1801
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Jamakaya
Nov 3, 2010
Recent news about suicides and homophobic attacks has made clear that LGBT people are still living in a very hostile climate. That hostility is likely to accelerate as economic dislocation and changing demographics are used by extremists to fuel the search for scapegoats. Gay people have joined Muslims and Latinos as the most popular targets today.
So what we are doing to protect ourselves, individually and collectively?
First of all, we need to protect our kids.
Media pundits say the suicides of LGBT youth are occurring at a time when there are more support services, gay-related curricula and gay/straight alliances than ever before in the schools. They say the higher profile of gays overall and the growing numbers of kids coming out contributes to the homophobic reaction.
There’s an element of truth to this, but it’s also a convenient way to blame the victims and discredit gay activism. The solution is not to head back to the closet but to redouble our efforts to support LGBT kids.
Many schools and LGBT organizations sponsor mentoring programs. Contact them and volunteer to be a mentor to LGBT youth. Get involved with your school or school board on issues related to LGBT services or curriculum. Better yet, consider running for a school board seat to positively influence school policies. If you have a child or know of a child who is being harassed, demand that administrators protect that child, discipline the perpetrator/s, and enforce district policies on behavior and non-discrimination.
Contribute financially to the organizations that help our kids, like the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network or Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
We also need to protect ourselves and our institutions.
I’m a big believer in the value of self-defense programs, and I think they should be a regular part of programming through LGBT centers. Self-defense classes provide practical tips about avoidance behaviors and teach basic skills that enable you to defend yourself or escape an attack.
The best self-defense classes also imbue participants with self-respect, self-confidence and solidarity with others, values that reduce fear and build community. They had a powerful impact on women during the heyday of feminist organizing in the 1970s and ‘80s and could do the same for LGBT communities today.
Threats against LGBT institutions are not new. Over the past twenty years, arson has destroyed several Metropolitan Community Churches, terrorist Eric Rudolph planted one of his nail bombs at a gay bar in Atlanta, and the zealot who complained about the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center a few years back had a web site linked to a memorial to Paul Hill, who murdered a doctor for performing abortions.
LGBT organizations need to think more seriously about security measures at the buildings in which our organizations are housed and at venues where LGBT events are held. Community leaders should plan now and consult with security experts to prevent anyone or anything from being harmed.
Jewish organizations and women’s health clinics, which have faced threats themselves, have instituted various security systems and policies at their facilities. They may be a helpful resource.
LGBT leaders also need to establish and maintain closer communication with local police. This is easier said than done. Relations between police and LGBT communities have often been problematic, especially in Milwaukee. But as taxpayers, we are entitled to equal protection. Better communication could help to solve individual bashing incidents and head off broader threats to organizations by anti-gay extremists.
It’s a truism that no one is really free unless they are secure, so the time to work on these issues is now.
