"Whether it was ACT UP organizing civil disobedience at the height of
the government ignorance of the AIDS epidemic in the late '80s, or Get
Equal members chaining themselves to the White House fence to push the
president on 'don't ask, don't tell,' it took brave people who put their
reputations, their privacy, their futures, their jobs, their families
and sometimes literally their own bodies on the line to push things
forward. They withstood attack not just from antigay zealots,the police
and the media, but from the gay establishment, telling them to just be
good little boys and girls.
"Sometimes these champions weren't even gay themselves but were allies
of gay rights as well: When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom began
marrying couples in San Francisco in 2004, the Democratic establishment,
and the gay establishment which is very much a part of it, went
ballistic. It affected Newsom's political career, but there's no doubt
Newsom is a hero of marriage equality whose action was pivotal.
"If not for grass-roots activists pressuring President Obama, gay
leaders seemed likely to have given him a pass on 'don't ask, don't
tell' repeal in his first term and on defending DOMA in court, let alone
moving forward on marriage equality. So let's not forget these brave
people as we watch all the talk shows and read the media interviews
which highlight the very gay leaders who were often opposed to the exact
strategy they're now embracing." -
Michelangelo Signorile, writing for the
Huffington Post.
posted by Joe
