors, Montana Coordinator for the Second Amendment March, Montana Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center, Montana Coordinator for the National Nullification Center, Montana Tea Party Movement, Organizer
PO Box 287
Townsend Montana 59644
1-406-266-5212 or 1-439-5860
thornyacre@dishmail.net )
hosts a conversation on his Facebook page where he comments on an article by the Billings Gazette on the lawsuit by the Montana ACLU by seven same-sex couples, condones torture and hanging of “fruits” and makes explicit inference to Matthew Shepard’s murder.

Transcript:

Tim Ravndal: “Marriage is between a man and a woman period! By giving rights to those otherwise would be a violation of the constitution and my own rights”

Kieth Baker: “How dare you exercise your First Amendment Rights?”

Dennis Scranton: “I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions.”

Tim Ravndal: “@Kieth, OOPS I forgot this aint(sic) America no more! @ Dennis, Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?”

Dennis Scranton: Should be able to get info Gazette archives. Maybe even an illustration. Go back a bit over ten years.”

But see for yourself:

(click screencap to enlarge)

Disgusting. I found it here.

And it’s not the only public homophobic comment by a Montanan lately. This one’s running for office.

MTCOWGIRL’s also on it….

Andy Towle’s take on the story here.

And this from Left In The West.

And, finally, excellent local media coverage.

Diane Has A Christianity Problem

Aug31 by D Gregory Smith

Diane Silver has an excellent post about her difficulty with Christianity over at The Bilerico Project.

Christians terrify me. I am strong and capable, but part of me feels like a powerless child who can’t withstand the Christian onslaught. I’m a 10-pound cat facing a 120-pound pit bull and the snarling beast is frothing at the mouth.

Well worth a read.

Same-Sex Seven Sue Big Sky State

Jul23 by D Gregory Smith

Another reason why Montana matters:

...unless you're an uppity homosexual...

Seven committed same-sex couples and the ACLU are suing the State of Montana for “failing to offer legal protections to same-sex couples and their families in violation of the Montana Constitution’s rights of privacy, dignity and the pursuit of life’s basic necessities and its guarantees of equal protection and due process.”

The goal of this lawsuit is to see that same-sex couples are able to protect their families with the same kind of legal protections that the State offers to opposite-sex couples through marriage.

Why do we keep banging our heads out here?

Because it’s the right thing to do.

Kellie Gibson and partner Denise Boettcher are one of the couples involved in the suit.

“Denise has stood with me through 56 brain surgeries and over 300 spinal taps, yet to Montana we’re nothing more than strangers,” Gibson said in a statement. “Knowing we have legal protections for our family sure would make it easier on both of us the next time I have a medical crisis.”

New National HIV Strategy Unveiled

Jul14 by D Gregory Smith

“The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.”

A visionary national strategy (the first!) for dealing with HIV has been unveiled. Read it here.

Whatever you might think, this is the first time an administration has actually had a plan that specifically deals with gay/bi men in a light that’s not defamatory and shameful sounding. The government has also appropriated $25 million dollars for ADAP, The AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

From the response by NAPWA, the National Association of People with AIDS:

Overall, the plan is thoughtful and lays down some meaningful and aggressive goals to reduce the number of new infections and improve access to care for persons living with HIV. President Obama, as part of his campaign for President, promised the nation that he would develop such a strategy; NAPWA thanks the President for fulfilling this important commitment.

Frank Oldham, President and CEO of NAPWA stated “On behalf of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States, I wish to thank the President and Jeff Crowley for releasing this long awaited document. NAPWA promises to work with the Administration and Congress to ensure that this becomes a living breathing document that has a meaningful and fruitful impact on the lives of people living with HIV.”

Overall, the strategy has three basic goals, which NAPWA wishes to comment on:

(1) Reducing new HIV infections, with a particular focus on communities where HIV is concentrated. The Administration’s goal of reducing new infections by 25% is an important goal that we must all work together to ensure is not only met, but exceeded.

