It takes a village

The beginning of almost every New Year has that soulful, energized feeling for many of us. The slate is wiped clean with a full 365 days ahead to accomplish our agendas.
For 2011, our community begins with an amazing legislative victory. Of course the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is not the whole "gay agenda" that we continue to work towards, but it is – as the blogs and much of the media have said -"historic."
It builds on over 50 years of courageous, hard work in the post-World War II U.S.; from a time when only a few hundred people were willing to begin the fight for our dignity and full equality during the Mattachine and Daughter of Bilitis years, to the present when activists handcuffed themselves to the White House fence.
In between, we have watched our Marches on Washington for LGBT rights grow, not only as an acronym beginning in 1978 with "gay" rights – and 100,000 marchers, to additional marches in the '80s and '90s and 2000s where millions have participated for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights."
During this period, several generations have grown up and participated in, recorded and made our LGBT history.
We have learned from our elders (sometimes) and we have listened to our youth (sometimes) and somewhere in between experienced what is possible when coalitions of people come together and help realize that "long arc of justice" Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired all of us to dream of.
In the past 50 years we have been fortunate enough to build communities locally that provide much needed resources and support, encouragement and friendship. On a national level we have watched the emergence of several powerful organizations some older, some younger – delivering the message for full equality through checkbooks, lobbying, votes and yes, handcuffs on the White House fence.
It will continue to take this whole village – this beautiful, possible rainbow village – to realize our full equality.
The next two years will be challenging ones nationally, as a Republican House is certain to squash any efforts at moving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act into law. But one thing is certain: the next generation of allied and LGBT youth are rising up and speaking out for a fully inclusive world.
In this issue we proudly feature three of Michigan's emerging young people – the very kind of young people our new Gov. Snyder says he would like to see live and work right here in our state. The Emma Uphams, Kyle Sims and Ian Hoopingarners are exactly the kinds of visionaries that are building a stronger future and surely one day soon we will get to watch as the next piece of the equality agenda is signed into law.