Dear Friends,
The Fourth of July—following closely on Pride Month—always reminds me how fragile our liberties are. And never have I had a keener sense of our fragilities then I do today. But it seems to me that the Constitution is still reasonably intact, and that wisdom and justice still abide in the land—except where they don’t, of course (most notably at SCOTUS).
When I was a young gay man, testing the limits of my freedoms, I probably thought I could trust others to keep me safe. If I was ever that naïve, I’ve certainly outgrown it. It’s not that I thought everyone had my best interests at heart. I just assumed that MLK’s famous moral arc was bending in the direction of justice for all. And I believed it was. No doubt it will again, but that is obviously not it’s direction today.
The recent decision by the Court to gut women’s reproductive freedoms reminded me of the debt of gratitude gay men owe gay women for their support during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis. Without that lesbian activism, the death toll would be even higher. I guess I’m saying I’m well aware that a vicious attack on women deserves a vigorous response from men.
I’ve spoken before about my poor record as an activist. I know I’m not alone in that department. But it no longer seems enough to vote thoughtfully in every election and to be publicly out as much as possible. I will continue to write stories with strong LGBTQ+ characters who demand respect because they are quality humans, not because some court said they are okay.
But there is so much more that needs doing. Citizenship makes demands of us. And never more than right now. And I’m not sure exactly what I can do. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter. As always, I thank you for joining me on this journey.
Bruce
4 Comments
James Weems · July 4, 2022 at 5:40 pm
Your post, plus the picture accompanying it, say it loudly. We have ALL got to be active in our defense of “our” freedoms – as well as those of “others.” I don’t remember the exact wording, but the gist of the statement from WW2 was “At first they came for the Jews, but I wasn’t a Jew, so I remained silent; then they came for the gays, but I wasn’t gay, so I remained silent; then they came for the scientists, but I wasn’t a scientist, so I remained silent;… and so on, until, then they came for me, and no one remained to speak up for me.” WE must MAKE CHANGE by voting like our lives and freedoms depend on it (they do). And we’ve got to – as John Lewis said – make “Good Trouble” to persuade the good people in Washington and state offices to do the RIGHT things to protect our fragile democracy. But VOTING is ALWAYS number one. Instead of seeing it as a right, see it as a MORAL DUTY to defend your country, same as if you were going into battle. Thank you. I am going to print your blog post to share with people who don’t always read blog posts!
Bruce K Beck · July 4, 2022 at 10:09 pm
Thanks, James. Thanks for sharing your heart, and thanks for sharing my post with others. Yes, “Good Trouble.” That’s going to be on my mind a lot this year!
Sheila · July 5, 2022 at 3:35 am
This past week has shown how fragile our democracy is. It also has shown how little people understand the government and history. I read or hear what people say about what the Founding Fathers did and meant and there is no comprehension of how things have changed since the Founding Fathers created the Constitution. Most people probably haven’t read any of the documents the Founding Fathers wrote. Maybe I’m wrong but I believe the Founding Fathers saw the Constitution as a living document that was to change as times and society changed. It was to reflect the people at any given time of history.
As I read that the states who had trigger laws on abortion are using laws often written prior to the Civil War, I am appalled. I was also appalled that Alito used an English law from the 1700’s to justify his position on overturning Roe v. Wade. I am sickened that 6 people could ignore the will of the people to pass their religious views (you can tell they also haven’t read their Bibles–render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s) onto the people. They have opened many cans of worms with their shortsightedness. When someone who is not “Christian” do the same things that were upheld, i.e. prayer at the 50-yard line or requesting funds for their religious school, this Supreme Court is responsible for it, and they cannot withhold the upholding they have given this week on these and other issues.
Voting is the start to make changes. Get the people in office who will uphold your views. I am not an activist either. But you can write letters to your representatives or Senators. I cannot get out and march, but I can write.
Bruce K Beck · July 7, 2022 at 11:14 am
Thanks for your comment, Sheila. Yes, scary times indeed. You’re a formidable ally! Bruce