During "Unite and Fight: Strategizing for LGBT Equality"—Equality Across America's conference that is being held at Columbia College Chicago March 12-14—activists from across the Midwest will discuss how to achieve full federal equality while forming a strong regional grassroots network. Windy City Times talked with LGBT Change co-founder and conference co-organizer Anthony Martinez about the upcoming event and activism in general.
Windy City Times: Tell me about yourself, including what led you to activism and LGBT Change.
Anthony Martinez: I'm originally from Albuquerque, N.M., and I came to the Midwest in '98 to go to Drake University [ in Iowa ] . I really started activism in high school with a "Quit Smoking" campaign. When I came out my senior year, I created a GSA [ gay-straight alliance ] for performing kids so they could find a safe environment to discover their sexuality. I joined BGLAAD [ Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Ally Alliance at Drake ] and I marched for equal rights in Des Moines. I then moved to Chicago and fell in love with the city. Of course, Halsted Street and Boystown was such an exciting thing for me. [ Laughs ]
Being here in Chicago for the past few years, I've volunteered for a few organizations and participated in marches. But it was when I started campaigning for Obama that I felt like I really needed to focuses on this as my next phase—and that led to LGBT Change. It was a discussion with my best friend, Lawrence Perea—who's also one of the co-founders. We had a direct line to Obama, so we wanted to directly take the concerns of the LGBT community to him and push him to be a fierce advocate for us. So we held a forum in December 2008, and that was the very first event LGBT Change has sponsored. We taped that forum and sent that information to Obama. What we thought was truly important was outlining what was missing from Obama's [ agenda ] .
Since then, we've been trying to bridge the generational divide between activists. You see this young group popping up after Prop 8 that's re-invigorated and that really want to push this movement forward, and then you have the older generation that includes ACT UP and Stonewall. A lot of what we're seeing is that the older generation has fought so hard and so bravely for such progressive legislation and social acceptance of LGBT people. The younger generation, until Prop 8, had taken it for granted, in the older generation's eyes. I think now we're starting to see that fight coming with the younger generation. So connecting them has been a huge focus for [ LGBT Change ] .
Also, we're trying to connect the North and South sides because, obviously, the South Side doesn't have as many resources as the North Side does, in terms of Boystown and Andersonville and different businesses.
WCT: So what would you say is the focus of the conference?
AM: The focus is to create a basis for discussion for full federal equality and how we can achieve that. Additionally, we're trying to unite the Midwest and create a regional network of groups and people and activists who we can reach out to at a moment's notice to create a larger action base. One idea that was been [ suggested ] is a march on all the state capitals in one day—things like that.
The goal is to educate and really get the discussion going around main issues, which is why we feel the workshop sessions are so important—so that when we have the larger session on Sunday, we can figure out how to move forward and how to sustain a regional network.
WCT: You hear a lot of talk about activists and activism. What, in your opinion, is an activist or what constitutes activism?
AM: There are two definitions. Within the groups of people that we are working with, I see activism as people who will stand up and question and push social movement, legislators and decision-makers in order to get answers and to hold people accountable for the things they say and do. They're almost a step ahead so they can keep things moving forward.
Also, particularly with this conference, an activist is anyone who's willing to stand up and say, "We need equality," and is willing to call legislators, hold signs up at protests or even fill out an online form. Anybody who's willing to stand up and say "This is wrong" and fight this.
WCT: I was talking with someone and said that the core of activism is "active," so it would involve being active in any way that you feel contributes to your particular cause.
AM: Absolutely.
WCT: You mentioned Obama earlier. How would you rate the job he's done with the LGBT community so far?
AM: I have a hard time answering this question. How do you pick apart what the president has done over the past year? But I will. [ Laughs ]
He has made some progress and he has stood up for the LGBT movement more than any other president in terms of trying to really incorporate us within everything he does. He's had families at the Easter egg roll and Pride luncheon—things they do for other community groups. Having that recognition is incredibly valuable.
