The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®
CHALLENGE The Newsletter of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County - Continuously Serving the GLBTI Community since 1972
Volume 38, Issue 4, May 2012
Helping Each Other by Mickey Suiter
In the years since GAAMC disbanded GALY (Gay and Lesbian Youth) there have been many discussions about how we can reach out to LGBT youth and continue to provide some services to them. With all the recent media coverage of bullying and teen suicide, it’s clear that in spite of the progress we’ve made and the shift in society’s views of our community there are still plenty of young people who need some kind of support. I have been one of those who think that we have to do something to help our youth, but recently I’ve also been thinking of LGBT youth in another way – what they can provide to the rest of us. Since I’ve been president I’ve been on the email list of many college and youth-oriented LGBT organizations. What I’ve been impressed by is how committed to making things better these young people are. Yes, sometimes they may be idealistic and naïve and some of their ideas may seem radical but there’s something refreshing in their idealism and naiveté. At times they have put me in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar position of feeling like an old fogey representing the status quo. As we get older we tend to get more pragmatic and look at things from a practical point of view – what we can accomplish versus what we should accomplish. And
there’s nothing wrong with being practical. things get done.
That’s how
But at a recent Open Talk that focused on politics, a member (one of the youngest in the room, of course) pointed out that while organizations like HRC and Lambda Legal are working hard within the system to advance our cause, there’s still room for more radical groups like ACT UP that remind us of what our ideals are and push us in their direction. We need all points of view and need to work in every way to achieve our goals. So yes, I think that there are services we can provide to LGBT youth. But there are things they can do for us as well. We all have something to offer each other. Our community is diverse and that diversity helps strengthen us. And this applies not just to reaching out to youth, but to all others groups within our community. We have a lot to learn from each other. One of the great things about our community is that it includes people from all other communities. The slogan "We are everywhere" really does apply to us. Reaching out to those in all segments of our community, helping them and learning from them, enriches us all.
Inside Challenge
Location, Location, Location! The 40th Anniversary Committee is pleased to announce that our spectacular
Ruby Ball will be held at
the Westin Governor Morris 2 Whippany Road in Morristown! Keep an eye on future issues of Challenge for more details as they develop!
Challenge Information.... ................................ page 2 GAAMC Events.............................................. page 2 Bulletin Board .............................................. page 3 The Little Box of Concerts............................... page 3 Gleanings: Queer news from around the world .... page 4 Dancing to Architecture: music reviews............. page 5 Calendar ..................................................... page 7 Getting a Piece of the Pie.................................. page 9 The Editor's Box.......................................... page 10 10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked, part 10............... page 11 Poetry: May 1st 2011; Wild Nights, Marshmallow Days....................................................... page 12 GAAMC Board Mini-Minutes, February 2011 ........ page 13 This Month's Contributors............................... page 13 GAAMC Information...................................... page 14