Subject: Fw: Editorial: Millennium March on Washington-A Queer Midwest Activist'sPerspective
From: "Rodney Allen Bell, II, B.A." <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Jun 1998 03:07:12 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE!!!
FORWARD THIS WORLDWIDE

Lambda Midwest
P.O. Box 45357
Kansas City, MO  64171
[email-masked] or
[email-masked]
(816) 931-6829
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/2178/index.html

Editorial:  Millennium March on Washington-A Queer Midwest Activist's
Perspective

    The Millennium March on Washington, a controversial and political hot
potato within the queer community, is being perceived from each person's
>"world view" or "frame of reference".  As I have read each activist's
>opinion regarding the MMOW, I have formulated my own view as an activist
>in the Queer Midwest and a past activist for 8 years in Nebraska.
>
>  What are the real issues?  Various activists and organizations have
>slammed personalities (such as Robin Tyler), the organizations (such as
>UFMCC, HRCF, etc.), accused organizers of being hasty and not inclusive
>of others, not being concerned about the state marches planned and
>generally maligning and degrading the efforts put forth by the MMOW
>Committee.  This is unfortunate.
>
>  I attended the MOW 1993 and was very taken with it.  It was inclusive:
>there were people of every race, color, ethnicity, gender, transgender,
>sexuality you could imagine and contingents representing all of the
>above.  I did not see any single person taking credit for organizing the
>March.  It was a collective effort.  It was admirable, brought Pride back
>to people who had lost hope in states where there is no hope, showed the
>true "Rainbow" of the community and made national headlines.  I don't
>know or care if Robin Tyler or any other national activist has committed
>any "error in judgment".  What they did was a smashing success.  I saw
>the myriad of the 'community' like I had never seen it before.  I don't
>buy the rhetoric that it was exclusive and not inclusive of others. It
>was for everyone in the "queer community" and I use that word widely to
>include friendly straights, gays, lesbians, bi and transgendered persons
>and the mixture of colors of people's skin was fabulous.  To those who
>are critics of the MMOW, I say "get over it" and let's move on supporting
>a March that will empower our spirits, and do many other good things.
>
>  As I see it, the Millennium March on Washington 2000 offers many good
>things: 1) Nationwide exposure of what our community is composed of, 2) a
>nationwide agenda of what we are fighting for (i.e. equal treatment for
>g/l/b/t people in housing, employment, public accommodations, the
>military, youth, marriage and health care), 3) Pride that we can take
>back to our small states and spread to others, 4) a focus that will drive
>the right wing crazy trying to focus on showing their true colors [The
>March on Washington 1993 had the homophobes there out in full drag!!!],
>5) Show the world that we have not forgotten what the issues are and we
>are still going to come together every decade and bring them back to the
>table of concerns whether they like it or not and finally 6) Those who
>choose not to endorse or participate are losing something very important
>and that is the part of sharing part of history and acknowledging our
>Pride in its true colors.  I say forgive whatever you carry around as
>baggage from the past and  work with the present committee in bringing
>the best March yet.  Some of the issues I've read are merely bones being
>thrown on the table.  Yes, there is racism, sexism and homophobia within
>the queer community, but if we don't work within and only
>chant/rant/rave/malign the current structure we aren't going to resolve
>our differences.  We share differences, but we ultimately are sharing the
>same goals.  I hope that someday we won't need marches to bring out
>issues.  The issue of classism is pervasive within the community and from
>without.  Dissolve America's economic system and you will solve the class
>problem.  Create a democratic socialist America and we would have more
>power.
>
>  I am writing from a perspective of an activist who did radical things
>in Nebraska that received criticism more from within the queer community
>than from without.  During my stint as a queer activist at the Univ. of
>Nebr., I did the following: 1) organized rallies, 2) almost got thrown in
>jail because the University wanted to restrain us from handing out
>condoms in public, 3) wrote grants, 4) did public relations, 5)
>challenged policies to include non-discrimination, 6) created a resource
>center and a hotline, 7) brought in queer entertainment, educational
>issues and political speakers and 8) won awards.  What might be viewed as
>losses are: 1) family disownment, 2) discrimination in employment and
>later on discrimination based upon being HIV+.  I didn't do all of the
>activist activities alone.  See the URL:
>http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2840/h&h.html for a list of people
>who have helped and were there from 1970-now.
>
>  I am for the MMOW 2000 and encourage everyone to support it, if you
>don't like something they are doing open a dialog with the committee,
>don't air your dirty laundry in public on the internet and in the
>straight media and take some pride.  Let's quit criticizing and
>ridiculing our leadership and affirm their guts and their willingness to
>take risks.  Let's work together.   I didn't write this because the MMOW
>committee wanted me to or asked me to, I wrote it because it's what I
>believe in.
>
>  As a queer midwest activist, I do the following: own a listserv list
>for UNL G/L/B/T alumni, etc. and Co-Manage the Lambda Midwest email list,
>which covers many states and I monitor lists from all over.  I encourage
>the correspondents I have within the Midwest to support this and help on
>the MMOW 2000 planning committee. Let's stop the bickering and get down
>to business.  Enough is enough!!!
>
>In the Spirit of Pride,
>Rodney Allen Bell, II, B.A.
>Political Scientist, Queer Midwest Activist
>UNLGALA List Owner, UNL GALA/AE, Inc. Chairperson and Lambda Midwest
>Creator
>[email-masked] [email-masked]
>Pages:
>http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/2178/index.html
>http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2840/index.html
>http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/6986/index.html
>http://members.spree.com/lovespirit/default.asp