While tens of thousands of people were marching in DC for gay equality, a few of us were in Los Angeles piecing together the events on this coast that made all this possible.
The occasion was the book release party for Tom Coleman's memoirs, The Domino Effect. Tom is one of the key figures in gay history who fought tirelessly in L.A., first to eliminate our state sodomy law, then to chip away at the other vague laws which the police used to harass us, and most significantly to find a way for the culture and the law to include same-sex couples within the definition of family. That effort put California in the nation's forefront in having our elected leaders reshape the law before the courts needed to. If you want to know how important California is in gay rights, ask yourself why the State of New York, which has had an organized gay community for about as long as California, continues -- to this day -- not to have even so much as domestic partnership for the state's same-sex couples. My answer: They lacked a Tom Coleman.
As Tom was briefly recounting his career, I could not help but notice how many of the key figures in the room he was thanking were heterosexuals whose role in our movement is both essential and unrecognized: State Senator David Roberti; Attorney General John Van de Kamp; L.A. City Attorney Burt Pines (absent due to a hospitalization, but definitely in everyone's mind); L.A. City Councilman Mike Woo; Wallace Albertson; Dr. Nora Baladerian; Judge Arthur Gilbert. Whether you know their names and contributions or not, these are what fierce advocates of gay equality look like.
But they had to be coaxed into action by gay advocates with farsightedness, political wisdom and sheer common sense: Jay Kohorn and Chris McCauley, and, of course, Tom, were at the head of that list. This small band of people came together and used the freedom and tools our political system offers to turn a world that had no place at all for same-sex couples into one where our chief complaint is that the compromise they devised and then implemented -- domestic partnership -- is viewed by some people as good enough, at least for us. It was a fine compromise for the world that existed in the 1980s and 90s; but it is a step toward equality that arose from political necessity; it is not equality itself.
If what you know about the history of gay rights in California is Harry Hay and Del Martin and Harvey Milk, there are entire chapters left to understand. Tom's book will not be the last word on these people's place in our history. But it is a good start.
8 Comments for “Meanwhile, on the West Coast. . .”
posted by walberg on
I bet gay and straight are friend. We should live together peacefully in this world. We have equally rights.
However, I think Gay men can become Straight. If we encourage them and the environment can help as well.
http://gaybecomestraight.blogspot.com
posted by jpeckjr on
Walberg, please don’t waste your time encouraging me to become straight. The environment I want is equality for all which under the law gay people do not have, and will not have as long as people like you think straight is better and should be privileged. Go away!
posted by esurience on
I can’t decide if that website is real or satire 🙂
It has links to magazines with shirtless men on the cover… not exactly the thing you want to be looking at if you’re trying to turn straight 🙂 Who doesn’t get a little turned on by the cover of a Men’s Health magazine? 🙂
posted by Pat on
I’m guessing the website is real. I may have to start a website on how straight men can become gay. 🙂
posted by Bobby on
Warlberg, you don’t have to be straight. If you pray hard enough God will listen to you and make you gay.
posted by jerry on
Wally said:
DO
* Help woman, take care of woman
* Play Rugged sport
* Be a good Family man
* Take good care of Your Parent
* Act like a Man, like a Soldier
Uhm, Wally, that first do. You need to help me out. I am clueless.
Second item. Have you heard of Gay Games. Thousands of gay men doing rugged sports in competitive venues. None of them are turning str8.
Be a good family man. Uh, Wally that’s why we want to marry our partners. Gay men who marry women almost always wind up cheating on them with men in dark alleys or other places. See, Ted Haggard, Jim McGreavy. Larry Craig. And thousands more.
Many gay men take very good care of parents. Not all but many. The same thing can be said of str8 folks as well.
There are thousands of men and women serving in the military, notn of them are turning str8. I was a soldier. Still gay as a goose.
I think you need to go back to the drawing board.
posted by jerry on
Bobby, do you honestly think god has that good a sense of humor?
posted by Bobby on
Jerry, I’m sure God does, why do you think he created ex-gays? That’s the funniest things in the world, that’s worst than gays in the closet or gays in denial since most ex-gays have had sex with men and know they like it and that’s why they struggle against it.
An ex-gay is the ultimate attention whore, so the last thing you want to do is get angry at them.