By Stephanie White
In 1965, gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin wrote an essay that appeared in the February issue of Commentary Magazine, "From Protest to Politics." In it, he noted the significance and promise of the civil rights movement's shift in strategy from a focus on survival and full access to American society, to one that could tackle deeper systemic issues.
"Already Southern demonstrators had recognized that the most effective way to strike at the police brutality they suffered from was by getting rid of the local sheriff –and that meant political action…
"… the civil rights movement is evolving from a protest movement into a full-fledged social movement — an evolution calling its very name into question. It is now concerned not merely with removing the barriers to full opportunity but with achieving the fact of equality. From sit-ins and freedom rides we have gone into rent strikes, boycotts, community organization and political action."
This shift from outside resistance to moving inside the system in order to shape the levers of power is also occurring in Michigan's movement for LGBTQ rights — and has been for some time. You can see the fruits of those decades of labor in the existence and leadership of our openly gay lawmakers, the inclusion of our issues in discussions of public policy from the president on down, and in the funding streams that support our health and community needs.
One place where that shift is particularly clear is at our Pride celebrations. What began as a dangerous and defiant exercise in the right to just be visible and to exist without violence is now largely a show of social and political clout. Where once people were afraid to be seen and recognized, we now walk alongside community leaders and lawmakers who regard our events as "must attend."
For the segment of our community that is lucky enough to live fairly free and openly, we may not feel that we need a Pride celebration in the same way we did earlier in our lives. For many of us now, it is an opportunity to visit with friends, reconnect with our community, and to remember where we've come from and how far we have yet to go.
And that distance we still have to travel makes our Pride celebrations as relevant as ever. With lawmakers in Lansing blocking passage of bills that would outlaw discrimination against us, and some even introducing farther-reaching discriminatory measures, our resistance to being silenced is still an important show of strength. Even more importantly, with key parts of our community under physical attack and daily vilification in the media, our visibility is clearly still a dangerous act of defiance. For those of us who face that risk, this is an opportunity to strengthen ourselves for the future fights.
And, for all of us, the ritual of coming together, standing in solidarity, building and affirming our community gives us a kind of oxygen that we need. Looking forward to this weekend's Motor City Pride, I can't wait to breathe in that sense of community and to revel in our growth and evolution.
As an indicator of that evolution, this year Motor City Pride is welcoming Gretchen Whitmer as our Grand Marshal. A former state Senator and the Minority Leader for the Senate Democratic Caucus, Gretchen has long been an ally and fierce champion of our rights. She, like so many others, recognizes the LGBTQ community's shift from protest to politics and is welcoming us to the arena. With so much work left undone, it's great to have the power that political action can bring to our fight to win full, legal and lived equality. I look forward to seeing you all at Pride.
