This may be a fairly rambling blog post as a number of ideas running around in my mind, are vying for my focus and attention. Background- since I’ve been putting so much energy into my artwork, I’m really having trouble blogging. I posted this to Facebook today:

Since I’ve been more focused on my artwork, I have to admit, I’m having a harder time blogging. Not sure if it is a left brain/right brain thing, or like a number of LGBTQ advocates, I’m having trouble reframing messages in a post-marriage equality world, or maybe it is just about passion. I have more passion for artwork than I have for blogging.
If anything, things are harder for the LGBTQ community post-marriage equality. The anti-LGBT zealots are in rare form spewing more vitriol than ever, and the gains in marriage offers little to the more vulnerable out there including queer and LGBT identified youth, as well as the Trans community. We need advocates and voices for change, now more than ever.
So Facebook friends, what do you have to say. Would my blogger’s voice be missing to you, if I stopped? Do you read what I write? Does it matter to you? Do you read other bloggers? Are these, generally speaking, important sources of ideas to you?
I’m not planning on stopping, but I am evaluating what I’m doing and what I want to accomplish by blogging.

In my ideal world, when I write a blog post, friends and readers would post comments and talk about where they agree and disagree. A dialogue would start and take the conversation in new and valued ways forward. I’d be able to look at the discussion and be happy I’d started a discussion, rather than simply noting how many dozens of visitors my site had on any given day.

Maybe Facebook disguises things too much. I share a lot of stuff that isn’t what I’ve written, and maybe that makes it harder to follow me or know what is what I’ve written. Or maybe that’s simply the nature of Social Media, where few things garner that much attention.

What do you think Facebook?

Or what do you think blog readers?

But right now, I want to focus on one idea- that it is really hard to reframe messages in a post-marriage equality world. Why is it that advocacy for queer homeless youth, or nondiscrimination protections, or HIV/AIDS prevention, or ending domestic violence in same-sex relationships- why is it that these extremely important issues seem harder to talk about and message? Why do we seem unable to garner public support for these the way support was built for same-sex marriage?

In some regards the issue is the same. Men form couples and women form couples and these couples are the basis of families and these families deserve the same respect as any family. Men (Gay) work and women (Lesbian) work, and regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression, they deserve the same respect in the workplace…

Do you see the problem?

Women aren’t treated with the same respect in the workplace. On average, women are paid less than men for the same job. This is just one example out of many of the way gender leads to differing and unfair treatment. Our culture accepts (and some would say actively supports) gender disparities, and that same sexism impedes progress towards nondiscrimination in the workplace.

Are you getting this?

Marriage equality was an easier message to garner support, because in the broadest sense, “family” or “couple” is gender blind. Culture in general came to understand how all families are just families when you get down to it. Every other issue facing the LGBTQ community is far from gender blind.  If anything, LGBTQ issues are all about gender expression and norms of behavior. No where is this more visible than the arguments against nondiscrimination protections. The anti-LGBT zealots talk about men going into women’s bathrooms to fight against nondiscrimination protections. It’s all about gender, or it is framed to be all about gender, even if it isn’t.