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-   -   LGBTQ Allies - Recognition and Thanks (http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1491)

Nat 05-30-2010 09:08 PM

LGBTQ Allies - Recognition and Thanks
 
My straight friend Suzanne is awesome. She goes to an LGBTQ-embracing church, she walks in AIDS walks despite ankle problems, she's going to Pride next week, she is the person who told me about the Queer the Census stickers and she also mentioned how happy she was there was a box for "ally" on those stickers, so she has an opportunity to participate. She does all that and more just because she's great, just because it's part of her value system, just because she's a thoughtful, ethics-driven person who wants to live in a just, fair and accepting world. I think she was originally inspired by getting to know her gay uncle, and it's such a relief to know she has my back and it's not personal so much as it's just who she is. I wish there were more people in the world like her.

Yesterday, I was totally enjoying poetry slam poetry on youtube, and I ran into Alvin Lau's "Full Moon" which I actually got to hear live a few years back at the International Poetry Slam here in Austin. It's a poem about his sister's wedding to another woman, and it made me think:

I am so thankful for our allies.



Quote:

...my mom always told us that everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I can think what I want, and you can think what you want,
but that doesn't keep me from being right and you from being fucking wrong
because anyone who thinks that my sister can't live freely can go straight to hell
Do not pass purgatory, to not collect alterna-salvation
....
I wanna be able to wipe away my sister's tears
with a copy of the Constitution that doesn't take away her right to say "I do"
I wanna be able to read this poem anytime, anywhere
without having to worry about homophobic judgment from all of you...
Thank you Suzanne. Thank you Alvin Lau.

Nat 05-31-2010 08:24 PM

Thank you, Lady Gaga


Nat 06-11-2010 08:47 AM

Thank you to the Byrd family of Jasper, Texas for advocating that orientation and gender identity be included in the James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Act within the state of Texas. At a recent Equality Texas meeting, I was told that it was only because of the Byrd family's insistence that orientation and gender identity were not excluded. Their advocacy paved the way for the passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act which became federal law last fall. I am deeply grateful that this family, having endured the pain of losing a son/father in such a terrible way, has provided such staunch support for us all.

Sidenote- James Byrd jr.'s son is also an advocate for abolishing the death penalty for which I am also very grateful.

Medusa 06-11-2010 09:15 AM

Thank you 10-year-old Will Phillips from right here in Arkansas for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance until Gay people have equal marriage rights~


UofMfan 06-11-2010 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medusa (Post 127729)
Thank you 10-year-old Will Phillips from right here in Arkansas for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance until Gay people have equal marriage rights~


Yes! I saw this and wanted to adopt him :) What a bright, articulate, and amazing young man he is!

Medusa 06-11-2010 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UofMfan (Post 127735)
Yes! I saw this and wanted to adopt him :) What a bright, articulate, and amazing young man he is!


Isnt he fab?! I loved seeing it all over the national news....kinda helps people understand that Arkansas is not a "hotbed of ignorance" as is often portrayed in the media.

Arwen 06-11-2010 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medusa (Post 127739)
Isnt he fab?! I loved seeing it all over the national news....kinda helps people understand that Arkansas is not a "hotbed of ignorance" as is often portrayed in the media.


Will Phillips for President. What a singularly uncompromising view of justice that young man has. Very impressed. Thanks for sharing this.

Nat, your Alvin Lau video made me weep. Thank you so much for sharing that.

Mitmo01 06-11-2010 10:58 AM

Wow that kid has more intelligence and guts at 10 years old than most people do by the time they are 80 lol

Thats how all americans should be...willing to stand up for what you believe in no matter the consequence

The_Lady_Snow 06-11-2010 11:03 AM

I would like to give mad props to my allies...

Don Memo

Don Carlito

Jeff

Marcus and Jamal

Shannon

The Cookie

The Brownie

Los Payasos de la calle 17

Father Victor Stanlislaus

Sister Mary Francis

Gracie Perez

Mateo Perez

My parents

My homie Nick

and my beautiful kids.

There is more but I would take forever...:praying:

UofMfan 06-11-2010 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Lady_Snow (Post 127790)
I would like to give mad props to my allies...

Don Memo

Don Carlito

Jeff

Marcus and Jamal

Shannon

The Cookie

The Brownie

Los Payasos de la calle 17

Father Victor Stanlislaus

Sister Mary Francis

Gracie Perez

Mateo Perez

My parents

My homie Nick

and my beautiful kids.

There is more but I would take forever...:praying:


You made me smile, even more than already was :)

Nat 09-21-2010 07:08 PM

Latino civil rights leader, Cesar E. Chavez, fought for gay and lesbian rights.

Memphis---In March 2006, American Latinos mark the 40th anniversary of Cesar Chavez’s historic 1966 Pilgrimage from Delano, CA to California’s state Capitol steps in Sacramento to draw national attention to farm workers’ struggles and working and living conditions. Cesar E. Chavez went from being a farm worker to becoming an enormous force as a union leader, environmentalist, civil rights leader, and humanitarian. Among his numerous honors were the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest honor awarded to a civilian, and creation of a holiday and day of service. In addition to his vocation on behalf of farm workers, few know that Cesar E. Chavez also advocated gay and lesbian civil rights.

