I’m probably going to feel “the wrath” from this post. Hell, I figure it’ll probably get me put on a watch list, if I’m not already on one. But if I didn’t post this I would be a hypocrite, if only in my own mind. I feel someone has to say this.
Personally, I find counting the number of dead soldiers offensive. Hundreds of Iraqi’s are murdered IN MASS, and the response by most Americans is a numb shrug of the shoulders. Yet, when 32 people are killed at Virginia Tech it’s a sad and disturbing event!?!??? This kind of irrational nationalism makes me ill. The Iraqi’s that have died are not much different than you, except for location. How is it that we can strip the humanity from anyone outside our borders? 9/11 sucked and was horrifying, but how does it compare to the war in Iraq? Estimates are that the Iraqi body count is from 50,000 to 600,000. That’s 16 to 201 times the number of dead from the 9/11 attacks.
I’d never wish ill on any soldier, but really, who should I feel sorry for? If you are a soldier in the US military, you have made a conscious choice to join the most powerful killing machine that this planet has ever seen. I’m not a fan of Rush Limbaugh, but he said it best… the military exists to “kill people and break things.” In contrast, the dead Iraqi civilians only crimes were location and existence.
Protests, as they are carried out now, have no weight behind them. The protests of the sixties mattered because they were bold pronouncements against the popular consensus. They also were very disruptive in the lives of your average Joe. The protests of today do neither. Permits are accessed, rules are followed, people talk, then go home. Protests today aren’t disruptive, don’t cause any disturbance, and in that, I don’t think they actually have impact or notice to your average every day Hoosier.
The reality is that those things that have impact, because they come at a cost. Jail time, personal safety, or other personal sacrifice usually follow such a sacrifice. The question is, are people fed up enough to make that kind of sacrifice?
The answer reminds me of a quote from “V for Vendetta”
“Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well, certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now High Chancellor…”
“He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.”Last night I sought to end that silence.”
“More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.”
I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know what we SHOULD do, I just know that protests and demonstrations aren’t the answer.
I’ve come to a point in my life where I am horrified by what my country is, yet inspired by what it could be. Right now the only thing I know I can give are my words.
Mark Angelo Cummings
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/tb1Pgjtuo4E" width="425" height="350"/]
Well, I went in the Indiana Statehouse for the first time in my life. And who stepped through those doors? Marti. It’s wierd to be in a space as a female that I have never been in as a male.
I was nervous as hell at first because it was a press conference and I have mild social anxiety anyhow. As soon as we got into the room where the press conference was to be held and that all washed away. Chris Douglas, a local gay Republican, got up and really pegged a knot in the Indiana Senate’s ass. I’ve never seen him so hot under the collar. It was a great performance to the media.
I came home and slept… then coded the website some….then slept…zzzzzzzzzz and my alarm doesn’t go off….zzzzzzz wake up and what time is it? 9:05pm. FUCK my bus comes in …15 minutes!!! So I hall balls ..change clothes and run out the door. I had to run to make the bus, if that tells you how close I was to missing the bus. Sooooooooooooo, I made it to the bus…and got to work OK.
*SMELL ALERT* while I took a shower this AM, I feel icky. Damn running for the bus! Damn warm coat!
Forget marriage, gay activists have bigger fish to fry. Blogger Keith Boykin’s on the warpath against the true enemy of queers everywhere. Comedy.
Two and a half years after New York activists ran her out of town for what they considered a racially offensive show, the controversial Shirley Q Liquor returns to the Big Apple on Martin Luther King Day. This time, protesters are gearing up for a new battle.
January 15, 2005
It’s refreshing to see the GLBT community is finally addressing issues that matter in the lives of real GLBT americans. Beating up on a gay white drag queen comedian takes a lot of guts. Forget about civil rights, marriage rights, and HIV/AID’s policy. Comedy is the real enemy. America needs to be rid of this “blue humor” terror.
