*Editor’s Note: When Trevor McNeil’s article “Gay In America” was published last week this documentary was supposed to accompany it. Well, it didn’t. So, here we are. Let’s try it again.
Daniel White murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the country. Each victim was shot 5 times. When White was found guilty of manslaughter the crowd awaiting the verdict began to riot.
Shame is one of the strongest human emotions. It has long been a key weapon used by the powerful, particularly those in religious authority. The Catholic Church was a prime offender. Popes even stooped so low as to peddle Papal Indulgences. Papal Indulgences were basically ‘Get Out of Hell Free Cards’ for so-called infractions the church decided were “sinful.” Queer behavior was often targeted as “sinful” by religious leaders.
Two of the biggest targets of shame through the eons have been women and members of the Queer community (or LGBTQ+ if you prefer). As with all unjust behavior comes opposition, injustice inflaming those who fight to bring about change. That push for change culminated recently when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that civil right’s law protect gay and transgender individuals, making it illegal to dismiss individuals from their employment for being homosexual.
All has not been rosy for our dear friends of Dorothy. For a sickeningly long time, in even the alleged “land of the free”, it was illegal to be gay. Punishments ranging from torture and death to imprisonment, depending if it was the courts, or a posse who decided an individual were “deviant” as it was then called. Prison often being the best of the options available.
A 2oth century warrior against gay discrimination was filmmaker Kenneth Anger. Anger is an open Luciferian (he has the word LUCIFER tattooed across his chest). He is a life-long contrarian with a near-suicidal need to thumb his nose at oppressive authority. The fact that Anger (still kickin’ at 93) is also gay is actually the least interesting, or controversial, thing about him. He was used to being hated and knew his life was at risk for speaking out. But still, Anger had no qualms and pulled no punches in terms of overtly gay imagery in his films, knowing full well he could be arrested or even killed.
In 1968 playwright Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking play The Boys In the Band premiered off Broadway. The play focused on a group LGBTQ+ males but every one of the characters is a fleshed out human being, going well beyond the stereotypes of the time. Some of those stereotypes enforced by law, such as the section of the Hays Film Code which dictated that all gay characters be villains and/or tragic. Crowley presented neither. The Boys has long been credited with inspiring what would come just one year later.
There is still some disagreement about when or how the modern LGBTQ+ Rights Movement started. After years of police intimidation in the summer 1969 the gay community fought back. On the morning of June 28th police raided the Stonewall Inn. Yet another in a sustained pattern of harassment against New York City’s sizable LGBTQ+ community. On that day, years of abuse came to a head and the Stonewall Inn occupants started fighting back. What was supposed to be a routine raid, at least from a police perspective, turned into a full-on, brick throwing riot.
The Stonewall riot happened four years before San Francisco politician Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man elected to public office in 1973. The election became a bitter-sweet victory when Milk was murdered by his colleague Dan White. White, a former police officer, claimed he was in a psychotic state from eating too many sweets. According to White he killed Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk while on a “sugar” high. It would later become known as “The Twinkie Defense.” White was ultimately convicted of man-slaughter, sparking off what became known as the White Night Riots in 1978. White committed suicide in 1985.
Things are moving in the right direction for LGBTQ+ rights. Certainly miles ahead of where they used to be. Though it is important that we not get complacent. All my Queer brothers and sisters, along with our allies and friends, must keep an eye on things to ensure that the advancements made over the last few decades remain intact.
No pressure. The clamor before the election was that the 2018 Midterm elections could be the most important Midterm vote in history. A lot of hype, that may end up being spot on. This, like most things these days, was all the president’s fault. Trump being correct, shocking I know, when he characterized the elections as, effectively, a referendum on him and his administration. He kept telling us that, over and over.
Accepting the challenge. We as a people accepted that challenge, registered a record number of new voters and fielded a strong team of candidates nationwide . We were ready and willing to tell Trump exactly what we think of him and his cabinet of swamp creatures. We were ready for, in fact anxious for, a return to divided government. The ballot box our chosen platform, the 2018 Midterms the first election in which we could flex our muscles.
Taking back the House. The 2018 Midterms elections have given the Democrats control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2010. Stacking the house against Trump is now the best, legal, way to limit his powers. The people of the country made it clear that is what they expect. And the messy process of hobbling his actions has begun.
