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A Twitter buddy, @QueerJohn posted this link on Twitter, and I wanted to pass it along via my blog. It is a nice concise statement about why some are marching on Washington. I think it expresses some of the best and worst of what is happening. Let me explain. There are two major flaws in the reasoning worth pointing out.

The march is a call to action for the nation’s queers to stop looking at our fight as individual states fights and take our demands right to the people that matter, the federal government.

The problem here is the notion that it is either a fight on a state-by-state basis or a fight at the national level. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the notion we should stop working at the local, regional or state level is at the least ludicrous, but better described as dangerous. One good example is protections for Transgender Americans. The angry queer notes that there is a federal push for ENDA, yet fails to recognize that ENDA covers only work place discrimination. Some states and other locales offer protections in housing and public accommodations already for Transgender persons, but more offer these protections only for sexual orientation. Passing ENDA while stopping to work for full anti-discrimination protections at a local and state level, leave trans persons unprotected. The other problem with this is the notion that “the people who matter” are all at the federal level. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consider abortion. While abortion is legal everywhere because of federal law and a Supreme Court case, the reality is that in most of the country, the availability for a woman to safe access has been shrinking and as the dwindling number of doctors who perform legal late term abortions suggests this trend will continue. While abortion opponents lost  where it supposedly matters- at the federal level- the real losers have been women who need safe access to legal procedures.

Laws at every level of our government matter, and serve a role in a true democracy, and to even suggest we stop working on one level to only focus on another is dangerous, short sighted and stupid.

While I of course support the efforts of local organizations trying to protect our rights state by state, we need to stop believing that this is the path to civil rights. Nobody has ever [won] one civil rights at the ballot box. And even if we do succeed in Maine and California, do we really think the fight is over? Do we not think that our opponents will put the issues right back on the ballot? Of course they will. And do we think for a moment that a ballot initiative will work in the south? And what about all the states that don’t have ballot initiatives? What about issues other than marriage equality? Trans protections in the ballot box? There is no way that is going anywhere.

The second major flaw in the thinking is above. I am not aware of anyone who “believes that state by state is the path to civil rights.” Maybe those people do exist, but in my experience, and I’m an old guy, few expect achieving real equality to happen without local, regional, state, and federal changes. It will take all levels, not one or the other. But the real motivation, I think is implied here instead of spoken outright:

And even if we do succeed in Maine and California, do we really think the fight is over?

I think some people simply want an easy win, and so in their belligerent and whiny ways they think that “going straight to the top,” pardon the pun, will accomplish that. Most of the real force behind the steamroller that forced a march upon us this year instead of next comes from a few California activists who I think are still pissed off that they couldn’t run a successful campaign against Prop 8. Well, I have news for you- there is going to be no easy win! The battle for full equality is happening and won’t stop, but it also won’t find a simple, easy solution. Yes, the more we make strides (at any level), our opponents will continue to seek to push that progress back. And we will most likely win some battles and lose others. And this will continue until a number of factors change, most of which are in play already. For example, the population who votes is getting younger, and everything shows that as this trend continues, GLBTQ rights issues will be more likely passed at the ballot box. I am not suggesting we should sit back and wait until then, but I am suggesting that to say that because our opponents tend to win at the ballot today doesn’t mean it will always be that way.

Hey, I’m not opposed to working for federal legislation or other actions at the top level of our government. That is all needed stuff, and I too urge everyone to rally for these important legislations. I just wish people would get a clue and stop suggesting that a march is going to solve all of our equality issues. Consider the Matthew Shepherd Act and hate crimes legislation. It isn’t like no one has been working on this already! The battle is going to be ongoing and difficult, and a march on one sunday isn’t going to really change that.

The march can do some really important things, and I too hope many make the trip to help make the march as successful as possible. but to anyone suggesting we stop work on local, regional and state levels- I say to you: You are part of the problem, and not really a part of the solution. We need to keep working at every level. And if we do, we will someday enjoy full equality.

The Angry Queer.