On Harold Washington

As we approach the 20th anniversary of Mayor Harold Washington’s sudden and tragic death while in office, it is encouraging to see the GLBT community recalling the man, honoring his legacy and educating a new generation about the vital importance of Washington’s contributions as mayor from 1983 to 1987. It was wonderful to see Mayor Richard Daley, Washington’s one-time rival, presiding over Washington’s induction last month into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community, and Chicago Free Press’ Nov. 7 cover story and editorial about Washington were also stirring. Too often the rush of events makes us forget our history as a community—a history that Mayor Washington helped shape.

One correction to your Nov. 7 article is in order. Mayor Washington did not appear in Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. He did, however, speak at the rallies following the Pride Parades in 1985, 1986 and 1987. He chose to appear at the rallies in order to highlight the political aspect of the community’s annual celebration of the 1969 Stonewall riots and to voice his support for the gay rights ordinance then pending in the City Council. (As a footnote, Jane Byrne did appear in the Gay Pride Parade, but only after she had been ejected from office by the voters of Chicago.)

Albert Williams
Chicago

Betrayal on ENDA

The betrayal of the transgender community over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) by the Human Rights Campaign’s national leadership, working with leading Democrats like Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi, is now a fact established beyond a reasonable doubt. A few weeks ago, at the same time that HRC President Joe Solmonese was assuring a trans audience at the Atlanta, Georgia Southern Comfort Conference that he opposed an ENDA which didn’t include protections for trans people, HRC lobbyists were working for a trans-free ENDA.

While our press has focused on HRC’s role in this betrayal, it has given almost no attention to the truly main players in this game—the Democratic Party. If no one expected ENDA to pass the Senate, let alone be signed into law by Bush, why were the Democrats so hell-bent on passing a House version of ENDA, any ENDA, even though it was going to die the moment it left the House?

The reason goes to the heart of the dysfunctional relationship our community has with political parties in general. Rep. Barney Frank and others wanted to make a show of passing ENDA in the House so that they could serve it up as a PR point for whoever wins the Democratic presidential nomination for 2008. The argument will be that however bad the Democratic nominee is (all of the leading candidates oppose our legal equality), at least s/he is a little better than whatever Darth Vader candidate the Republicans nominate.

The fact that the Democrats think we’re so craven for recognition that we’ll settle for a hugely flawed ENDA shows how little respect the party has for us. It also shows that they think we have such little self-respect that they thought we would fall for this. 

Our national organizations, and many local organizations, rather than fighting Democratic Party anti-gay gestures, have largely become adjuncts of that party, willing puppets who court ego-boosting recognition, access and employment. That is why Barack Obama thought he could get away with featuring “ex-gay” bigot Donnie McClurkin in his South Carolina campaign, and after mild protest, thought we would be mollified by McClurkin being “balanced” by a gay preacher hastily added to the program. It’s like saying it’s okay to feature a White Citizens Council member in your campaign, so long as he’s “balanced” by an anti-racist voice. Simply posing the completely improbable analogy shows just how far our community and its leaders have to go in forcing politicians of all parties to respect us.

The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass once famously said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. Never has, never will.” Until we start demanding better treatment from politicians, and punishing those who don’t pony up, we’ll continue to get crappy ENDAs and campaigns that suck in our donations while giving us back next to nothing, if not worse.

Please don’t give money to HRC. Don’t attend the upcoming HRC Chicago fundraiser on Feb. 2, 2008. Do join Gay Liberation Network outside the Sears Tower at 6 p.m. to protest HRC.

Andy Thayer
Bob Schwartz
Gay Liberation Network
www.GayLiberation.net

Help gays in Iran

To save the life of Pegah Emambakhsh (the Iranian lesbian the British Government wanted to deport to her death by stoning in Iran), Gruppo EveryOne, together with the Friends of Pegah Campaign, created a new kind of humanitarian campaign and invited all those who believe in respect for human rights to send flowers to the British prison where Pegah was being detained. Thousands of bunches of flowers were delivered to the prison, putting a strain on the prison system and convincing the authorities to re-examine her case. Pegah is now waiting for her application for political asylum to be accepted.

In Iran, however, the courts continue to sentence women, political activists, young people, free thinkers and homosexuals to death. There is a need to approach Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s judges and tell them, in a peaceful but firm way, that life is sacred in every part of the world and according to all religions—that it always invites the faithful to be compassionate.

It is for this reason that we are asking you to send a white flower (symbol of life) and a red flower (symbol of blood) to President Ahmadinejad, asking him not to spill the blood of other innocent victims and to abandon the path of terror and violence.

For more information please visit www.irqo.net or www.everyonegroup.com.

Iranian Queer Organization—IRQO
Formerly Persian Gay & Lesbian Organization—PGLO
www.irqo.net