PAGE 6 ▼ Q-Notes ▼ July 22, 2000
Vol. 15, No. 5'July22, 2000
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Index
Articles
Activists call for change in
BSA’s anti-gay policies 3
Amnesty International demands
equal rights for GLBT people 5
Coca-Cola adds DP health benefits ... 1
Confederate “Stepdaughters” protest
battle flag in Columbia 1
Judy Collins cancels concert to
protest lack of church policy 9
London mayor voices support
for gay civil unions 3
Minister responds to Popes
anti-gay remarks 8
VT civil unions law takes effect,
putting fairness in full swing 1
Victim of anti-gay murder
remembered at candlelight vigil 1
Features
Fifth annual NC Cay and Lesbian
Film Festival coming in August 15
Out on the road again: The more
I travel the better person I become ..15
Columns
Classifieds 16
Community Cards 19
Curbside 22
The Drag Rag ...14
CLAAD Notes 20
Lesbian Notions 11
Money Matters 13
News Notes 17
Out and About 22
Out In The Stars 21
Personals 20
Poll Question 20
QFYI 9
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300 Stonewall 23
Alyson Travel 14
American Express Financial 4
Ani DiFranco in Concert 14
B. D. Collins Fashion Design 19
The Brass Rail 21
Calhoun House 4
Center for Positive Living 8
Central Records 5
Central Station 17
Charleston Beach B&B 19
Charlotte Business Cuild 15
Charlotte Realty Croup 4
Jeff Childs, Broker/Realtor 19
Computing Essentials 19
The Cove 3
Divas 18
M. A. Dixon, Law Office 19
Edwin C. Farthing, Attorney... 19
Flight 69 20
Georgetown Body Works 3
Good OF Days 5
Good Year Tire 19
Lisa Griffin, Family Therapist 9
Hair Club for Men and Women 8
Help Wanted 7
Home Resources. 19
Independence News 12
InTouch Body Therapy 12
J & W Cellular Phones & Pagers 24
Jemsek Clinic 19
Klutts Property Management 16
Jeffrey Grant Koenig, Attorney 16
Leah’s Bookkeeping & Tax Service 19
Liaisons 13
Lots for sale 11
Menu by Melissa 19
Miss NC America 8
Bruce Moyer, Counselor 13
NC Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 15
New Life MCC 19
Newsstand International 7
Joe O’Connor, Realtor 3
Parliament Social Club 12
Parkview Video & News 21
Peace of Mind, House & Pet Sitting 19
■ Pink Fairy Travel 14
The Playground 2
Queen City Antiques 14
Queen City Rollers 18
Carol Reinard, Realtor 19
Richmond Hill TownHomes 9
Scorpio 11
Scott Lawn & Landscaping 21
Sharon Memorial Park 16
Joan Simpson, Psychologist 19
Sir Speedy Printing 22
Sleepy Poet Antique Mall 22
Joel Smith, Hair Designs 19
Southern Center for Law 19
Spektrum 22
St. John’s MCC 16
Subway 5
Scott Thompson, Hair Design 19
Timberfell Lodge 7
Time Out 17
Triangle East Cosmetic Surgery 7
Trish Works 19
Unitarian Universalist Church 5
Andy Vernon 19
Nan Walker, Counselor 19
Warehouse 29 10
Vinson Washburn, Realtor 5
White Rabbit Books & Things 12
viewpoint
Without diversity,
we all lose
Hidden behind the scenes of the US Senate’s
recent passage of a hate crimes bill was a vic
tory for those who value both diversity and
coalition-building.
Since the initial passage years ago of race-
and religion-based hate crimes legislation, coa
litions of progressive lobbyists and activists have
been pushing a bill that would expand the scope
of the law to include sexual orientation, gen
der and physical ability.
Along the way, efforts were made to “stream
line” the bill to make it more passable. Some
legislators wanted gender removed (fearing, they
said, that every rape would be considered a hate
crime and prompting the FBI to express con
cern that they somehow would be forced to
distinguish between rape motivated by lust and
rape motivated by hate.) Other legislators were
stopped by sexual orientation, fearing they
might appear sympathetic to the rights and
needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender community. And some civil rights
proponents feared that resources to fight race-
based hate crimes might get diffused with ex
pansion of the bill.
