This morning I posted a press release concerning a direct action by Justice League-Activate members as part of a larger GetEqual action, and I wanted to offer some comments on the issue of direct action in the fight for LGBT Equality. I’m using the word, “Equality” intentionally, even though it frequently is shorthand for Marriage Equality. GetEqual is interested in more than Marriage Equality. But really all LGBT Rights are about equality. Until we share all of the rights that others do, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender folks are second class citizens.

Direct Action is a powerful tool for political change, however often misunderstood. It may include marching and being at a protest rally, but it is far more than that. In fact, just showing up at a rally will cause little positive change in and of itself. Direct Action, especially of the type that would be called Civil Disobedience is far more of an investment in the movement that carrying a sign and shouting slogans. It can lead to being arrested.

It should be clear to anyone who reads my blog that my primary focus is nondiscrimination and other protections at the state level. One approach to LGBT Equality is to work, state by state in a grass roots way for legislative changes. As a strategy, it has pros and cons to be sure. Another strategy is to push for legislative change at the Federal level, and GetEqual’s focus at this time is on Federal issues like Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), and Marriage Equality. For me, it isn’t an either/or type of issue. We need to be pushing for LGBT Rights at every level including the state level, and at the Federal level.

At the Federal level, battles for ENDA for example have been going on for a very long time, and we are making little progress. This is where Direct Action can come in most helpful. It is time to ratchet it up a few notches, and let our elected officials know that we want Equality and we are tired of waiting and gaining nothing in the process. At the State level, I think the struggles are different. We can make further progress through engagement and education, and so I’m not sure that some of the dramatic Direct Actions are needed at that level, at least not yet.

Washington is different than legislators across Pennsylvania. When Ken Mehlman came out a few weeks ago, most people weren’t that surprised. Even the highest level of the Republican Party is filled with gay men. The lack of willingness to grant LGBT rights isn’t about not knowing about gay people. At the state level however, that is different. We have legislators who have never knowingly met a gay or lesbian person. These people need education, and need their gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight ally constituents to come forward and teach them why Equality matters. But the time for waiting for Washington is over. Equality delayed, is equality denied.

I applaud Justice League-Activate and GetEqual for all the work they are doing, and I encourage you, my readers to get involved, with some activist work at whatever level makes sense to you. We need folks out there pushing for change at the local, state, and federal levels. We need folks writing letters to their papers. We need folks to be blogging and spreading the message in other new media. We need folks giving voice to the reality of being second class citizens. We need folks willing to be educating others. We need people sating that we are tired of waiting, and we want Equality… now.