2 posts tagged “lgbt issues”

If you could raise awareness about one cause, what would it be?

 

 

Oh this one's a no brainer: equal rights - specifically LGBT rights. 
Which is why the HRC gets my money and my time (when I have any of either).

"I have a theory about revolutions. I've always believed that you can't force a country to have a revolution, and then expect democracy to stick. Yes, you can launch a coup, topple a government, and execute a Saddam, but for a revolution to stick -- for democracy to survive -- a country's citizens need to be responsible for, and vested in, the social change happening around them. Otherwise they have no ownership of it, as it wasn't their revolution."
- John Aravosis, Salon.com 10/8/07

Yes, he's talking about LGBT issues and the anti-discrimination bill that is going to die in Congress b/c politicians are too pig-headed to actually practise compromise politics.  But he's also talking about the larger issues, the fact that people need to take an active part in their governments - especially the theoretical democracy we have here in the US (we actually live in a republic but that's another post) - otherwise the democracy doesn't work.  If our elected representatives don't know what we're thinking or how we feel, then we wind up where we are now, with them doing what they want regardless of what the majority of the population wants.  And how is that different from a theocracy or a dictatorship?

Basically, what I'm attempting to wax poetic about with only one cup of coffee in me, is that you have to do more than vote (though for it to work properly, the majority of the population has to vote, something that hasn't happened in a long time).  The US government is based on the idea that we not only elect people who reflect the majority opinions and values (2 different things), but also that we continually tell our representatives what we're thinking and what we feel about the issues.  For the most part, the majority of the population of the US (notice I don't use America -  America is not a country) is tolerant (if not accepting), moderate and willing to compromise.  Why aren't our elected representatives the same?  Mostly because those tolerant, moderate, compromising people either don't vote, or if they do vote, they don't follow-up after the fact by contacting their representatives to let them know what they should do.

Those we elect work for us.  Even if you didn't vote for them, they still work for you.  Think about your boss - if you're not doing what she wants you to do, don't you hear about it?  I know I do.  So why wouldn't you do the same for your staff?  Because that's what all our elected representatives are - our staff.  They're there to ensure that what we want done gets done.  Sadly, I think we've become pretty lousy managers.