Georgia Activist: We’ve Been Hoping Those Who Once Criminalized Us Would See the Light – Why?

OP-ED: Guest Author Robbie Medwed Speaks Out on Georgia, North Carolina Anti-LGBTQ Legislation

The anti-LGBT backlash from last Summer’s Supreme Court decision has been widespread and stunning. It’s been almost too much to handle. If we’ve been handling it at all – and I’m becoming less and less convinced that we are – we’re doing so on a piecemeal basis; one chance victory here, one swift move there. There’s been no rhyme or reason for the victories we’ve won (read: catastrophes we’ve avoided) and there’s certainly been no coordinated strategy. And the losses we’ve faced have been devastating. Â

I wish I had the answer to what we should be doing. I just know that it can’t be this. Across the country, and even in my home state of Georgia, we’re putting our faith in a legislative system that has never been on our side. We’re hoping that a group of people who, in the past, came together to criminalize us over and over again will suddenly see the light and treat lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people with dignity and respect.

There are days I’m convinced we’re delusional. I’d be a fool to say we didn’t bring any of this upon ourselves. We were so consumed with marriage equality we ignored our trans and queer family and friends. We ignored the warning signs. Too many of us were convinced that once we were able to have the government endorse our unions our neighbors would see us as equals. We were so sure we’d be seen as the same as everyone else we missed all of the warning signs. Some of us still don’t see the problems – as long as they got theirs, why do they need to worry about who we’ve left behind?

The right was gearing up for the fight for years and we just didn’t want to admit it.Â

I don’t know what our strategy should be. I do know that we have to stop being afraid of claiming our faith, for one. For too long this has been an argument portrayed as sinners versus saints, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just like the non-LGBT population, many of us go to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and any other number of houses of worship. There are proud and robust LGBT-inclusive faith traditions across the country. We cannot allow the Fundamentalist Right to continue to monopolize and declare what counts as a valid expression of religion.

I know that we also have to stop being afraid to talk about bathrooms and the bullshit lies the Right is peddling. Across the country we’ve been allowing them to get away with spewing myths and falsehoods that have been debunked over and over. Their fears are simply unfounded. Trans people ARE NOT PREDATORS and we should be dragging anyone who dares say so. These laws exist in hundreds of municipalities and none of the horror stories has ever been recorded as actually having happened. They’re playing on fear and distrust, nothing more. Why are we letting them?Â

Time and time again these past few months – and especially this past week in North Carolina – we’ve heard the assertion that people will be able to choose which bathroom to go into without discretion, and not once in their special legislative session did anyone correct it. None of the allied legislators and none of those who testified corrected the record. It was such an easy hit – but we let it fly by.Â

When we play by their rules we will always lose. When we let them create our narratives and claim ownership of all that is Good and Right in the world we allow them to win before the game has even started. This has to stop.Â

We won the first round by coming out. We introduced ourselves and we told our stories. When the technical arguments lost we turned to the emotional. Love is love. It’s time to do it again. We have to come out. Again.Â

If it’s safe for you to do so, you have to be open and honest with everyone you know. Tell them how these laws affect you. It’s more than just saying you’re gay or bi or trans. It’s speaking out against dangerous policies – even when they affect someone from another letter in our alphabet. If it’s not safe for you to be out and loud, tell them how these special legislative sessions are offensive and wrong and hurt people that you love. Tell them you’re (we’re) not going away.

We’ll never win over every heart, but oh, what a difference we could make. It’s so much harder to hate us when they know us. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want us to change to make them happy. Not at all. In fact, I want us to get louder. More queer. More fabulous. More butch. More boring. More wild. More camp. More vanilla. More of ourselves, whatever we are. More unwilling to put up with their bullshit.

We have to get louder. We have to stop being afraid. We have to fight back however we can. We’ve done it time and time again. I know we’re tired. I know we’re depressed and it’s becoming harder and harder to keep fighting. But we have to. Without exaggeration, our lives are depending on it.Â

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Robbie Medwed is an Atlanta-based LGBTQ activist. Follow him on twitter at @rjmedwed

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The New Civil Rights Movement from time to time publishes op-eds and personal stories, like this, to share views and experiences of our diverse community. 

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