Do We Have to Be Political?

[Prufrock06]

I joined the GLBT group here on campus, a pretty fair-sized grouping of guys (yes, many many crushable ones) and girls who meet every week to discuss a particular issue or topic (ie. Gays in the Military, Being Out in the Workplace, etc.). Afterwards, there's always a party and so I've recently been going to those, making the social rounds, trying to make as many acquaintances as possible in the hopes of establishing some friendships (while subconsciously keeping my eyes peeled for any dating/relationship potential).

 

And yet I've noticed that there seem to be two general "groupings" of gay guys within the organization -- and probably within greater society as well. The first are those who, like me, participate in most of the social activities and invest time in the group and meetings for the purposes of support and friendships. We are a part of the group because we're gay/lesbian/bisexual but our conversation and identities aren't limited to that. Then there are those who, unlike me, seem to have politics and activism at the forefront of their minds. They've formed a separate group devoted to issues of activism and GLBT politics and seem to focus more on the Big Issues than the idea of being gay for gay's sake, if that makes any sense.

 

So I've been thinking about whether I should feel out of the loop or "guilty" for not investing so much energy and interest into the politics of being gay. Though of course I support wholeheartedly issues like gay marriage, gay adoption and all those issues -- I don't find myself drawn to the idea of protesting, organizing petitions, spreading the word, joining this political organization, etc. etc. It's like I have enough to deal with on my own without getting so entrenched in the politics of my sexuality. While I know these are serious issues on the table that have a great bearing for the future of me and the minority to which I have always been a part of, I'd much rather spend my time socializing, making friends, getting comfortable in my skin and enjoying life than spending so much time struggling for rights that, on my most pessimistic days, I don't think I'll get to enjoy until late in my lifetime.

 

Part of me feels like I am doing my part just by being proud of who I am: I'm a relatively out homosexual male living in suburbia. In a way, I see those of us who don't live in the cities but live in places like the south or middle America or in other environments here in the States and around the world that haven't yet wholly embraced the idea of homosexuality as something rational and natural and normal as being on the frontlines of these issues between "straight" and "gay" culture. I mean this in the sense that it's easy to be political in the heart of a major metropolitan area, where homosexuality is much less looked down upon or scrutinized the way it would be in other places -- but the real struggle is being gay out among the rest of the world that doesn't understand us, adopting children, raising families and showing the rest of society how responsible and essentially similar we are to everyone else. So yeah, I guess I justify my so-called "lack of interest" in GLBT politics by being proud of who I am and setting my goals on cultivating a similar kind of life as I would were I born straight.

 

So what does everyone else think of this? Do you ever feel this pressure to get more involved in GLBT politics if you're not so involved already? Is it fair for some of us to put more emphasis on just being proud of who we are instead of making each day a political fight for a particular cause we believe in? Is it a choice for GLBT folk to become political or should it be considered a duty since our cultural minority is going through some rough times culturally-speaking?

 

Thanks for reading through this.

[DN]

I think by living your life as a homosexual in the community you are actually sending the strongest message of all - and it is political because of that. The sooner everyone realises that homosexuals are normal people with a different sexuality, the better. I am not defined by my heterosexuality and you should not be defined by your homosexuality.

 

I understand that there is a long way to go before that is generally accepted but the gay and lesbian community needs people who politically active and those who are not - otherwise all gays and lesbians will be seen as activists and thereforeeee out of the mainstream.

[annie24]

Don't feel like you HAVE to go out and protest and do all that. I think that living a normal life, and going to the GLBT meetings is enough, if that is all you want to do. Maybe in the future, you can do more, if you feel like it, but don't feel pressured.

 

I'm not actively going to feminist protests, even though as a woman, I may be expected to be. Likewise, a disabled person doesn't have to join a disabled advocacy group. Etc.

 

The political lifestyle isn't for everyone. If you even decide to contribute $25 to a cause, then feel like you are doing your part for the protest group.