Skirmishes among advocates resulted from
these pressures. Was it fair to allow gender to
stop the bill from moving forward, thus deny
ing the GLBT community a victory? Of course
not. Was it fair to leave gender behind? Of
course not. In the end, the bill remained intact
and the internal wrangling largely stayed be
hind the scenes.
This is a classic example of the importance
of diversity. It is an illusion to believe that the
human dignity and the civil rights of GLBT
people can be recognized and protected in a
society that is busy devising mean-spirited and ,
short-sighted attacks on any group of people.
The bias and discrimination that we encoun
ter can often be a murky blend of homopho
bia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, you name it -
and the only way a law will strike hard against
hate-motivated violence is if it is inclusive.
The roots of hate and intolerance are com
mon among the many different types of dis
crimination that we fight. Consider the upcom
ing November ballot initiative in Oregon,
which would ban any positive reference to ho
mosexuality in schools. The leader of this ef
fort, professional homophobe Lon Mabon, two
years ago attempted to put an anti-abortion ref
erendum on the Oregon ballot. The cultural
factors that promote hate (such as racism and
sexism) also serve to promote homophobia. We
need a strong, united movement that is focused
on fighting homophobia — and we must be
strategic in our alliances so that we win indi
vidual and collective battles challenging the root
causes of discrimination.
Look: a movement is nothing more than a
collaboration of ideas, experiences, energy and
resources. The ideas and priorities of the move
ment are shaped by the voices at the table. What
philosophy do we embrace? Whose priorities
win? When we lack diversity, the movement
loses. We need the experiences of transgender
people, gay men, lesbians, bisexual women and
men, radical fairies, leatherfolk. We need racial
and ethnic diversity, age diversity, religious and
spiritual diversity, economic diversity. Experi
ences and needs vary by geography, rural and
urban living, parenting situations (or non
parenting situations), physical ability — the
rainbow of differences that make us different
and yet the same.
What constitutes a “gay” or “lesbian” issue,
anyway? Who decides? Welfare reform may be
a “gay” issue for people who are facing (among
other deep-rooted problems in the public as
sistance bureaucracy) policies that inappropri
ately promote marriage as a goal of the welfare
program. Immigration may be a “gay” issue for
the loved one who wants his partner to be able
to immigrate to the United States. And what
about reproductive rights? Anyone who has
taken a close look at the reproductive rights
movement will find substantial lesbian leader
ship.
Achieving more diversity in the GLBT com
munity and in our alliances with others would
put us on the fast track to success. First, the
quality of our work would improve as a greater
diversity of experiences and ideas shaped the
movement. Second, our strength in numbers
would rise exponentially. People need to feel
welcome and that’s hard sometimes to do when
few faces or voices are like your own.
What is NGLTF doing to promote diver
sity in our society and in our movement? Lots.
Among our newest projects is the Racial and
Economic Justice Initiative, targeted to address
issues of racism and poverty. Through this ini
tiative, we’re currently surveying thousands of
GLBT people of color at Black Pride events
throughout the United States — we’ve already
been to Pride events in Houston, Oakland,
Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Los An
geles. The data we gather (basic demographic
and socioeconomic information) has never been
gathered before and will help us evaluate the
needs of an underrepresented GLBT commu
nity.
This month, we’re also planning another in
our series of National Religious Leadership
Roundtable events. This event will take place
in Miami and will examine the intersection of
homophobia and racism in the United States.
It’s an exciting event, one which will help us
forge new alliances and new understandings as
we move forward, together. That is part of
NGLTF’s commitment to diversity. United we
stand — and pass important legislation like the
hate crimes bill that survived a conservative
Senate. Divided — well, you know the rest of
that sentence. T
— Elizabeth Toledo
Washington, DC
[ The writer was named executive director of
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in May. ]
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