The gay rights movement took a decidedly confrontational direction last week, when a total of thirteen people were arrested for separate protests in Washington and San Francisco. The most high profile arrest was definitely Lt. Dan Choi, a gay soldier who chained himself to the White House fence on Thursday to oppose Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He and fellow protester, discharged soldier Jim Pietrangel, as well as organizer Robin McGhee, found themselves carted off to the slammer. They have been released.

That action came thanks to the rabble-rousers at GetEqual.org, a new organization that insists, “Our goal is to serve and grow this constituency by helping them take strategic, coordinated, bold action to demand equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way.” And, harnessing the revolutionary spirit seen in early gay rights movements, the group’s website asks supporters to sign a pledge that they will “push back, rise up, and speak out against all forms of discrimination that plague our community.” They’re hardly alone in preferring more direct action.

In San Francisco, police took six out of eleven young guns away last Thursday after staging a sit-in at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. That action, they hoped, would force the Speaker’s hand on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect gay and trans people from being fired willy-nilly. Then, in a sign of solidarity with Choi and Pietrangel, Alan Bounville of the group QueerRising went to Sen. Bill Nelson’s office in Orlando, and presented the absent Senator with a “certificate of death” for all the careers killed under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He then littered the office with tiny cutout coffins. Though perhaps a tad dramatic, Bounville’s action recalls the early days of ACT UP, when HIV/AIDS activists would regularly lie down, “dead,” to protest the Reagan administration’s silence on the disease.

Some within activist circles claim that these actions will only lead to infighting and suggest that lobbying and fundraising remain the most efficient tactics. Queerly, Human Rights Campaign, the most established gay group in DC, also held a DADT rally on Thursday, one in which Kathy Griffin spoke, yet didn’t make official time for Choi to speak. They did end up allowing him, but their website makes no mention of his arrest that afternoon.

They did, however, release a tepid statement in which they insisted, “[We] felt it was important to stay and engage those at the rally in ways they can continue building the pressure needed for repeal. This does nothing to diminish the actions taken by Lt. Choi and others.” For his part, Choi, took a clear shot at HRC after being release from jail, “The message was very clear to all the people who think that equality can be purchased with a donation or with a cocktail party or with tokens that are serving in a public role, we are worth more than tokens. We have absolute value.” These divergent methods represent growing divide in the fight for equality, one that reminds me of the early days of the civil rights movement.

The NAACP, founded in 1903, believed that litigation and other official avenues were the best way to end segregation and widespread racism. They had relative success, yes. Decades later, however, America had still resisted progress, thus leading to the rise of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized sit-in protests at segregated lunch counters and helped organize the famous 1963 March on Washington. Last week’s actions, as well as the immigration march this weekend, show how frustration and official hesitation have helped spawn a new generation of activists who are intent on putting more pressure on lawmakers to dismantle discrimination from coast-to-coast.

These actions are not only indicative of the frustration coursing through some activists’ veins. It shows a severe generational shift, one seen quite clearly in 10-year old Will Phillips. The 10-year old from Arkansas has gained notoriety for first refusing to recite the pledge of allegiance until gay people can marry and now has just released a video with GetEqual explaining why people must take risks to make change. “If we’re going to achieve equality, everyone needs to take a small risk and get into a little bit of trouble,” says Phillips. He then implores the President, “My voice is small, and can do large things. Your voice is larger and can do huge things. I’m a 10-year old and I get it, so any of you that get it, too, why don’t you not just say that you get it, but show that you get it?” In addition to being cute as a button, this kid should – and no doubt will – inspire generations to take a firmer stance in bringing about the change we’ve been promised for too long.