From Puggle's Diary

Daily Kos-- Puggle's Diary

AWD writes: I couldn't have expressed this sentiment any better myself. Until we all understand that the shit sandwiches we eat are from the same fucking asshole, this world will not be a better place. Article is copied and pasted in full. I didn't have anything to do with the writing- all due credit to Puggle. And my thanks for the sublime eloquence.

So you want to get married. Guess what - me too. I know just how much state recognition makes our relationships seem 'more real' to our families and str8 friends. And I want to adopt kids and, you know, the adoption laws not only suck - with many states and countries around the world making it difficult for 'single men' to adopt, not to mention openly LGBT folks - but the whole process makes it really difficult to adopt unless you have a lot of extra cash, whereas str8 folks can just have an accident one night and a baby shows up, even without parenting classes and home inspections. So I get it.

But I'm pissed - at you, young gay activists, who are coming out of the woodwork now for Gay Marriage rights. I know, cause I've had you in my classes, when I teach queer studies to college students. Its sexy to appear beaten down by the man, and then go shopping for Burberry. But when I try to teach you a text on Latina Lesbians that's half in Spanglish, you get pissed off that you can't understand all of it.

But we're gonna get our marriage rights, its just a matter of time. And I worry that you're not going to have learned anything from all this. So many of you all, even during the worst of the Bush years, would say things like, 'oh, I'm not into politics.' But you are into America's Next Top Model, or Ani DiFranco. And I admit, this is more the gay guys than the girls, to be honest. Gay men are the center of the gay dollar, and in the gay cities within cities throughout the West, we have more disposable income than most women - queer or otherwise, could ever get. Cause we're men. You forget that sometimes, living in NYC or SF. And let's not forget DC, where half of the Repubs have gay men on their staff. So generally, the queer women 'get' it more than the guys, who are now so politically conscious because they're pissed about gay marriage.

How fucking easy. But when Bush invaded Iraq, it was all, 'oh, I'm not political.' But now you like protests! But where were you during the protests against that war, but all of a sudden you're at marriage equality rallies? Those of you who were too young get a free pass, but if you're slightly older, well, where were you?

And don't get me wrong, I KNOW how much marriage would mean to my family. But you know, the 'illegal' immigrant who works 90 hour weeks to send money home to his family in Central America, and who has no medical coverage, and who can't speak a word of English but built your house or cooked your food -when was the last time you said anything in support of him or her?

And you didn't grow up in the ghetto, did you? I mean, you had to move to the city, likely from boring suburbia, because nobody else in middle America understood you, and now you live in a 'gay ghetto' - full of gay boutique stores. But did you grow up in a neighborhood with drug dealers on every corner, a school that the government selectively didn't give a shit about, in a neighborhood they 'forgot' to plant trees in, only selectively police, with crappy social services that republicans keep cutting to make sure you're not being 'lazy,' while they get huge bonuses for playing with numbers in front of a computer all day, while your mom slaves doing food service just so you can try to get to college without the benefit of the SAT prep courses all the gay kids in the suburbs get? I didn't think so. So, you're into marriage rights - but have you ever talked to your friends about why they need to agitate for prison reform, or more pell grants, or funding head start, or repealing drug laws?

Granted, if your parents threw you out of the house for being queer, you get a free pass. If you've ever been homeless for being queer, you get a free pass. If you have to deal with all sorts of emotional and anxiety issues for being queer, you get a free pass. And which of us doesn't have that. And if you're a queer of color, you sure had a ton more to deal with.

I didn't say its easy being queer. But its a lot easier than it used to be. Our parents generation had it HARD. They fought for what we have now. So you could have your Burberry and Ani.

But if all you give a shit about now is marriage equality, you're not an activist. You lose nothing, cause its sexy now to be for marriage equality, its cool now to be 'political' - when its in your immediate best interest, and doesn't cost too much.

But there were lots of whites who went down on the buses to the south to fight for civil rights when it wasn't their fight. THEY understood what you don't. THOSE were activists, who put their own bodies on the line for someone ELSE's freedom.

You know who gets marriage equality? Charlize Theron. Cause she's marrying her MALE fiance, and is coming out for marriage equality. Y'all could learn a thing or two from the str8s sometimes. But for all you str8s reading this (and I don't mean heteros allies, I mean str8s) who haven't joined the marriage equality, yeah, you could all learn a thing from Charlize. But I'm talking to the young gays and lesbians right now (though my point is bigger than that too).

But what if a million screaming queers showed up at immigrant rights rallies? And yes, in some places, the immigrant and queer communities have worked together - particularly in the Bay Area. But if we start showing up to 'their' protests, guess who might start showing up to 'ours'? Cross-activism is what I call it. Or just simply solidarity, as they called it in the old days. The right wins every time we're divided.

Boohoo, you can't get married. You know, I wanna get married too. But I think the guy from Ecuador doing the dishes for peanuts at my local restaurant has it a hell of a lot harder. And I think he deserves healthcare and social services for all the work he does in this country. I think he deserves those things BEFORE WE GET MARRIAGE. Or at least, I think that's where our priorities should be. And what if this immigrant is queer? Can't even legally drive a car. And you just wanna pick out matching place settings for the reception.

I'm glad you're all political now. Its a real improvement. But any idiot can march for their own cause - at least when there's nothing to lose. Heck, take something away from G.W. Bush, and I bet he'd be at some protests too! But you ain't no Rosa Parks or Cesar Chavez, I'll tell you that.

So until you raise awareness about the plight of our 'illegal immigrants' - SHUT THE FUCK UP. Until you draw attention to conditions people of color are subjected to continually in this country - SHUT THE FUCK UP. Until you start talking to your friends about what global capital does to the poor around the world, SHUT THE FUCK UP. Until you start working to get transgender folks some rights too, SHUT THE FUCK UP. Until you try to get your family to see how American military might fucks up other countries in the world, or how our penal system and drug laws work to create a cycle of perpetual poverty and disempowerment to whole swaths of our society, SHUT THE FUCK UP. And until you see this fight as yours, SHUT THE FUCK UP. Cause you ain't political, and you haven't learned a damn thing from being oppressed.