Cesar Chavez’s nonviolent social movement and leadership facilitated the United Farm Workers led successful strikes and boycotts. According to The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, he formulated a diverse and extraordinary national coalition of students, middle-class consumers, trade unionists, religious groups, and minorities including, Latinos, Filipinos, Native Americans, Jews, African Americans, and gays and lesbians.

In the 1970’s, before public acceptance of gays, he spoke strongly for gay rights especially during gay rights rallies and marches. His equality paradigm remained strong and uncompromising as he spoke on the National Mall in Wahsington, D.C to a gay and lesbian audiance during the late 1980s.

“Our movement has been supporting lesbian and gay rights for over 20 years. We supported lesbian and gay rights when it was just a crowd of 10 people.”---Cesar Chavez, 1987 march for gay and lesbian rights in Washington, DC.


Her granddaughter, Christine Chavez, presently the United Farm Workers California Political Director, continues her grandfather’s legacy. She learned that one couldn’t champion equality for one’s own people while tolerating discrimination against any other people because of who they are. She also ascertained that ‘leadership’ isn’t about following the crowd or keeping one’s constituency. It’s about getting out in front and leading people in the right direction. Christine Chavez demonstrated that by presiding at a commitment ceremony for same-sex couples in 2004. And she also endorsed California’s AB 19, the gay marriage bill, in 2005.

Beyond being a family legacy, Latino national organizations representing over 23 million Latinos living in the United States such as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) have announced their opposition to the proposed U.S. contitutional amemdment baning same-sex marriage. These organizations’ memberhip base know discrimination all to well and realize that discrimination placed into U.S. law simply relegates gay and lesbians to a second-class status. The Consitution and its subsequent amendments should not restrict the rights of a whole class of people and thus conflict with its guilding principle of equal protection.

Despite Cesar Chavez passing on April 23, 1993, his life transcends any one cause or struggle. He continues to influence and inspire Americans to seek social justice and civil rights for the disenfranchised in our society. Chavez Day, March 31st, is observed in eight states (AZ, CA, CO, MI, NM, TX, UT, WI) and dozens of cities and counties throughout the nation. Chavez Day grants us an opportunity to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez by getting involved in our LGBT and allies community.

http://www.mglcc.org/adelante_english.htm

Artdecogoddess 09-21-2010 07:31 PM


Great idea for a thread...

My twin sister and her partner Scott (I affectionately refer to him as my brother outlaw) are amazing allies for the LGBTQ community. They are activists, they march, the volunteer, they give of their time. When I think of allies I think of them. I truly see them as members of the queer community, my community and my family.

I try to say thank you - and they brush it off, like they don't even get why I would thank them.

One more example, they choose a civil union over marriage for a variety of reasons, my favorite is that they don't want to get married until I can.

With lots and lots of love for them both.

xoxoxo

ADG

Nat 10-04-2010 06:27 PM


Nat 10-07-2010 05:06 PM


Nat 11-18-2010 10:28 AM

Tina Fey


Nat 09-17-2011 09:37 PM

Jay Leno

Nat 01-14-2012 12:47 PM

George Clooney

Though I don't agree with his assertion that our rights are the "final leg" of the civil rights movement.


1ladyface 01-25-2012 10:18 AM

My baby brother and I are both queer and our mum was born in Toronto. She recently decided to do the paperwork and get her dual citizenship so that my brother and I could "possibly get married someday". (to our partners not each other, just realized that sounded weird.) I don't think I want to move to Canada but it was a very nice gesture. Now we're a family of dualies!

LeftWriteFemme 06-25-2012 05:34 PM

Have you all seen this?
 
There are a bunch of these, I figured we could start with the first one...


Kätzchen 05-11-2018 09:24 AM

Bump Bump (8 years later....)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Nat (Post 118168)
My straight friend Suzanne is awesome. She goes to an LGBTQ-embracing church, she walks in AIDS walks despite ankle problems, she's going to Pride next week, she is the person who told me about the Queer the Census stickers and she also mentioned how happy she was there was a box for "ally" on those stickers, so she has an opportunity to participate. She does all that and more just because she's great, just because it's part of her value system, just because she's a thoughtful, ethics-driven person who wants to live in a just, fair and accepting world. I think she was originally inspired by getting to know her gay uncle, and it's such a relief to know she has my back and it's not personal so much as it's just who she is. I wish there were more people in the world like her.

Yesterday, I was totally enjoying poetry slam poetry on youtube, and I ran into Alvin Lau's "Full Moon" which I actually got to hear live a few years back at the International Poetry Slam here in Austin. It's a poem about his sister's wedding to another woman, and it made me think:

I am so thankful for our allies.





Thank you Suzanne. Thank you Alvin Lau.

Thanks Nat for your activism ..... and this thread (it's wonderful). :bunchflowers:


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