For When You Are All Gay Too
Things going the way they are lately, I thought I'd jot down a few notes for those of you who are not members of the radical right. I have years of experience of being gay in this country and so I have a few pointers some people might find useful as the right seizes more and more power and turns all of you into the legal and political equivalent of faggots like me.
We're all used to being disliked by somebody. This is not unique to any group. As you are eased into your new faggotry I don't think you'll have too much trouble here. Pretty much: get over it. Bigger concerns await you.
Also, there's a part in each of us that is enraged by the little day-to-day injustices -- somebody cutting in front of you in line, a co-worker taking credit for an idea of yours, being purposefully ignored by the sales assistant behind the counter -- these are all part of the sweep and majesty of the daily crap of life. So, again, you are probably already prepared for this sort of thing.
Actually... hmm... come to think of it, maybe you're in a lot better shape than I thought. I guess we all know how to be treated like shits. It's not such a difficult skill to master.
But there may be one thing most of you are not used to. You might have a little trouble adjusting to the notion of never having any political or legal recourse against the majority. Gays are sort of used to this, what with all the antigay referendums, ballot-initiatives, and so forth. The courts sometimes do the right thing by us (god forbid!) and so the courts, naturally, are where the Decent People are concentrating their efforts to get even more power. Can't have a minority being protected, after all!
Certainly, in the near future, anybody going up against the credit card companies under the new bankruptcy law will get a primer on how to cope with this sort of thing. And if you ever have the chance to be lectured by one of the New Judges of the Christian Right on your inadequacies as a human being, this will prove to be invaluable preparation for you as a -- citizen? resident? -- of the new America.
But the rest of you may need to undergo a little attitude adjustment here. You will need to find a way to comprehend that you are in a minority whose wishes don't really matter to anybody important anymore.
There's no use sugar-coating this part of it, I guess. If they have one more vote than you, then you are the faggots and your interests simply don't count. This will be difficult for those of you who once regarded yourselves as somehow mattering.
Sorry about that. To be blunt, I don't think you will ever really get over it. You will notice a constant, low-level fury buzzing around inside your head every minute of your waking day. And there won't be a thing you can do about it except hope that someday -- more or less miraculously, I guess -- things will get better for you.
Some tips: Alcohol helps. And drugs. Maybe some illicit sex, as long as you don't get caught at it. If you really work at it, you'll be able to find relief from your fury in any number of ways and places. Just, you know, not in the courts, is all.
Making money is possible though somewhat chancy coping technique. It's a distraction, buys a number of pleasures, and can offer considerable insulation against the worst of what the powers that be are aiming at you.
Unfortunately, it also makes you worth looting.
Posted by: Nancy Lebovitz | May 21, 2005 at 11:50 AM
Unfortunately, it also makes you worth looting.
Indeed. In fact, I am working on a Secret Plan of Action in that regard. (Uses of Canaries.)
The funny thing is after I made the canary post, my blog got two visits from some websurfer(s) at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. To that post specifically. So far as I can tell, I'd ever seen them before, and I've not seen them since.
My guess is that it had something to do with a site I'd linked to in that post. It's by some guy who purports to have useful information on stashing money overseas and such and maybe they're keeping an eye on him, or something.
Still, it was kind of funny/creepy.
Posted by: Corpsy | May 21, 2005 at 12:03 PM
really? weird...and very telling and fitting, i guess. : <
Posted by: amberglow | May 21, 2005 at 01:15 PM
That guy's website peddles some investment stuff that's supposed to be of use to expats, I think. I wondered if the S.E.C. was keeping an eye on what they take to be "illegal offers" or something so they check out any site that links to this guy's site. That's my theory, anyway. Though I didn't see anything there that struck me as anything that should be illegal. I'm not exactly the U.S. Government though (for which the rest of you should probably thank gawd), so what do I know?
Posted by: Corpsy | May 21, 2005 at 01:27 PM
my blog got two visits from some websurfer(s) at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Gads. Well, I hope they read the post, it's a good one.
Posted by: michelle | May 21, 2005 at 07:29 PM
Okay so I've been absent for a long time (busy busy at work, including right now, so this will be (a) short and (b) unproofed and (c) grammatically problematic). And a short skim down the entries I've missed lately has me wanting to give up the ghost about 13 hours earlier than I should. But I can't, so here's just the one little thought on this (again, as always, incredibly thoughtful post):
There's something in particular that straight white men (and straight white women of money who live with their heads in the sand) will have to get used to: Your body is NOT YOUR OWN. What you dress it in, where you lay it down, how you groom it, how you mark or decorate it, how you touch it (and who touches it for you, or gods forbid with you, and for that matter what you read, think about or look at while all of that touching is going on), what you read or think about with it (while not touching anything more controversial than a cuppa), what you listen to with it, what you look at with it, what you say with it, if or how you pray with it, what you feed it, and if/when/how you attempt to propogate with it----these are all the subjects of soon-to-be-pending legislation. And everyone out there on the right knows better than you the proper uses to which your body should be put. You will have to choose between and among: being judged, violating god's law, violating man's law, or, well, just being you in various ways, shapes, colors and boots. Coping techniques range from the aforementioned alcohol and illicit sex to hiding your body completely whenever possible (avoid topless beaches) to never going out at night to living a double life.
More later when I get to draw breath.
Posted by: Kimberly | May 23, 2005 at 11:57 AM
You know, I'm reading a book right now that youse guys might really like. I can hardly wait to finish it so I can write some stuff about it. It's called Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, by Susan Jacoby. It will remind you of the buried history of freethought in this country, from ol' Tom Paine right up to ... well, I'm up to The Monkey Trial right now and I'm only a little over halfway through it.
It's inspiring, really. And it's frightening, too, inasmuch as it reminds you of how long this fight has been going on in this country. But mostly it's inspiring. It helps to remember there have been many, many great people who have fought these battles before us.
I highly recommend it.
Posted by: Corpsy | May 23, 2005 at 07:37 PM
On the bright side, it'll be nice to have some company in faggotland.
Actually, now that I think of it, that's not much of a bright side. I'll work on it.
Posted by: pericat | May 25, 2005 at 08:54 PM