 

good luck

[bmwsv101]

The real question here is, "What is political, and what isn't?" Well, the realm of politics basically covers everything under the sun. Politics and government effect what foods you eat, the taxes on the clothes you buy, the price of gas in the tank of your car, and what kind of medication you can takes for certain illnesses, not to mention the "big" things like, who you can and cannot marry, whether women and minorities should be allowed into the white-collar work place, and when it's acceptable to go to war. So when people say things like, "you shouldn't let politics define your life," I think it's important to point out that as it is, politics defines all of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not.

Being an activist or being political isn't about being some over the top freak. It's about saying, "Maybe I should play a larger role in the decision-making process that effects everything from the major to the mundane in my daily life." But yes, it can take some committment. It's all about how much you care, and how willing you are to sit back and let someone else make these decisions for you.

While being an out and pround homosexual in your suburban area does have its benefits to "the cause," and will over time will hopefully help change the negative attitudes this country has towards LGBT people, you can't expect that alone to change the tide of this anti-gay backlash. The anti-gay groups happen to have the advantage in this battle. They have money, they have widespread political support and they have the ignorance of the American people. You keeping a rainbow sticker on your car isn't going to change that.

So do whatever you feel fits you best, whether that's giving money, marching in protests, voting accordingly, etc. But if you find yourself disappointed in how your government treats you and your fellow LGBT community members, keep your complaints to yourself unless you're actually willing to put in the work necessary to make change.

[Boughtandpaidfor]

I got into a bit of an argument about this once. And I'm not sure what the answer is. The other person felt that because of the work gay people had done in last few decades, gay people today were able to enjoy far greater acceptance and that gay people had a responsibility to involve themselves. But short of war, my own opinion is that fighting and standing up for yourself in the public arena is really missing the more intimate issue. Fighting on a personal level is a far greater way to find general acceptance (providing everyone's doing the same thing)- and that politicizing the issue is not the best way forward.

 

I understand both sides- but isnt the best way forward to just do what you are doing regardless of those who don't agree with you? Has anything every really truly gained acceptance from just having shouted the loudest? Political correctness isn't really the same as acceptance.

 

So I think you totally right!!

[bmwsv101]

Political correctness may not be the same as acceptance, but I don’t really care about if my neighbors accept my lifestyle or not. I want to be able to legally marry who I want, adopt children if I want, and not worry about discrimination. Those people can think whatever they want to in their free time, as long as it doesn’t effect their decision making process when it directly effects me. It’s their first amendment right to be able to think what they want.

A great example I like to look at is the history of African Americans in this country. Black people have been living in the South (in specific) for centuries considering slavery and all. Yet, just the observable act of them trying to live out their lives there didn't change anything. It took marches, and protests, and actual deaths before anything of significance changed. Do you think that if slaves had continued to just sit around following their master’s orders that slavery would have just magically ended? No. Unfortunately, not all of human conflict can be solved with a nice discussion over a cup of coffee. Even now, after decades of black and white people existing in the same neighborhoods together, if I were to go to certain areas in the South, as a biracial woman, I would not be welcomed with open arms.

For further evidence, look at the Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s. Do you think the Jim Crow laws would have been reversed if someone hadn’t through political activism forced those Southern states to do so?

What I’m trying to say here is that ignorance is not so easily relieved. Most of those that hate specific groups of people base their hate on ignorance, and are quite unwilling to let it go, no matter what counter evidence is provided. Just because I show up to a KKK meeting and prove to be a friendly and intelligent human being doesn’t mean I can stop that group from being a bunch of racist * * * * *s.

And I think it’s unfair to those being oppressed to say, “Well, we’ll just wait to make real change that effects you until we’ve got all the bigots out their to agree to it and we’ll do that by showing them how normal and deserving we really are.” Why should they have to wait? And why should they have to prove that they are deserving of equal and fair treatment to anyone? As I’ve pointed out with the case of African Americans, it’s been centuries and we’re still suffering from inequalities. But without the political movements and activism to speed up change, we wouldn’t even have the progress that we have now.