Well-Behaved Queers Never Make History

When I recently read about this latest wave of Obama supporters telling LGBT people to "STFU" over homophobic minister Rick Warren delivering the President-Elect's inaugural invocation, I became disturbed. Why must queer people simply shut up & act like bigotry is OK if it's done in a "unifying" way?

But then, I realized something. It's not enough for us to just keep complaining about something that may or may not change. No, instead we need to get up & speak out. We must be loud, be proud, and raise some holy hell until we win our civil rights.

I mean it. I'm sick & tired of being told to "wait my turn". I'm sick & tired of being commanded to accept second-class citizenship. I'm sick & tired of being derided as "controversial" just for being who I am.

I've had enough, and I won't take it any more. I won't just take whatever bread crumbs Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi throws our way. I want us to have a seat at the table, and I won't stop fighting until we get our seat at that table.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that LGBT people abandon the Democratic Party. No, I'm saying that we can't simply expect Democratic politicians to tolerate us & be happy with that. We must go beyond just supporting candidates. We must build our own movement.

Past civil rights activists realized this, and we must realize this today to be successful in the future. We need our own Million Person March to Washington. We need our own sit-ins at the gates to Saddleback Church and the LDS (Mormon) Church Headquarters. We need our own advocates to win more landmark cases in court. And yes, we need our own campaigns & our own candidates to win.

So guess what? I want to start by taking my own advice. I'll help organize a protest in front of Rick Warren's church on January 18. I'll run for reelection to my state Democratic Party's Central Committee. I'll give all I can give to groups that are doing as I'm doing in fighting like hell for equal rights. Oh yes, and I'll be loud & proud in telling everyone I know that I'm gay & I just want the same treatment all of them take for granted.

Want to join me? Go ahead. If you're in California, please support Courage Campaign's Repeal Prop H8 Campaign and ACLU's efforts to overturn H8 in court. No matter where you are, help Lambda Legal secure people's civil rights all across the nation. And no matter where you are, come out.

Come out as an ally. Come out as queer if you are. Just come out, be loud, and be proud. After all, well-behaved queers never make history.