debs

When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong. The minority are right. - Eugene V. Debs, 1855 - 1926



i read this quote this morning and was struck by how true it really is. i thought about the grass roots movements of recent history. i thought of the vast majority of proponents of slavery in the american south. i thought of those who believed women belonged in the home, and those who thought there should be two sets of public facilities for first and second class citizens.

20 years ago a majority of americans opposed equal rights in the form of gay marriage. 10 years ago cracks in that facade began to appear. now, from iowa to maine to new york, (and in spite of prop 8 in california,) this breach of civil rights seems ready to crumble soon.

the majority are wrong. they are often wrong. it is encouraging however that the minority leads the way and in time, what is right has been accepted by the masses.

milk

gus van sant's epic biopic about openly gay san francisco city supervisor harvey milk opens tomorrow amidst a backdrop of serious tensions between the lgbt, (lesbian, gay, bi, trans,) and family values communities. you say you are anachronistic for the '60s, that you missed out on the civil rights struggle, didn't get to march to selma? you are interested in social justice?

enter the fray if you will but know that there is a real and valid correlation between the civil rights movement of dr. martin luther king jr. and the civil rights movement of harvey bernard milk. the gay community has not suffered the indignity of slavery or jim crowe laws but they have suffered indignity, most notably a lack of civil rights.

back in 1978 harvey milk worked to oppose proposition 6, (the briggs initiative.) the prop called for any openly gay teachers or public school employees to be fired, based on the idea that the word gay was a synonym for pedophile. milk vigorously opposed this legislation even citing the overwhelming numbers which showed most pedophiles are heterosexual.

30 years ago suddenly seems like 30 days in the context of this conflict between those who who seek equal rights and protections under the law regardless of sexual preference and those who would limit the rights of a fraction of society based on just that; sexual preference.

in 1978 it was prop 6 that represented the battle ground and rallied the troops on both sides. in 2008, prop 8 passed eliminating the legal right to same sex marriage and sparking a fierce struggle between gay rights advocates and those who are sometimes referred to as the family values group but who are perhaps more accurately defined by their fervent religious affiliation, which crosses over between various sects and denominations.

since prop 8's passage three weeks ago, the two sides have been at each other's throats. protests have been widespread and will continue. this struggle both mirrors that struggle and is a continuation of it. one side seeks the liberty of equality. the other side seeks to keep a secular society from legitimizing a symbolic union between two people of the same sex because it is considered sinful and anti-christ.

perhaps you are not interested in participating in the civil rights struggle of your day; today. that is certainly your prerogative. still, i recommend you gain a solid education on what is at stake as well as some of the history of the movement and the struggle. furthermore, since gus van sant, a great director even if his work has shown a certain hit or miss quality, commanded a large budget and directed the film, thereby setting an expectation for a high quality film, (film being the art form of our age,) and sean penn, another great director/actor/artist, portrayed the fallen leader, this is an important film if ever there were one.

early reviews suggest you will be highly entertained even as you are educated.