The twist in this year's annual April Fool's Issue?: Can you tell the real articles from the fake? Because we're not telling!
CHALLENGE T he New sl etter of the Gay Act iv is t Allian ce in Morris Cou n t y S e r v i ng New Jer sey’ s G LBTI Commu n it ies Con t in u ou s ly S in c e 1 9 7 2 V o lu m e 40 , I ssu e 3 , Ap ril 2 0 14
Join and Disrupt by Sherri Rase
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, as the old saying goes. This refers to the winds of change that blow weather-wise, but we can also say the same of the political climate. A most apt description for what's happening is "climate change" as we've seem some amazing lifeaffirming and life-altering positive change for the LGBTQ community, but more remains to be done. By you. By me. Activism in years gone by included picketing, as Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny so famously did in Philadelphia in the shadow of Independence Hall. ACT-UP members laid down in front of buses to protest the lack of treatment and education for and about HIV/ AIDS in the earlier days of the epidemic. There have always been people who have written letters and lobbied their legislators. Now the 21st Century has brought us greater leverage and a greater voice. At the beginning of March, I attended a conference in Atlanta where the people who organize Pride celebrations of all sizes and descriptions converged on the W Hotel near Piedmont Park. The committees hailed from South Florida to Southern Maine and on the first morning we were addressed by Simone Bell. Ms. Bell is the first openly gay woman to be elected to any State Legislature in the country and she has the honor to serve the Atlanta area. She is a dynamic speaker and she made points that have always resonated with me. First, be a part of the conversation. You need to be at the table in order to make change.
Second (this pierced my activist heart), there are people presently at the table who do NOT want your voice to be heard. If these people will not let you be part of the conversation, then DISRUPT the conversation. What? Wait, I was brought up to be polite and mannerly and wait my turn to speak. Luckily I've overcome my upbringing and when Ms. Bell said that, another bell echoed in my head and heart. Whatever we need to do in order to be heard is what we need to do. Write letters. Call your representative to Congress and your state senators and assembly members. Better yet, visit them in their offices and make a warm contact. You'd be surprised how willing they are to meet you. You needn't "out" yourself if you're not ready, but make sure your voice is heard. Ms. Bell went on to say that she would never put her partner of 25 years and their family through what they had to endure as the family of a public figure if she did not believe in the change she was advocating. I was so inspired by her that I went up to shake her hand afterward and she looked in my eyes and reeled me in for a hug. That transfer of energy from Ms. Bell to me is my gift to New Jersey. Make this souvenir a living thing. Use this energy to join the conversation. Your voice is important. If there are those who will not permit you to be part of the conversation, the answer is simple. Disrupt. Disrupt. DISRUPT!
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Q-munity Calendar........................................ page 6 How to Spend a Saturday in Michigan ................ page 8 On the Aisle: Theatre review .......................... page 9 Board Minutes for January 2014..................... page 10 Late Breaking Gleanings ................................ page 11 GAYMIX: the review that's just too too! ........... page 11 GAAMC Information ...................................... page 12
In Challenge Online Dancing to Architecture™ page 13, and Media Outage™ page 15 Challenge Online & In Color! @ issuu.com/gaamc/docs *Click!*