3039
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Cory Liebmann
Jun 2, 2011
The slogan for the Milwaukee Pride Parade this year is “Filling the streets with pride.” It is a great slogan and it seems particularly poignant in our state’s current political climate.
Months ago we witnessed unprecedented activism in Wisconsin streets and inside our Capitol. The LGBT community should certainly take pride in the role it played in this activism both inside the Capitol and out.
Although the bulk of the protests across Wisconsin this year have focused on the extreme right-wing attack on working Wisconsinites, many of them included a strong LGBT presence. If you didn’t actually see a Pride flag flying at a protest, you can be fairly certain that there were LGBT activists present and even helping to organize it. The Wisconsin labor movement has been a critical ally for equality in Wisconsin, so it is no surprise that many in the LGBT community would take a strong stand for this devoted ally.
In the March 10 issue, the Wisconsin Gazette reported about several hundred LGBT Wisconsinites and their allies marching with Fair Wisconsin to show solidarity with union workers. At that time the executive director of Fair Wisconsin Katie Belanger told the crowd that the group supports Wisconsin labor because “our government should never be in the business of taking away people’s rights.” One person that marched with Fair Wisconsin commented, “If we let this happen, who knows where it would stop?”
Equality Wisconsin is another LGBT organization that has been very active in supporting the rights of Wisconsin workers. From the beginning of the radical right-wing attack on labor, Equality Wisconsin effectively used its Facebook presence to organize and promote a variety of protests and other events. Equality Wisconsin has consistently reminded supporters that protecting collective bargaining rights includes the right to bargain for things like domestic partner benefits.
While LGBT activists have been filling the streets with pride during this year’s protests, the entire community should also be filled with pride at the strong role that out LGBT state legislators are playing in fighting an extreme agenda in the Capitol. Who can forget the early showing of support for Wisconsin workers by out state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, when he displayed a “solidarity” sign to thousands of protestors through an open window in the Capitol? Pocan fiercely defended the rights of workers and others inside the Assembly chamber.
Out state Rep. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, also took a leading role in the Legislature during the unprecedented attack on the rights of workers. He is a member of the now famous Wisconsin 14, the 14 Democratic senators who left the state to prevent Gov. Scott Walker from ramming his law eliminating workers’ rights through the Legislature. By preventing the Senate from having a quorum, the senators gave the public a chance to weigh Walker’s extremist agenda before it was a fait accompli.
Hopefully, the state’s recent political battles will help to unite and supercharge the level of activism among LGBT citizens. There are many progressive battles to fight and the LGBT community must be fully engaged for them to succeed.
