Heroes Are Not Born...

It’s often said that Heroes aren’t born in the womb, they are borne of the moment. Such is the case of Frank Kameny.
What?
His name doesn’t sound familiar?
Gather round children and let me tell you about the gay man who couldn’t wait for the Stonewall uprising.

Frank Kameny was born in 1925, and is still alive today. A World War II vetran, who entered college at 15 to study physics, and served in a World War also aggressively pursued an education earning a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard, After teaching at Georgetown University, he went on to win a Civil Service job with the U.S. Army Map Service. Soon after however, he was questioned about reports he was a homosexual, was fired and then permanently barred from any future federal government employment.

At a time when homosexuals were hunted by the government in a society which deemed them sick and perverted, Frank Kameny refused to accept the hand that fate had dealt him and sued the government taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Although the court denied his petition, it is notable as the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation

Kameny realized it was society’s negative image of gays which even permeated the self-identity of gay and lesbian people themselves and that had to be challenged. Thus a gay pioneer was born. He, along with Jack Nichols, co-founded the Mattachine Society that pressed aggressively for gay and lesbian civil rights. In 1966 he coined the slogan “Gay is Good” a saying he says he wishes he would be most remembered for. Kameny did so much in our struggle for civil rights, in 1971 he founded the Gay Activists Alliance and he is also a cofounder of the National Gay Task Force and the National Gay Rights Lobby of which he remains involved with today.

Frank Kameny had a direct hand in making our lives as Gay men and women, possible today. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
Source and Material cited:
Who is Frank Kameny? by David Bianco
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Kameny
Accompanying Aural:
Gloria Gaynor: "I Am What I Am"

Read more »

Sorry Tina, We DO Need Another Hero

When you stop and realize that the gay rights movement is really only about 40 years old, it's amazing to see how far we've come.  

GLBTs have battled against discrimination on the federal, state, and personal levels.   We've fought against those who called us abominations and a class of people out to corrupt children.   We have, as a community, fought against a disease that ran rampant through our ranks and all the while...each decade, each year, each day have managed to look fabulous while doing what we do as Out Gay Americans.

One of the main problems I see with the Gay Community today, is we lack cohesiveness.   When the movement began, we flocked to protests, rallys and demonstrations against the likes of Anita Bryant, and the Briggs Initiative (and eventually the US Supreme Court and a President who won office by villifying us all over again). When AIDS reared it's ugly head, we rallied against a common enemy and found our strength, our voice and our dignity.  We did all these things, and more, without a governing body of gayland.  We had no mayor, no figurehead, no vast organizational machine....and yet we perservered because of hero's like Milk, Larry Kramer, Phillis Lyon & Del Martin, Lawrence V Texas, and the innumerable queers who though their names fail to appear in any accounts, attended the marches, and lived their lives to the best of their ability...openly and proudly.

Where are our heros today?  

I believe apathy is the enemy.   I read about present day queers "shedding gay labels", causes and stereotypes.   Assimilation has become the mantra, but at what cost?  Because life has become arguably 'easier' for today's gays, many have adopted the attitude of just not caring. 

Of course the picture isn't completely bleak, we do have our notables.   A handful (maybe) of stars who are out and proud, although I can only think of Ellen as being the one who came out willingly.   There are a couple high profile politicians who are out as well but their first loyalty is to their constituents (or it should be).

So where are our Harvey Milks and Phillis Lyons of today?  

The National Equality March in DC is coming up the weekend of  October 9-11, and it's going to offer a myriad of activist training workshops, memorial services and of course that big march and rally on the West Lawn. 

Are you going to be there?   If not, have you written and called your elected officials to let them know they are also representing you as an out and proud citizen?   Have you donated to the cause?

Here's the deal folks...if we become apathetic, we're going to lose more rights than you or I could comprehend right now.   If WE don't care, who will?

Right now we do in fact need another hero..........will that be you?

Read more »