(2) Increasing access to care and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV. NAPWA particularly applauds the goals of establishing a seamless system of care for people when they are diagnosed with HIV, increasing the number of HIV clinical care providers, and addressing the complex co-morbid conditions of many individuals living with HIV, including issues such as access to housing. In light of the current AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) crisis, with over 2,200 individuals on waiting lists for HIV medications, it is very apparent that this goal will only be met with the significant introduction of new federal resources to meet the growing demand for HIV services. The Administration and Congress must step up to the plate to provide new federal funding not only to address to the ADAP crisis, but also to help meet the goals laid out in this important plan.

(3) Reducing HIV-related health disparities, including recognizing the role that stigma continues to play in reducing access to care and getting people tested. We at NAPWA recognize on a very person level the major and ongoing role that stigma continues to play in the everyday lives of people living with HIV, including promoting fear, inhibiting disclosure, and reducing persons access to the HIV care they need and deserve. In order to effectively address the HIV epidemic, reducing stigma must play a major role in any strategy.

Stated Matthew Lesieur, Director of Public Policy, “The release of the nation’s first National AIDS Strategy is only the beginning. Now the long road ahead lies in making this strategy a reality that has value to the average person living with HIV. ”

Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the first coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world as well as the oldest AIDS organization in the United States. NAPWA is the trusted, independent voice of the more than one million people living with HIV/AIDS in America.

For more information, visit http://www.napwa.org.

7/15 Update: Dan O’Neill’s excellent analysis here.

Why Montana Matters

Jul6 by D Gregory Smith

I’ve been getting some exposure over my post Montana Republicans Are Now Officially Homophobes and Bigots. Andrew Sullivan linked to my blog. Outrage was expressed on the Montana GOP’s Facebook page. Another Facebook page wants to “Tell MT Republicans to Remove Hate from their platform“. The Missoulian published my editorial. Several other media outlets picked up the story. I’ve been doing my best to keep the legs under this issue. Other people have been great at spreading the news.

It’s not enough.

People are asking me if I’ve lost my mind- “Why does this matter so much to you?” “Why can’t you let go?” Let me explain.

As long as that plank is in the Montana Republican platform, it sneers at all LGBT persons throughout the United States. As long as that plank exists, it allows bigotry and homophobia to claim official sanction. It encourages intolerance, hate and the violation of human rights. It promotes ignorance, both social and scientific. It takes a segment of human society and seeks to criminalize them because of their biology, their sexuality, their choice of self-expression. It creates confusion, shame and fear in the minds of children, parents, institutions and churches. It also creates attitudes of moral superiority and bullying, mocking that phrase “all men are created equal,” substituting Orwell’s “some are more equal than others”. In short, it’s in the best interests of every human being in this country to see that this plank is changed.

Why?

Because you never know who’ll be next.

Sure, Montana isn’t exactly the political mainstream- it isn’t mainstream at all, really. Sure, there aren’t a lot of LGBT persons here. Sure, there isn’t a lot of impact on the rest of you. But this is a STATE. One of Fifty. And along with Texas, it’s discriminating against a specific group of Americans. Where does the creeping stop? Will Wyoming jump on board? Is Idaho next? Utah? Nevada? Arizona? Alaska? Who knows?

Make fun of us if you want, but if you discount Montana and it’s impact on the United States of America, you misread history. Montana’s natural resources and people have nurtured this nation since Lewis and Clark pioneered the Missouri. This isn’t just the home state of Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy, Ivan Doig, Norman MacLean, Evel Knievel, Charlie Russell, Henry Plummer and Ted Kaczyinski. It’s the place that nurtured such prominent political and social figures as Mike Mansfield, Jeannette Rankin, Chet Huntley, Lester Thurow, Lee Metcalf, Jack Horner, David Lynch, Marc Racicot, etc. Political leaders have made this a place to see and be seen. Teddy Kennedy on a bucking bronc in Miles City, or candidate Obama marching in the Butte fourth of July Parade- in fact he was here twice- and returned as president.

It matters. Maybe not to you. Not yet.

But stopping this now will be a hell of a lot easier than later, when it’s YOUR bedroom they’re talking about.