You're an Activist!!!!!

[keltic63]

I've heard that from more than 1 person recently. That feels a bit strange. It is my goal, but I didn't really think I had attained it yet.

heard it in the past month from:
my Pastor
my therapist
my lawyer




it was all meant in positive ways. I guess I'll need to work a bit harder to hear it in a negative perspective.

[Zerbie]

Feels weird, don't it?

I know people think of me that way too.

At the Pride Parade this weekend my friend got a call on his cell phone, he told the caller "I'm at the Gay Pride Parade with (Zerbie) - she's a big activist."

Kinda made me chuckle.

Yeah - cuz I sign a lot of web petitions and call my legislators on a regular basis. That's enough - we are now activists. I actually always did want to be a gay rights activist, so it's fine with me if people want to describe me that way.

Whatever.

[keltic63]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

Feels weird, don't it?

I know people think of me that way too.

At the Pride Parade this weekend my friend got a call on his cell phone, he told the caller "I'm at the Gay Pride Parade with (Zerbie) - she's a big activist."

Kinda made me chuckle.

Yeah - cuz I sign a lot of web petitions and call my legislators on a regular basis. That's enough - we are now activists. I actually always did want to be a gay rights activist, so it's fine with me if people want to describe me that way.

Whatever.

I emailed my state representative last week. I had wanted to stop by the local office, but didn't have time to do that.

[Zerbie]

Good for you Keltic! Email away!

Fyi - phone calls are even better. If you are short on time but want to make a bigger impact than email, phone your legislator's office. Have one or two sentences in mind to say, then tell the staffer when they answer your call. Phone calls make an even bigger impact than emails. Old fashioned paper letters are good to, but never if you're under a time crunch.

I've been known to do both emails and phone calls when something is very important to me.

Oh - regarding being called an activist in a negative light, don't worry, it's bound to happen. One of my legislators sent out a note shortly after some phone calling action we had made in support of a gay rights issue, addressing his very conservative supporters. The note referred to the legislator "bombarded with phone calls from militant homosexual activists." So that was my official entry ticket into militant-dom.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by keltic63

I've heard that from more than 1 person recently. That feels a bit strange. It is my goal, but I didn't really think I had attained it yet.

heard it in the past month from:
my Pastor
my therapist
my lawyer




it was all meant in positive ways. I guess I'll need to work a bit harder to hear it in a negative perspective.

How about hearing it from Bette Davis- can't remember what movie.

"But you are Blanche! You are! You are!"

(Please forgive the 'gay' humor- curtesy of a theatre 'professional'- that is- nut)

As one openly gay man to another: I am very very proud of you! Stay active.

[revtj]

There's a terrible shortage of activists now. I watch the news and wonder why it isn't the cool thing to be now.

An Activist.

The wizard's given you a medal, keltic! And it's shiny & beautiful and I love it!

[trulyme212]

I would be proud if I were you.....

You are what I hope and aspire to be someday.

I can only hope that I will have the courage and strength to be an activist

I'm proud of you and I think you should be proud of youself also!!

[pnggrad79]

Keltic,

You are a much loved activist. We are all activists, if we have in any way been hurt or maligned by the religious right extremists. Every time we come out of the closet to someone regardless of the consequences, every time we go to sleep with our partner, every time we sit down in church beside our partner, every time we hop on a bus to travel cross country and have dialogue with colleges about unfair admission policies for GLBT students, every time we write our senators, or newspapers, to protest discrimination, every time we defend a brother or sister, every time we dare to praise a God that some say we have no relationship with, every time we look in the mirror at the face God created and thank Him for who He is and for making us who we are in Him. We are activists.

Press on dear brother and never lose faith or sight of the goal.

[Joe Brummer]

Every so often I search my name on the net and find all the horrible things that have been said about me by anti-gay bloggers. They use the word activist like it is a curse. One site refers to me as a gay terrorist, which I find sort of funny. Especially since I blog daily about Kingian Nonviolence. Being called an activist by the anti-gay religious bloggers just means they are hearing me. They may call me names and write mean things about me, but I know they hear me or they wouldn't bother with me.

I have been called militant gay activist, among other nice things....if you wanna call it that. It only falls to the principles of nonviolence. Suffering is redemptive.

Next time someone calls you an activist, know that means someone is listening to the important message you are spreading!

[Mia14]

I think I remember hearing somebody famous say that they didn't care what people were saying about them "just so long as they spell my name right." I think it's similar with being an activist (congrats!! ). As long as they're talking about you - good or bad - you know you made an impression. Maybe some of that talking will spark intelligent conversation...

Today I asked my boss for a day off in the future to go and try to meet the Equality Riders with some friends from my local college. She said "Oh, Mia, are you going to be a protestor? You're not going to get arrested, are you?!" and she seemed very worried. After I assured her that I'd be in work the next day, she didn't care quite as much, but her asking if I'd be arrested made me smile.

Not this time, but who knows what the future holds?
Us activists gotta stick together!!!