Big turn outs across the nation. The 2018 Midterm election turnout is estimated at 113,000,000. That would mean 48% of eligible voters participated. Staggering numbers for a Midterm election, nearly 85,000,000 more than in the 2014 Midterm. People tend to vote because they are mad. Like I said Trump wanted it to be all about him and that’s exactly what happened.
You can breath again. To call the 2018 Midterms a “roller-coaster” ride is an understatement. Kind of like saying Benedict Arnold had slightly confused loyalties. We will likely be getting results every day for the next couple days, to possibly weeks. California final results may not be available for at least a month.
The courts are the end litigator. Lawsuits have begun in most of the contested states. Why would anyone, Rick Scott and Brian Kemp to mention two Republicans who are determined to sue their way to office want to stop counting ballots. Why would we vote, if they only intend to count some of the votes? Totally absurd. Nelson vs Scott in Florida, Sinema vs McSally in Arizona, Gillum vs DeSantis in Florida and finally the most riveting, Abrams vs Kemp in Georgia. All nail biters. Some already moving to recount.
A blue dribble vs a blue wave. There is the bad news that the Republicans have held the senate. As 2018 Midterm vote count dribbles in to the history books we have gone from thinking the Republicans would see a big gain of up to 6 seats in the Senate; but now, nearly a week post Midterms, it looks like nothing more than an overall one seat Republican gain..
Gender and diversity the takeaways. The brightest news of the 2018 Midterm election is that a total of 100 women were elected, more than any other election in U.S. history. Notably, the first Native American openly gay woman, Sharice Davids, has been elected to Congress. This upcoming congress will be the most gender, ethnically and racially diverse group in Congressional history. Way to go voters. It is about time that our elected leaders are a reflection of what our society looks like, not a reflection of a dying power center; that of old, mostly, white men.
It takes awhile to get there. The 2018 Midterm election also saw the election of Jared Polis an openly LGBTQ person to represent Colorado in the House of Representatives. Finally making good on the path bravely carved out by Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk who was the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected to public office in 1970’s San Francisco, and he was killed for his efforts.
Percentages can be deceiving. The best news, of course, is that the Democrats took the House, and not by a small amount. The percentages might look close but percentage points count for a lot in elections, each one representing thousands of individual votes. What began looking like a mediocre “trickle” has over the last couple days ballooned into a possible gain of 38-40 seats. In addition to the House successes, the Democrats flipped multiple governor mansions and a staggering number of state legislatures. A mandate many would call it.
A big headache. The Democrats now with great 2018 Midterm success have the power to give the Trump administration a mind bending migraine. The power of the subpoena should make Trump and associates nervous. The American people have thrown up their hands and said, loudly no matter how dirty it gets, they are telling the Dems to clean up the Trump/GOP mess.
Sharpening pencils and registering voters. The 2018 Midterms are only the beginning. Many of the Resistors and the Indivisible folks are sharpening their pencils and are ready to continue their registration drive right up until the 2020 elections. The Senate and the Executive Branch are the targets of the Democrats next flip. If Trump thinks this is going to be a small bump in his presidency, I think he better buckle the proverbial seat belt because it looks like things are gonna get rough.
Looking ahead. We should, of course, celebrate this major victory. Hopefully the Dems can hobble the roaring beast of Trumpism. But, now we stumble into two months of lame duck politics. Matthew Whitaker’s appointment as temporary Attorney General of the United States is just a warning shot by Trump. What he does over the next couple months in this pre-Dem time is open to speculation. He could shoot that guy on Fifth Avenue by the time the new House is seated and what will they do about it?
Some unfortunate facts.Trump is still the president (damn and blast it). The great 2018 Midterm Democratic wins in the state houses around the country will help protect the 2020 election against voter suppression and gerrymandering. But this record-setting election is only the first step in a long journey to the next election. Two years are a long time in politics. From now until 2020 we need to keep the pressure on this rogue and reckless president.
"If puppies and kittens don't make you smile, you might consider therapy." D. S. Mitchell 2015.
I Barely Have Time To Walk The Dog
Self-isolating has forced us to turn even more to telecommunication and social media.
The Major Cause Of Sex Trafficking Is Poverty
Many great charities, here are a couple that I support: Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood.
