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Viewpoint: Pride - protest or party?

by Jeff A. Ward

What has unfolded over the last couple weeks at the highest levels of our government is merely an extension of a long, painful history of trampling on the rights of minorities in this country. While some choose to point to battles won, there's no denying that the war wages on. That said, I must stress that I am an optimist who believes the time is now to seize upon the forces that persist in an unfair fight to diminish and drown out our tepid demands for full civil rights.
Yes, I believe the war can still be won.

Injustice and inequality in this country have traveled countless miles, crashed into too many lives, leaving far too much wreckage in their unrelenting path. These evil twins have now parked themselves just outside our gates, and we cannot permit their peeping forces of oppression to remain lurking and meddling into our lives. Moreover, we must work vigilantly to help transport injustice and inequality to their final resting place. (Rush Limbaugh's medicine cabinet comes to mind.)
Our current "go along to get along" mentality must be recalibrated with the times. Reticence and timidity, be damned! We need a bold approach; we must honor and give voice to our internalized rage, and we need to begin taking our cues from different leaders.
As I watch thousands of courageous Iranian citizens take to the streets in opposition to a morally bankrupt dictatorship, I am reminded of our own local and national protest marches of years gone by. Let's revive the same sense of urgency that galvanized the gay community in the '80s and '90s around HIV and AIDS. I remember those days because I was there with so many others who are still among us. It was about equality then just as it still is today. Silence still equals death.
As the month of June comes to a close, I remember a time not too long ago when Pride meant protest. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for having a good time. But in my opinion, Pride has become too synonymous with party. Where is the outrage? Like Ben Stein taking roll, I summon someone, anyone…Bueller? Bueller?
Oblique references to one of my modern day fictional heroes, Ferris Bueller, remind me of my love of baseball, so please forgive the following analogy: Recently, Tiger manager Jim Leyland was asked about his decision to shake-up his slumping batting line-up by starting his rookies instead of so-called veterans. Leyland's common sense response: "At the end of the day, when you beat your head against the wall and continue to do it, sooner or later you say, 'You know what, this isn't working. Let's try something different.'"

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Topics: Opinions
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