At Truth Wins Out, we were on the ground protesting long before it was cool.

So, it is with great delight that Get Equal has embraced direct action and vindicated many of our efforts that received undo criticism in stuffier circles.

The bottom line is that no one will give us our rights. We must take them. There is no time to be complacent and expect good things to happen. Paul Yandura, Donald Hitchcock, philanthropist Jonathan Lewis, Kip Williams and Robin McGehee all deserve a lot of credit for their work.

Those who have been arrested, such as Dan Choi, have placed themselves on the line to put a spotlight on our issues. For this, our community should be grateful. I know that I certainly am.

There have been some complaints about Get Equal’s tactics and strategy. But, to tell you the truth, we’ve been strategized to a point of inertia by all the geniuses and smarty pants in DC.

Sometimes, it takes people just getting off their asses and making things happen. Rocking the boat. Shaking up the status quo. Get Equal has accomplished this and propelled our movement forward in the process. They have created genuine pressure, which has benefited the LGBT movement. And, quite frankly, the immediacy of the moment they have fostered is also good strategy.

Recently, I attended a Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell protest in front of the White House. It was an inspiring event. I am so proud of these young activists who are remarkably intelligent and articulate.

Here is an excerpt from The Advocate written by Kerry Eleveld and Andrew Harmon:

…GetEqual appears to have sprung up from nowhere and arrived with haste, the group is an amalgamation of grassroots passion, Beltway savvy, and well-heeled support. Conceived out of a desire to revive the legacy of civil disobedience as exemplified by the civil rights movement and the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), the group has both directed and inspired a spate of protests by activists nationwide. Its members have taken on the Fred Phelps “God Hates Fags” clan, disrupted congressional committee meetings, and heckled President Barack Obama at Democratic fund-raisers, as Kip Williams, who founded the group with McGehee, did last week, leading to his second arrest since GetEqual’ founding.

Read the rest. It is a well written feature story.

Note to Get Equal: Keep the pressure coming. You are making our jobs as activists much easier. Thank you.

It was thrilling to participate in the National Equality March (NEM) in Washington on Sunday. The event, although smaller than in past years, achieved the desired goal of drawing the nation’ attention to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration were also put on notice that an anxiety-filled GLBT community demanded action, not just flowery words.

While this was my third march, it was inspiring to see this event through the fresh eyes of Jamie, (left, in red) my partner. He is thirty years old and grew up in a small town in rural Nebraska (population 700). From his vantage point, the march was an extraordinarily life-affirming event. He shared the same look of awe and empowerment that was on the faces of the energetic youth in DC, who will one day become our leaders.

The NEM occurred over the objections of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass), who said that the spectacle was a “waste of time.” If I were Frank, I’d be more concerned about not delivering on GLBT issues while the Democrats control Washington. This may cause disillusionment, leading some people to believe that voting is a “waste of time.”

Frank believes that instead of marching, GLBT people should organize more efficiently and effectively by becoming more like the National Rifle Association (NRA) or the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

He is correct that we should organize into a political force, but get real. The GLBT movement can’t be compared to organizations that possess immense constituencies. Botox notwithstanding, we all grow old and that is why AARP has thirty-five million members. America loves guns, which is why even city slickers like John Kerry and Mitt Romney feel compelled to purchase varmint guns and tromp though the fields to whack squirrels. (Read More)