by Antonio David Garcia
We are our own movement. We are a movement of Alan Turing – the father of computer science and hero of World War II, forced into chemical castration and suicide. We are the people of Oscar Wilde – literary genius forced into prison labor. We are the Stonewall Rebellion – and yes, I said rebellion because it was not a riot. We are Bayard Rustin – civil rights activist and architect of the march on Washington. We are Walt Whitman, Matthew Shepard, Harvey Milk, Audre Lorde, Ruth Ellis.
Is gay the new black? No. Gay is black, brown, white, male, female, Christian, Muslim, Jew. Our movement is a Queer Equality Movement that spans the entire globe. It is ours. Are there similarities between our queer equality movement and the civil rights movement and women's suffrage? Of course there are, chief among them the commonality of justice, fairness and equality.
Dr. Samad writes in his recent article, "It's about addressing the integrity of their movement. The LGBT movement needs to develop a moral imperative and a public sentiment for their movement, not sensitize the public by hooking their wagon on to a successful movement of days past that had a moral imperative, stood in the face of violence to create public sentiment and made the case for cultural acceptance (limited as it is)."
You want to address the integrity of our movement? Let me tell you a little something about integrity.
When a 16-year-old kid comes out of the closet knowing that his parents and many of his friends and the majority of his society will ostracize him, dismiss him and target him with violence – but he does it anyway because he must remain true to himself – that is our integrity.
When the AIDS epidemic crippled the gay community and the Reagan administration criminally turned a blind eye, it was gays and lesbians who banded together to care for one another, to show compassion and humanity at a time when most ran. That creation of community and humanity is our integrity.
Gay soldiers who have bled and died for this nation and who want only to serve their country openly with courage and authenticity – that is our integrity.
We don't need to hitch our wagon to anyone. We desire and appreciate alliances and partnerships such as those formed with the NAACP and countless other churches, educational institutions and social service organizations around the world. We are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – surrounded by millions upon millions of our straight allies.
We are the Queer Equality Movement! And we usher in a new social creed of integrity, authenticity and justice for all.