An e-mail that Rupaul sent me (regarding a 2002 NGLTF action) addressed this menace:
“Taken out of context, ‘Shirley Q. Liquor’ can easily be misunderstood. Taken out of context, the NGLTF could easily be branded as a group of self serving sexual deviates who promote unchristian like behavior and who are actively trying to recruit “our children” into their cult. It sounds outrageous, but it’s happened before. It’s a dangerous game, lest we forget what happened in Germany sixty years ago.”
“What’s next on the politically correct NGLTF agenda? Will all drag queens be boycotted because we�re not really women? Will lesbians be brow beaten into wearing more feminine clothing? Will white rappers be protested until they start talking like real white people? Will brunettes be blacklisted because blond isn�t their natural hair color?”
Fuck Rupaul. You GLBT activists that are a part of this witchhunt action should be considered warriors! Finally, we get to the REAL ISSUES!
This was from an e-mail Rupaul sent me in 2002. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was supporting a protest of Chuck Knipp’s controversial character, Shirley Q Liquor.
“THESE FOLKS IS JUST PLAIN IGNUNT!
Last week, I received a letter from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stating that they had joined the boycott of Chuck Knipp, the gay comedian who portrays the character ‘Shirley Q. Liquor’. As I read the letter, I quickly realized that the people behind the boycott were using the oldest trick in the book to further their own political careers.
The ‘communist threat’ of the 1950�s, the ‘Salem witch trials’ and ‘hidden satanic lyrics in rock music’ are all examples of how ‘crying wolf’ has been used effectively throughout history to gain prominence for career minded whistle blowers at the expense of innocent victims. Had anyone ever heard of Tipper Gore, Jerry Falwell, or Sen. McCarthy before they informed the world of a lurking and sinister evil, that was threatening to unseat mankind?
The NGLTF sent me the letter as an obvious reaction to my weblog entry entitled ‘THE Shirley Q. Liquor CONFLAMA’, in which I lambasted the protesters of a ‘SHIRLEY Q.’ nightclub appearance for being unsophisticated barbarians and transparent opportunist with misguided rage.
In my journal entry, I also stated that I am a fan of Chuck Knipp and that if I had sensed any malicious intent in his comedy routine, I would not be able to laugh at it. My gut will not allow me to laugh at deliberate cruelty. I am very sensitive to issues of racism, sexism and discrimination. I am a gay black man, who started my career as a professional transvestite in Georgia, twenty years ago.
Why would the NGLTF go after Chuck Knipp? Aren’t there hundreds of important issues that need the attention of the NGLTF? I believe that the important issues that threaten gay life are too much of a tall order for the NGLTF. I believe that in making the boycott of Chuck Knipp a priority, they can appear to be an effective political force. not unlike the school bully who picks on the smallest kid to create fear and gain control of the playground, these power mongers have pulled out the race card to instigate panic and incite fear to achieve their goal. The same scare tactic seems to be working for “the good ol’ boy from Texas”, who is calling for a war on Iraq to distract the public away from his incompetency in the white house and to gain political leverage by creating a common enemy.
The letter I received had the names three organizers of the boycott and each name was prefaced by the words “executive director” or “acting executive director” (…i.e… see how important and powerful I am?) these self-righteous showboaters have clearly chosen style over substance. They�re too busy prancing around on their politically correct high horses to realize that, by demanding that MR. KNIPP stop performing as a black female character, they�re the one�s being sexist and racist!
black folks call each other “niggaz” and gays call each other “fag” and “dyke”, but no offense is taken because it�s coming from a place of love. I myself have worn blackface, a confederate flag and a KKK outfit. Would it make a difference to the protesters if they knew how much “black blood” Mr. Knipp had in him? Just because he appears to be white, it doesn�t mean that he is. My grandfather appeared to be white, until he opened his mouth and spoke.
