Its time for gays to make noise
By David Warner
Weekly Planet, June 22, 2005
And this past weekend, another Pride event took place in a Hillsborough County library: the third annual Loving Without Fear reading, organized by poet Steven Reigns. The keynote speaker was fiery attorney Karen Doering, regional counsel for the National Center for Lesbian Rights - and, ironically enough, a law school classmate of Ronda Storms.
Doering doesn't remember hearing much about Storms back then, which led her to ask the audience, "Why is Ronda suddenly emboldened?" One reason, she said, is because "We've got a president who says it's OK" - he's established a climate that allows gays and lesbians to be treated as "lesser than." But more than that, she added, it's because the gay community is willing to settle for less.
The bullies are taking the pulpit all across the country, she said, because gays and lesbians and their allies in both the Democratic and Republican parties have allowed it to happen. She finished with a rousing plea to the 50 or so men and women in the room to demand the "full loaf … to move beyond our comfort zones."
When I first heard about this event, I thought it sounded a little passé: Loving In Fear? Really, we still need to be afraid of being out and proud?
But then Ronda showed us that in Tampa, at least, it's still not OK. It turns out we need the loud, proud voices of people like Doering to remind us that we've got to keep coming out, every day.
The event, which also featured authors Conscious, Erick Alvarez and Reigns reading from their work, left me looking forward to this year's St. Pete Pride parade on the 25th. It'll be my first- and since my partner and I will be moving to St. Pete that same weekend, we'll have lots to celebrate.
I hope the parade-goers are good and loud - loud enough for Ronda Storms to hear it inside her fear-filled cocoon across the Bay.
Note: If you can't wait that long, Equality Florida urges anyone who wants to speak out about the library controversy to attend this week's Hillsborough County Commission meeting: Wed. June 15, 9 a.m., 2nd floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.