I’M GAY, AND I VOTE On June 1, 2009, President Barack Obama first issued a Presidential Proclamation naming June National LGBT Pride Month. He issued a similar proclamation again on May 28, 2010, again this year on May 31, and is expected to issue it in 2012, and then again for four more years if we re-elect him. On Dec. 22, 2010, during what turned out to be a pretty darned badass lame duck session, Obama signed into law the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. At its signing, the prez related an amazing story about two friends in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge, a story of courage and loyalty, about one friend risking life and limb for another, and about that rescued friend learning that his hero was gay – 40 years later! And it didn’t matter! It changed neither their friendship nor the fact that a human life was saved – not by one iota. It’s crazy that our feisty and rightfully pissed-off LGBT community, so quick to voice dissatisfaction with O-bam’s pace on wiping out discrimination against us, did not mark this occasion with parades, fireworks, and naked parties in the streets, the fierce appreciation this overdue overturn deserved. Sure, the pace of politics labors like a big, fat, bloated woolly mammoth, but there was our prez, representing us and our lives. As we demand our rights, we must commemorate and celebrate our advancements, not just to make Mr. President feel good or to rub victory in the face of detractors, but for ourselves – to exercise our grace and fortitude despite very challenging, often dignity-stripping circumstances. Political engagement is still tricky for a lot of us in the LGBT realm. We are tender and often left licking deep, dark wounds.
Nowadays, it’s easy to think the only requirement for political vitality is to forward a Facebook post or click on a link. Well guess what? It’s so much more challenging than that. It’s a gigantic pain in the ass. It’s sweat- and back-breaking. So much is expected of us: We have to go out and pull a lever. We have to vote. Locally, we have a chance to re-elect Austin’s first publicly out LGBT council member. Reflect on that for a moment. Austin: blue dot, red sea. And it wasn’t until the late 2000s that we first elected an openly gay council member? Out-ness factors into that equation, for sure. Does that imply previous council members may have been in the closet? Hmm. Personally, this columnist likes Randi Shade, our first out lesbian (or gay, for that matter) on City Council up for re-election this week. I don’t agree with everything she has done, and I don’t disagree with everything her opponent touts. But I prefer Randi’s wonkiness. She reminds me of Obama in that head-down, small-tasks, steady-keel type of nerdy wonkitude. I like that she works on the Hate Crimes Task Force and is supported by infrastructure frontliners like firefighters, EMTs, police, laborers, and heck, the League of Bicycling Voters. I like that she has been supportive of live music issues in ways that only a truly goofy wonk can be. And I won’t lie, I really like that she is a big ol’ … first out-LGBT council member. She doesn’t toot her horn enough, even as this arc of her political career hangs in the balance. And I can’t believe that all I have to do to support her and thank her for repping us in this historic first is to find my precinct, go out to the polls this Saturday, turn a wheel, and click enter.
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This article appears in June 17 • 2011.