The Degree to Which you Resist is the Degree to Which You Are Free!
May 7th, 2009 by David McElhattonIt’s easy for many queer people to shrug of the idea of civil disobedience. We’re used to defeat and we’re used to accepting it. We’ve learned to stuff our anger down our throats because of the enormous risk that comes with shouting it from the rooftops. Civil disobedience has been called naïve by those who have turned cynical by the lack of progress made after years of struggle. It has been called reckless by those who believe the path to full equality is good behavior. There are those who believe that at the end of the day civil disobedience won’t really change anything, so why bother?
It’s true; Civil disobedience isn’t going to change the minds of the Supreme Court justices or convince the bigots to join PFLAG.
It’s going to change us. It’s going to change the way w e feel about ourselves, our place in the world, and our value as human beings. I know this because when I found out that fifteen people had been arrested for blocking an on-ramp during the November 15th protests it changed how I felt about being queer. I had never seen us fight back before.
The first queer person I knew was a Mormon lesbian who committed suicide. I was eleven. By that point, I knew about Matthew Shepard. At thirteen I saw Boys Don’t Cry in which Brandon Teena, a transman (finally, someone like me!), was gang raped and murdered.
Lawrence King. Gwen Araujo. Angie Zapata. Simmie Williams. “Corrective rape” used to “fix” lesbians in South Africa. The execution of gay Iraqis. The staggering rate of suicide and attempted suicide among LGBTIQ youth.
These things are real. These things are things that have happened to me, to my friends, to my community. It’s on the news, it’s in t he paper. But these are not the only stories that will be told about us, not anymore. We are utilizing nonviolent direct action, the same methods that have led countless movements for social justice and civil rights. We are fighting back with our bodies and our hearts, the only weapons that have ever truly mattered
Bill Kraus said it best in 1980:
“The problem lies not in evil personalities or traitorous acts, but rather in the political orientation which believes that an oppressed group gets what it needs by being careful not to offend the powerful. The problem lies in the desire to protect the little we have gotten by not risking a fight for what we deserve. The problem lies in believing that what we have gotten is somehow a favor given by politicians rather than the politicians’ recognition of what we have the political power to get.”
May 25th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I agree with the Bill Kraus quote 100%. We have been too safe. We spend too much time worrying about straight people being uncomfortable and making sure we don’t hurt the Democrats.
However, civil disobedience needs to be EFFCTIVE.
In SF, I see a lot of protesting and civil disobedience for the sake of protesting and civil disobedience. Though it may be cathartic to be arrested and change how we feel “about being queer”. It’s not the point. Civil disobedience is a means not an end.
The end here is equality. The end is preserving individual Liberty and religious Freedom. The end here is protecting our families… you know all this.
On the day the Iraq war started, protesters shut down the downtown San Francisco. There were many arrests and lots of pats on the back for the people envolved in the protests. “Whose Streets? … Our Streets!” It was completely ineffective. It didn’t slow down the war and alienated people who agreed with the protesters. I think it marginalized the anti-war movement right at time when their voice was so needed.
I agree that civil disobedience is one of our next steps, assuming the court rules against us. However, it needs to be effective. Blocking highway ramps is not a good use of this tool. It’s too random and it just pisses people off. It doesn’t make them think.
How about something like closing down county clerks offices by filling them with same sex couples who will not leave until they are issued a marriage licenses. Picture the police having to remove them from the clerk’s office. They would be forced to physically pull apart couples who are just trying to get married. Now that’s the kind of video you want to see on the nightly news.
Civil disobedience can be an effective tool but it needs to be used sparingly and smartly. Misusing or overusing it actually decreases its effectiveness going forward.
Thanks for all your efforts.
See you in the streets tomorrow,
Frank
May 26th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
We live in an ever increasing brain washed society! Women will not eat and many who do induce vomiting later. Hetero sexual society has moved from plump women being sexy (or the nape of the neck in the orient) to skinny models with big boobs. Breast augmentation was all the rage just ten years ago. In the islands big women are still sought after and desirable. If two men are subjected to intense physical scrutiny it is impossible to tell which one is gay and which is not. The gay community grows and grows. Sensitive and artistic men are sent signals by society from their birth. A few gay men come out of the closet and protest their treatment by other men. Incensed the rest of the other more sensitive men band together and stand up for their rights. The pain and anguish they feel is real and they are convinced that they have a condition from birth. Ironically, now society is stating that anorexia or bulimia is from birth. I suppose the argument could be made that wanting big breasts is also from birth. The brain washing goes on and to the ones who were so sensitive in the first place it becomes the only focal point of life. Just like TMS (a chronic back pain that is induced by the unconscious mind) so goes being gay, being anorexic and a whole host of other maladies. The results are real but the cause is not and belief is totally necessary either way for supposed truth to result. While we all differ in personality and sensitivity or how much we are made to feel part of one group over another plays a role you are ultimately left with the physiology of the two men syndrome. Put a bag over their head and examine the parts and you will find that men are men and women are women — the rest is what we bring to the table in our susceptibility to be brain washed and have our emotions gush out in such a rush that we don’t even understand them.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:03 am
David & Frank -
I agree about CD needing to be Effective & Targeted. My partner Jeanne Cordova & I were invited to be part of a group of couples that tried to obtain a marriage license as part of the Tuesday rally in East LA, organized by Latino Equality Alliance, protesting the upholding of Prop 8.
Instead of just ‘politely leaving’ like the other couples - after getting denied- the two of us chose to take this a step further. Jeanne has a longtime history of activism & we weren’t naive. We had organized an affinity group, got legal advice & support . We refused to leave the LA County Registrar’s office after denial of a license, blocked service windows & “sat-in” with our supporters for 3 hours. Regular business was disrupted & no marriage licenses could be issued!
We emphasized that we were a couple who had been together 20 yrs & weren’t there with the goal of getting arrested, but were prepared to take a stand. The Sheriffs were intimidating but very careful - there were press & a legal observer in there & the LASD did not want to arrest us. But press coverage & visibility were worth it. A similar action took place in San Diego yesterday (Wed) = more great coverage on local TV, more sympathetic visibility of the issue.
And a whole bunch of LGBT groups (some affiliated with SoulForce, who follow Ghandi’s principles) are now prepared to do more CD. More is going to happen!
There’s a column up right now on Bilerico Project (by Patricia N Warren) against CD- everyone should go & comment on the site!
June 8th, 2009 at 11:53 am
[...] Court justices or convince the bigots to join PFLAG. It’s going to change us.” from The Degree to Which you Resist is the Degree to Which You Are Free! — May 7th, 2009 by David [...]
March 4th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
However, the good news is, there could be some help. This help could come from acupuncture. Now, studies have already shown that acupuncture can increase fertility in women, but can it do the same for men. That is the topic that we are going to talk about today.
March 10th, 2010 at 10:34 am
following the blog, great stuff!
April 30th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Acupuncture helps me in my allergies. I have hay fever ever since i was a kid.”`.
June 12th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Sweet stuff! Great read, I’ll be back for more.
June 29th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Thanks for the tips you’re speaking about it so the rest of us can know! Definitely will keep in mind. But, what I finally figured out is, you have to reignite the place that first brought you together and also avoid a lot of mistakes we all naturally make if you want to save the marriage