Posted by:
MJ
(
)
Date: January 30, 2011 11:26AM
In case some of you do not know, I have been a gay activist for nearly 30 years. Over that time the battle for gay rights has been fought on many fronts, discrimination, gay bashing, gay suicide, AIDS (though a medical issue, it did become a gay rights issue) gay marriage, and gays in the military.
In all the nearly 30 years, none of these issues have gone away, there was always more battles to fight, a victory in one state meant there were still other states where the battles needed to be fought.
Well, late last night I stumbled across This video from the Marine Commandant to the troops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qPn3V3KuhaMI was, at first, astounded that the top brass was talking about gays (even though gays or homosexuals were never actually mentioned) as if they were as deserving as any anyone else. Later as I was going to bed it hit me, it's OVER. After nearly 30 years of fighting one gay rights issue has finally been won, the fight over gays in the military is basically over.
I would have thought I would have felt exuberant, but I don't. I'm feeling a strange sort of melancholy. How can I feel exuberant when all that has happened is that we finally got to were we should have been all along? Rather than celebrate, I want to turn to the people that have fought against us and say "fuck you, you bastards. Fuck you for making it so difficult to get here".
There is an anger over this issue that has motivated me into action. But now that DATD has been repealed, there is no need for that anger. I realize that it is time to set that anger aside and move on to other things, but that still leaves me melancholy. The thing is, this is a fight I never wanted to fight. I never wanted to divert the time and effort into such fights. I look back and see lots of time and effort spent over nearly 30 years just to get were everyone else is. It does not feel like a victory, it only feels like I am now allowed to stop fighting on this issue.
It has also made me very aware how sick and tired I am of all this BS. I just want to be treated like every other citizen and I'm sick of fighting for that recondition. I now realize that even when we win, all that effort and fight was just to level the playing field. It all seems like a big fucking waste.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2011 11:31AM by MJ.