FEBRUARY 9, 1996 GAY PEOPle's ChronICLE
9
SPEAK OUT
Honoring our allies in the Congressional Black Caucus
by John D'Emilio
My favorite gay liberation publication in the 1970s was the now-defunct Body Politic, published in Toronto. On its masthead, it carried a quote from Kurt Hiller, a gay activist from pre-Nazi Germany: "The liberation of homosexuals can only be the work of homosexuals themselves."
At the time, his political judgment made perfect sense to me. After all, we were just beginning to find our
voices as a visible com-
numbers of us who came out of the closet
lies" event in Washington in each of the last several years. Last fall, we spotlighted the Congressional Black Caucus. It seemed especially important to choose them as recipients, since one of the first actions of the new Republican-controlled Congress was to defund the Caucus and other key House caucuses, labeling them "special interest" groups.
What has the Congressional Black Caucus done for the lesbian and gay community? In thirteen key House votes on gay-related issues since the early 1980s, the Caucus has been our most consistent supporter. In seven of them, members of
munity, and, as the "They are so far out in front on our issues that no one is even in second place.'
grew, it created a heady sense of power. Meanwhile, there was no long line of heterosexuals
waiting to embrace our cause. If we were going to win our freedom, we would have to do it ourselves.
I still believe we need to take initiative on our own behalf, but I no longer think we can do it alone. It's not just that if every last one of us came out of the closet we would still be a numerical minority. Rather, the last few years have demonstrated that identifying our likely allies and winning them over-even more than coming out-is the key task for our community and movement.
The victories we have achieved, whether it be AIDS funding from Congress, civil rights laws from local governments, or the defeat of statewide initiatives in Oregon and Maine, only happen because non-gay people have supported us. The need for allies is even more critical now that a rabid group of rightwing extremists is growing in political power. As part of its understanding that allies are essential, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has organized an “Honoring Our Al-
the Caucus voted unanimously in our favor; in another three, the lone dissenter was the one Republican member. Not surprisingly, African-American members of the House were far more supportive on gay issues than Republicans. But they were also way ahead of Democrats as a whole, and of women legislators too.
The support came on a wide range of issues: Gays and the military; domestic partnership benefits in the District of Columbia; action against hate crimes directed at us; funding for gay-related legal services; AIDS education and prevention efforts. Support was there on issues where a broad consensus had already been achieved, as in the final vote for passage of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act in 1990. But the Caucus also stood by us in situations where it was not so easy to do so, including issues where political passions ran very deep, and where a pro-gay stand could be deemed a liability.
In describing the leadership role of the
Caucus, Barney Frank, a gay member of Congress from Massachusetts, put it this way: "The Congressional Black Caucus is so far out in front on our issues that no one is even in second place."
.
The record of the Caucus doesn't surprise me. The African-American community has been at the forefront of struggles for justice in this country. It has led the way in campaigns to translate ideals of equality and fairness into fact.
The quest for justice is deeply ingrained in the values and in the actions of its political leaders. The Congressional Black Caucus was supporting us back in the days when our movement had no political muscle; they supported
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us before we asked, and before we could give anything in return. They supported us, in other words, because it was right.
Alliance building is a two-way street. Can we develop the same instinctive outrage at injustice and inequality whenever we encounter it? Can our organizations and our leadership do the right thing even without being asked?
Will we be the kind of allies that we want others to be for us? The answers to these questions will tell us—and our potential allies a lot about the integrity of our cause.
John D'Emilio is director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Policy Insti-
tute.
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Saturday, February 17TH, 1996
7:30 PM (doors open at 6:00 PM)
PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME!
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followed by the Fabulous Variety Show Party!!
Tickets: $16.00 in advance or at the door (more if you can, less if you can't)
Available in advance at:
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Sober Support ▼ Wömyn only ▼ 18 years or older please
Refreshments, drinks and music available when the doors open at 6:00 PM.
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