Does ‘Shirley Q. Liquor’ pose a threat to humanity? Not hardly. But, if you have a chip on your shoulder and a stick wedged firmly up your ass, then I can see how you might think that Chuck Knipp�s comedy routine is offensive. People who are not adept at using their intuition would not be able to sense the love and respect that Mr. Knipp has for black culture. The same way a small child who accidentally overhears sex games coming from her parents bedroom may not be able comprehend that mommy is not really hurting daddy and that daddy really enjoys it when mommy behaves that way. The difference is that the adults who choose to pay to see ‘Shirley Q. Liquor’ are mature enough to know the difference and that Chuck Knipp is coming from a place of love, not hate.
Taken out of context, ‘Shirley Q. Liquor’ can easily be misunderstood. Taken out of context, the NGLTF could easily be branded as a group of self serving sexual deviates who promote unchristian like behavior and who are actively trying to recruit “our children” into their cult. It sounds outrageous, but it’s happened before. It’s a dangerous game, lest we forget what happened in Germany sixty years ago.
I said everything that I wanted to say about this topic in my before mentioned essay and the last thing I want to have is an open dialog with these narrow-minded bureaucrats (because they simply don�t get it and never will), but I felt compelled to respond to these current round of attacks based solely on protecting my own freedom to express myself as an artist.
What’s next on the politically correct NGLTF agenda? Will all drag queens be boycotted because we�re not really women? Will lesbians be brow beaten into wearing more feminine clothing? Will white rappers be protested until they start talking like real white people? Will brunettes be blacklisted because blond isn�t their natural hair color?
LEARN IT!
rupaul charles”
Remembering
by Marti Abernathey
As I was working on today’s annual Transgender Day of Remembrance I was fretting about the candles, the slides, the names, the equipment, all the things that go into making a day like this happen. I was relaying this anxiety to a friend of mine. He said “well this day isn’t about the candles or the slides, but about remembering.
Today is a day to remember those that have fallen due to some senseless act of violence. They are not just names on a card, on a website or on a sheet of paper. You may have never known a person on this listing of our dead, but you have felt loss before. Every person here today has lost someone, a father, a mother, a partner, a child, or a friend.
Today I ask you to think of the loss of someone important to you. These names on the list were living, breathing vibrant human beings before they were so violently taken from our world. These victims were just like your loved ones, they were just like you. They had dreams, hopes, and desires. Each one of these names was more than just a name; they were a heart, a mind, and a soul.
Maya Angelou once said that “We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.” The commonality of each person on this list was that they dared live their truth. But they were more than transgendered. Each person on this list was a loved one; a loved one that will never return home, a loved one that will never have another Christmas or another birthday celebration.
As you leave here today think about your loved ones, then remember what this day is about. It’s about loss; it’s about unnecessary violence against our fallen brothers and sisters. It’s about never forgetting why they died.
John F. Kennedy once said “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue, whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”
Today we remember our dead, but tomorrow we must set out a path to end this. Leave here today with a rekindled source of activism. Make it your passion. If you see an article in the newspaper refer to a transgender person with incorrect pronouns, correct them. If laws are unjust, work to change them. In whatever it is that you do, work with all your heart and soul to make sure that this list doesn’t get any longer.
With that I’ll leave you with Native American prayer:
O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.
Sorry for not posting of late. I read a couple days back, but I can’t read back far enough to get caught up. If you have had something major happen, post a link to the url and I will make sure to read.
The reason I haven’t posted is because of something you may have read about on this LJ. The gubernatorial race here is very tight and the Republican candidate agreed to meet with the GLBT community to discuss his position. You can read about the drama here. This drama caused me to have to stay home on Saturday and write.
Sunday I had a meeting with INTRAA and then after the meeting we played poker. I suck at Poker. I had a great time though, and am really happy that I am finding people that I connect with. Lori, Evan, Rhys, really make me feel accepted and normal. Many people talk about finding a place they feel comfortable in, a community. I feel this way with the trans community in Indy.
Monday I spent working all day and when I got home I continued to dialog with Christian about the Democrat fiasco.
Tuesday, I actually got to attend the meeting with the Republican candidate for Governor. It was really a bold step for him to meet with us and at least explain where he stands on things. I may vote for him, I am still very undecided. I think my vote sways on if he supports amending the civil rights law of indiana to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
