Unite for the good fight
Sometimes I wonder if everyone remembers the event that sparked a fire that spread across the world -“ the Stonewall Riots. Some people may think they don’t need to, but I believe you need to know where you came from to know where you are going.
We as a community take a lot for granted, and we can because a lot of the battles were fought way before we even realised we were gay.
I used to go out and have older women randomly come up to me and say, You have it so easy, I was in the closet for 10 years.
I never really understood where they were coming from until recently when I realised they had no choice but to be in the closet. If they had come out earlier the discrimination would have been unrelenting, unavoidable and, possibly, violent.
So yes, perhaps I did have it easy in comparison, and perhaps coming out today is a different concept thanks to the work of our foremothers and forefathers. I feel very fortunate to have missed the riots and the arrests.
When I go out and see young gays and lesbians in the clubs, caf? restaurants or just on the street, I smile because it is proof of how far we have come.
But do these young gays and lesbians understand why they enjoy the freedoms they do? Or, more importantly, have we taken the time to explain gay and lesbian history to them?
At a recent function for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation I was lucky enough to witness William Yang show a series of photographs with a running commentary. The photos showed the impact of HIV and AIDS on one individual -“ an old friend of Yang’s.
It was there I overheard a young man whisper to a friend, I never knew. I never realised what the AIDS thing was all about until I saw that.
I was shocked. How could a young gay man not know what a big crisis AIDS was in the 80s and how people are still suffering today?
So I told him the story of an associate who was fired from his job once his HIV status was revealed. The young man went silent, and then replied: I’m glad I was so young in the 80s and missed all that. When I told him it happened last year he didn’t reply. But his silence was telling.
It is for reasons like this it is important the next generation understands our history.
So to the gay and lesbian youth I say: ask questions of your elders, listen, remember and respect.
To our elders, I urge you to talk openly and honestly about the past and the struggle.
If we can bridge the generation gap our community will be much stronger and better for the unity.
