Last night I was sitting with my boyfriend, catching up on Sunday’s “Mad Men.” I had been dying to see it since I got back from the National Equality March, but with my (now-resolved!) server issues eating all my time, last night was the first chance I got.
So we’re sitting there and watching away, and at one point, amid talk of the South and Martin Luther King, Jr. Betty Draper says to her domestic helper Carla, who is black, “Maybe now isn’t the time for civil rights.”
That’s when Doug turned to me and said, “God, can you imagine living in a time like that?” And then he shivered. I shivered along with him, and just as I was about to agree and say, “I can’t imagine living in a time like that, either” I stopped myself. We DO live in a time like that!
We LGBTs are living in a time exactly like that! People are telling us to wait for our civil rights, that right now isn’t the time, we need to be patient. We are all real-life Carlas!
Look at these article titles from the past few days:
“Right Time For Gay Rights?”
“Obama to take on military gay ban at ‘right time’”
“Federal official says time is right for gay rights”
Really. When isn’t the time for civil rights?
When Betty told Carla that maybe it wasn’t the time for civil rights, Carla put her head down, obviously hurt. Imagine if that same conversation happened between them today:
Betty: Carla, maybe now isn’t the time for civil rights.
Carla: Betty? Why don’t you shut the hell up before I tell your husband you’re doing the Governor’s aide? How about that? Now, here, see this sign that says “Hey Obama, Let Mama Marry Mama?” Take it. And start marching!
I’m with the new Carla.
16. October 2009 at 3:07 am
In answer to this question, I offer a resounding YES.
I can from first hand experience attest to being subjected to significant, deliberately orchestrated discrimination from not only co-workers but also from recruited student participation. These contributors made ongoing sabotage efforts. This activity is ongoing, varied but very obvious. In fact, I am currently restricted from employment, from teaching, because I dared file report to the Department of Justice (and EEOC) for legal recourse. The harassment escalated, became life threatening. Stalking, poisoning, “sneek and peaks”, etc.
Discrimination of Gays is a serious agenda executed by so many facets of employment authority, in nearly every industry. We intentionally have no equality and no rights. Unlike equal rights for race equality being Gay is wrongly perceived, misunderstood as a choice. This separation, segregation if you will, is so by intention. Gays are not granted equality because of willful denial. No amount of waiting or wishful thinking will change things. This is why we have to be insistent, persistent and persevere.