A Different Angle: a random collection of essays and observations, mostly about lesbian/gay/bi issues. © Todd VerBeek, Radio Zero(tm)

Did We Win?

It's sometimes tricky writing for a monthly newsletter like this, because there's a delay of a few weeks between when I have to finish my essay and when the first people read it. If I want to write about something timely, I'm out of luck.

That's the problem I face with the Grand Rapids civil rights ordinance amendment. I have no idea how the vote will go, because it's still weeks away. But you, the reader, have probably already heard. Did any of our supporters chicken out and vote against it? Were our opponents overwhelmed by our arguments and testimony and decide to do the right thing? Or did it come down to one person's closely-watched vote? Bottom line: Did we win?

Actually, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll win... or, rather, that we won. The vote may have gone against us. We may even have discovered a few new enemies in the process. But even if we lost this vote, I still think we won.

I'll be bold enough to predict that this issue has given the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community more coverage in the news than we've had since the first Pride celebration back in 1988. We've had our issues discussed prominently in The Grand Rapids Press, both in the "news" section, and the "opinion" pages. (The letters in "The Public Pulse" will probably still be going back and forth when the July issue of Network News reaches your hands.)

A lot of wonderfully eloquent things have been said on our behalf, by members of our community and our many friends. And a lot of half-baked garbage has spewed from the mouths of those whose ignorance and fear drives them to hatred. Some people's minds will never be changed. But others are open, either to reason or heartfelt emotion. Those people have heard and read our pleas, our arguments, and our demands. And they've gained a better understanding of what's at stake.

They've seen oppressed women and men struggling to make themselves heard. They've seen insecure people clinging (usually) to religion to reinforce their own prejudices. They've listened to calm, rational explanations of what sexual orientation really means. They've listened to control-hungry fanatics spread lies about people they don't even know. They've watched genuinely religious, family-oriented lesbians and gay men explain how much religion and family mean to them. They've watched people who claim to follow a certain non-judgmental man of peace, but throw stones at people the real Jesus would have dined with.

Most people, when faced with these images, will see them for what they are. And their attitudes will change. For some, it may be just a little. For others, it may cause them to rethink their intolerance completely. Step by step, person by person, the mainstream of society has moved closer to accepting those whose orientation is not simply heterosexual... and farther from the fringe who wish to "keep us in our place."

Laws are valuable, and even necessary, to make everyone safe from irrational hatred and fear. But they're meaningless if we can't also win the hearts and minds of the public. Just recently, we made important strides toward both goals. Our legal protection is far from complete. Proposing an amendment to the city ordinance (or even passing it) is just one important step. And society still has a long way to go, especially here in Western Michigan. But it's moving.

It's moving, and we can be excited to be part of that process. By taking pride in who we are, we're gaining the power to transform this society. And that calls for a celebration!

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