But I don't think he's been a "fierce advocate," which everyone loves to quote, but it's true. A fierce advocate is someone who is really going to get out there and push forward and stand up for our rights. We were told that DADT [ "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ] was going to be repealed last year, and things stalled. I understand that there are larger legislative priorities, but we've heard this so many times from so many legislators. I am glad to see the forward movement now on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" but it makes me wary of him in that he hasn't fulfilled the promises he said he would, specifically within the first year. I think he's trying to get the conversation going, but I'd like to see more.
WCT: And what would include marriage equality?
AM: It would include full equality. I think, with "full federal equality," it's important to have these debates about ENDA [ the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ] , and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and DOMA [ the Defense of Marriage Act ] , but at the same time I look back at the civil-rights movement and wonder, "Why can't we just have an all-encompassing piece of legislation that makes us equal?" The fact that we're not equal at all is a sad state of affairs for 2010. Full equality is full equality, period.
WCT: We ran a piece last year on how Obama has switched from supporting same-sex marriage to now backing civil unions.
AM: That's sad. He did state that [ he was behind civil unions ] when he ran. I did push for him to be elected but it was hard for me to really endorse him as a candidate and say, "Yes, this person is perfect" because he didn't favor marriage equality and he did a 180. It was like, "OK, wait. Are you really what you say you are or are you switching because it's better for you, politically?"
WCT: You also mentioned the Black civil-rights struggle. How do you respond to people who say the fight for LGBT rights is completely different from the [ African-American ] struggle?
AM: I usually agree with them. They are different struggles. They're similar in terms of social ramifications and, yes, they are both civil-rights struggles, but I do believe that the Black civil-rights struggle is a completely different [ fight ] than the LGBT struggle. I don't like to compare them; I do think, though, that the Black struggle is a great place to look back as a modern historical reference for the LGBT movement because there are things we can learn from they way they approached it—to look at the solutions and how we can apply those same strategies to what we are doing.
WCT: Regarding the conference, how did you come up with the topics. [ Topics include "The Myth of Black Homophobia" and "Art & Activism." ]
AM: It was totally organic. When we started this, the idea was to be totally inclusive and we would welcome any participation. So when we had the workshop submissions, we [ accepted all ] . Then after we got submissions, we went back and got proposals and worked through it that way. We were lucky enough to have activists involved who can identify the hot topics. Almost everything that we hoped would be submitted actually was.
WCT: You have some very interesting people lined up, including Adam Bouska, Staceyann Chin and Rick Garcia. Is there any particular workshop you're interested in seeing?
AM: Actually, there are a few. I was really interested in [ the workshop ] covering lessons from the Black-rights struggle and analysis of the Martin Luther King letter; I think that'd be really interesting. I'm also really intersted in—and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago actually proposed this— "Re-Gayifying AIDS," which would involve the idea of our community taking that movement and getting re-engaged in trying to eradicating HIV/AIDS.
Also, at LGBT Change, we're focused on a few issues but one of the things I've found to be my pet project is the idea of looking at combatting the religious right and the [ influence ] it has. [ Note: Martinez is moderating the forum A Conversation on Constructively Engaging the Christian Community." ]
WCT: Is there anything you want to add?
AM: Friday evening [ March 12 ] we have a check-in party with [ sketch comedy troupe ] GayCo. There will also be a musician, Todd Kessler, along with a couple others [ Molly Kirk Parlier and Jessica Moran ] ; they're all allies and we were lucky enough to get them. Also, there's a poetry/spoken-word event at 7 p.m.
Among those scheduled to appear at "Unite and Fight: Strategizing for LGBT Equality" are Sherry Wolf, Lt. Dan Choi, Equality Illinois' Rick Garcia, performer Staceyann Chin and "NO H8" project co-creator Adam Bouska. For more information on the conference, see eaamidwestconference.wordpress.com .
