New Directions?

Consider this quote on page 127 of Sexuality and Socialism by Sherry Wolf about the Gay Liberation Front (GLF):

"these activists wanted to confront not just the stifling homophobia of US society but the entire oppressive and exploitative imperial edifice."

In the context of the struggle for GLBTIQQA rights today, what does this "oppressive and exploitive imperial edifice" consist of, and how do we go about confronting it?


Many times, our immediate reaction leads us to our government-- to the officials that we elect to serve us. We are inclined to want to hold them accountable for the campaign promises they make to us and to help us tear down discriminatory and often antiquated laws that we see as the walls of our oppression. President Barack Obama is prime example of someone who won an election riding on a wave of support from our community, based on promises expressly made during his campaign. Often times however, we find these appeals to be fruitless.

In fact, many may argue (Sherry Wolf is one of them) that a number of civil rights and other progressive movements have been undermined by partnerships with political parties. Wolf makes the bold assertion that often time politicians say anything to get our vote (and the democrats usually know that they do not have to do much to win us over), only to later throw us under the bus. This is not so difficult a feat when you consider that even with allies, we still represent a small and insular minority in the broader political landscape. She provides the example of Bill Clinton, who after lobbying GLBT voters on the platform of standing up for gays in the military signed Don't Ask, Don't Tell on his fourth day in office.

Just today, I saw an article that said that Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the Senate's too busy right now to bother with gays in the military. (for more info, go to http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/durbin-senate-too-busy-for-dont-ask-dont-tell-and-kennedys-dead.html). He stated, “We have a very heavy, busy agenda and a few months left to do it. So it may not be now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be soon.” The questions then should not be "how long until you are ready?" but rather "HOW LONG ARE WE AS A COMMUNITY WILLING TO WAIT?"

In her book entitled Justice and the Politics of Difference, Iris Marion Young writes that "In its new usage, oppression designates the disadvantage and injustice some people suffer not because a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well-intentioned society."

She goes on to argue that "We cannot eliminate this structural oppression by getting rid of the rulers or making some new laws, because oppressions are systematically reproduced in major economic, political, and cultural institutions."

So, where does this leave us? In our book club meeting this past Tuesday, this very topic came up in discussion. If we cannot work within our government's system to effect the kind of change we want to see, then how do we successfully work outside of it? Laura pointed out that in fact, by working outside of the traditional governmental system, we may actually hold more power to tell elected officials that they will have to earn our votes-- that they can no longer assume that their words alone will or worse yet the letter (usually "R" or "D") will "guarantee"our votes.

So, where does all of this leave us as we move forward in what I believe is a powerful and growing movement toward GLBTIQQA ("queer") liberation?

Thoughts?