Votes for Sale

By Robyn

It often gets annoying to hang around the InterWeb, for one reason or another. I have to say the past week has been one of those times.

I'm not referring to anything that the Obama administration has or hasn't done, though for sure plenty could be and has been said. Fierce advocacy often appears what any objective person might call milquetoasty. Of course, he did say he'd be a fierce advocate of gays and lesbians, not transfolk, and recently seems to have forgotten we exist.

Then, Obama was asked whether being gay or trans was a choice. Here is his incredibly weak response which completely ignores trans people.

I am not obviously — I don’t profess to be an expert. This is a layperson’s opinion. But I don’t think it’s a choice. I think people are born with a certain makeup, and we’re all children of God. We don’t make determinations about who we love. And that’s why I think that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong.

--Zackford

Mmmm. Toasty.



But as I said, I'm not here for that. It's really about the behavior of the membership that has a hair up my butt.

Here's a thought in passing: You cannot defeat our enemies by becoming them.

I've seen way too many diaries (minor example) and comments advocating that we adopt the methodology of our opponents in order to win political battles. Sorry, I'm not there with you. I'm not willing to embrace what we often would label as evil ways in order to win. I'm more into preserving my ethical base, I guess.

Here's a thing: when we are talking about GLBT teen suicides, like the most recent one (Terrel Williams) which took place in Lakewood, WA, the people in the GLBT people don't need to hear folks saying the discussion of teen suicide needs to be divorced from the GLBT part. That's like saying that our deaths should be lived in the closet as well as our lives. ++ungood.

And here's a thing: not everyone who criticizes Barack Obama and/or Eric Holder is a racist. So it's not necessary to bring up race every time the administration earns criticism. And believe me, every bit of the criticism has been earned, not given freely.

It's also not the case that all GLBT people are white and rich. That assertion is just totally out of line and is used as a cudgel when we demand equal rights. So that belongs in those places where the sun doesn't shine.

And not voting for a democrat is not the same as voting for a republican. It's likely not voting. Maybe it's time to stop acting like our votes are bought and paid for. They are for sale. And given the rhetoric we've heard from the Democratic party, they should be cheap. Pass ENDA, UAFA, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act and repeal DOMA and DADT. Hell, pick one. Any one of them would likely do.

You might be surprised how fast you have our votes, our dollars and our bodies working for common cause.

It's way past time for some action to accompany the rhetoric.

In the meantime asking me for money five times a day is pouring salt into a festering wound.