Indulging in the illusions of hope
Written exclusively for advocate.com. This commentary does not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.
It was an impassioned speech, full of biting phrases drawing figurative lines in the proverbial sand. His words tumbled and crashed into each other, angry, anguished nouns, verbs, and adjectives coming together in an oratorical crescendo. He rode the emotions of the audience transfixed before him, appealing first to their patriotism and then plumbing the depths of pessimism, playing off their greatest fears. His allusions were to the wisdom of the ancient prophets until, at last, it seemed as if the speech were but an extension of the Scriptures themselves. A time of great danger, he warned, his voice echoing through the rafters of the cavernous chamber, and we are unprepared.
“It is natural,” he said, starting softly, “for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts.” He paused and cast a baleful eye across his audience. It was a pause that seemed endless, so long that many listening thought he was done. But then his powerful voice began again, vigorously transformed and thundering with exasperation.
“Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst—and to provide for it.”
It was March 23, 1775, and the firebrand speaker was Patrick Henry. His audience was the landed gentry of Virginia in convention assembled, torn between a long-established loyalty to His English Majesty and an intense desire to throw off the oppressing yoke of colonialism. History records that Patrick Henry’s speech, concluding with the words “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death,” was a defining moment in what would become the American Revolution.
His words struck a resonant chord when I came across them recently while reading a history of Virginia. The words resonated because, earlier that day, I had learned of a ballot initiative in California that reinforces the constant need for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community to avoid indulging “in the illusions of hope.” The initiative is called the California Defense of Sexual Responsibility Act of 2000—and it is designed to end (in the words of its proponents) “the homosexual agenda being maintained, as it was birthed, through violence, threat, and intimidation.”
At the risk of taking on delusions of grandeur, there are moments in my life as a gay man when I feel as John Adams—a contemporary of Patrick Henry’s—did when he wrote in his diary in 1779: “By my physical constitution I am but an ordinary man. Yet some great events, some cutting expressions, some mean hypocrisies, have at times thrown this assemblage of sloth, sleep, and littleness into rage like a lion.”
After learning more about the petition drive to place this initiative on the ballot in the November elections, I’m now raging like a lion. Once again, as we enter another election cycle, those who do not wish our community well are determined to strike at us wherever they can. Of course, California will not be the only state this year to suffer the indignity of referenda, propositions, and ballot initiatives designed to bring our quest for equality to a screeching halt.
But the California Defense of Sexual Responsibility Act is one of the more invidious and insidious. Its supporters have placed their reasoning—and I use that word broadly—on the Web for all to see (www.sexual-orientation.com) and begun to worm their way into community groups, trawling for support wherever they can find it. They reference the English common law of the 18th century that prohibited homosexual behavior, calling it a felony to be punished with castration. Page after page of the Web site focuses on the so-called aggressive homosexual agenda with its hidden (now exposed) intent of promoting “the homosexual lifestyle in the schools” and so recruiting “our children into homosexuality.”
The proponents of the CDSRA make no secret of their own political, sexual, or religious orientation (Republican conservative, heterosexual, and Christian). In one of the more outrageous statements placed on their Web site, they attack the Democratic Party for its affirmation of equal rights for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, color, creed, or sexual orientation: “In this unstoppable position on all fronts the Democrats have revealed their true selves; namely that they unanimously reject traditional moral values and condone the choice of homosexual behavior. But, should one be surprised? Their condoning of immoral, homosexual behavior is documented [in the Democratic Party Platform.]”
As the deadline draws close for obtaining the necessary number of petition signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot, the battle lines are being sharply drawn in dozens of communities. In the Los Angeles Korean community, front-page stories and full-page ads in the Korean-language media have sought to muster support for the CDSRA. This effort is spearheaded by a local Korean minister with an influential congregation.
We are fortunate that members of the Korean GLBT community have taken heed of the words of Patrick Henry. They both see and hear what is taking place within their community and the divisiveness that is being generated. With the support of the Gay Asian Pacific Support Network, a coalition bringing together a wide range of community groups has been formed to counter the bigotry and hatred of the supporters of CDSRA. The group—Korean Americans for Civil Rights—is raising funds to purchase advertising to counter the efforts of the religious right. Through E-mail, word of mouth, and every other available opportunity, members of KACR are choosing to fight back.
They should not be alone in their opposition. All of us should be engaged in beating back not only this initiative but also the others like it that will rear their ugly, vitriolic heads throughout the course of the coming year. There is both opportunity and danger for the GLBT community in this important election cycle. We have the chance to use our collective influence to determine the outcome of races from the presidency to the Congress to state and local contests. Our ability to determine an outcome is acknowledged now by both major political parties. GLBT dollars are targeted and well-received by most campaigns.
The danger, however, is that in our euphoria at finally being able to join the other players in the smoke-filled back room, we will overlook the stealth tactics of local referenda designed to constrain and bind elected officials seeking justice and equal rights for all Americans. In Los Angeles our Korean brothers and sisters have recognized the stealth tactics being used to sow disharmony within their community and have realized that silence = death. Like them, others across the state of California are now rallying to beat back this initiative.
This first year of the 21st century will bring great challenges and victories for our community. Our ultimate success, I believe, is to constantly recognize that our quest for acceptance is undertaken not only on Capitol Hill or inside the Beltway but also in the thousands of towns and communities that make up America. We must do so with clear sight and full knowledge of what we face. Like Patrick Henry, we must be “willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to provide for it, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost.”
©2000 David Phelps
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