Words On The Shameful Lack of Cow Tippin' at Creating Change 05

As some of you may know,I delivered one of the welcome pleneary speeches this past Thirsday at the National Gay Lesbian Task Force's 18th Annual Creating Change Conference. For the past few months, I've followed now and again the antics of San Francisco's self described "radical" collective Gay Shame (http://www.gayshamesf.org)

Past history of my former bandmate's Spook-Who-Sat-By-The-Homo antics aside (peep GS's archives for a note re: the "pandering to liberals" of Deep Dickollective and our 2003 nomination for their annual Gay Shame Awards that came not four months after the organization had "booked" us for a fundraiser at The SF Eagle niteclub) I had been holding out hope for something interesting and productive to come of their grousings, as I agree with many of the issues they raise despite my distates for their methodology.

But alas, I was to be disappointed. Call it ego and sub-lebrity self aggrandizement...but damn...I'm local, I spoke, I'm a pandering negro from a popular queer indie band of pandering begging negroes, and I got a large cash award from NGLTF that was presented during my speech, and was listed (along with those given to 7 other activists)on the NGLTF website.

What I'm saying is, didn't I deserve to be hung in effigy? shouldnt there have been at least say, a hundred or so crusty punks marching with placards with my face and "runnin' dog sellout" of something other on them.

Unless they were on some underecover type shit, I swear I didnt see more than six or seven of them cats, and only on two days...friday and saturday.And they didnt DO anything. Disruption? Sabotage? Redecoration? did I miss something?

Anyways...thanks to Ken Carl of Philadelphia,PA for a great letter to the ed.(Bay Area Reporter,SF November 10) and thanks to the B.A.R. for printing it. The text at the title link, and below.

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Gay Shame SF: Bad choice of target, Marys

I am a believer and participant in direct action and civil disobedience. I also agree with much of the political agenda of Gay Shame SF, confronting LGBT communities' consumerism; thoughtless participation in gentrification; propagation of fascist body image stereotypes and gender roles; and pandering to corporations and politicians who act inhumanely. But the current call to action on its Web site (http://www.gayshamesf.org), promoting "infiltration, sabotage, redecoration, performance, disruption, transformation, and anything else your delicious imagination concocts," at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's (NGLTF) Creating Change conference, being held this week in Oakland, is ill-conceived, poorly communicated, and just a really foolish choice of targets.

First, their tactics. Redecoration? By all means, beautify. Performance? Make it memorable. Transformation? We hope. And delicious imagination is a necessity for today's civilly disobedient organizer. But infiltration, sabotage, and disruption are tactics reserved for unfriendly non-negotiating targets. Neither NGLTF nor those attending Creating Change are our enemies.

Proposing these tactics is not fabulous. It is disrespectful and reckless. Amongst very potential converts and allies they will engender mistrust and closed ears. And if the actions are carried out I predict Gay Shamers will be left with no soapbox on which to stand.

Creating Change has a long history of folks demanding issues be heard and discussed. Issues including movement corporatization and multi-issue organizing. Issues Gay Shame SF purports to address. The conference gathers some 2,000 LGBT organizers and their allies, including many volunteers, creating an important and productive space. At my first Creating Change, those of us in the youth intensive scrapped our schedule to demand change for young people, both immediate and longer-term, within the conference and organization. We organized in ways that were challenging and creative, but not destructive. The first thing we did was create a list of positive action demands. Where is Gay Shame SF's list?

There's no need to respond to every point trying to be made in their rambling tirade. Statements such as, "Each year, Creating Change recruits hundreds of fresh faces for corporate nonprofit jobs," are ridiculous. Are they kidding? What jobs are these? I only wish there was funding for "hundreds" of new progressive LGBT organizing jobs every year. And my personal favorite, "We're sick of the Creating Change money machine," is laughable. I would hope for better from a group with as lofty ideals as Gay Shame. Quick to the high horse is one thing. Quicker to the oversimplification and pot shots is another.

Finally, I find this call from Gay Shame SF the height of elitism. How dare these admittedly mostly white boys call for sabotage and disruption of a gathering that: ensures the leadership by and the participation of (many via scholarship) people of diverse ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, and class backgrounds by practicing affirmative action; incorporates dialogue on race, class, and gender throughout; and introduces LGBT and ally organizers to progressive issues and organizing models.

Gay Shame SF's diatribe ends with, "[Creating Change] needs to concentrate on building radical alternatives." Right on. But where are their ideas for radical alternatives? Not in this call for sabotage and disruption. Not elsewhere on their Web site. Although I agree with much of Gay Shame SF's politics, their cries of "tear it down" without plans for coalition and rebuilding aren't going to cut it. If Shamers show up at Creating Change, they may very well be met with cries of "shame" directed at them.

Ken Carl

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania