how does one respond to larry kramer?
March 20, 2007I wrote this entry for QueerSighted, and, as usual, the wise Kenny said it better. So I’ll post my straight-girl musings here instead.
My fellow QueerSighted bloggers tell me that they’ve given up on trying to respond to Larry Kramer’s rants and raves, but this is slightly new to me, so…
There are a lot of differences between Larry Kramer and I. For starters, I am a 23-year-old straight female, he’s a 71-year-old gay male. I haven’t been on this planet long enough to witness his legacy within the gay community, but I hear it’s a pretty important one. He’s known for pushing buttons and prompting what he sees as a passive gay population to move.
In his 2004 post-election speech at Cooper Union titled “The Tragedy of Today’s Gays,” he said:
“I love being gay. I love gay people. I think we’re better than other people. I really do. I think we’re smarter and more talented and more aware and I do, I do, I totally do. And I think we’re more tuned in to what’s happening, tuned into the moment, tuned into our emotions, and other people’s emotions, and we’re better friends. I really do think all these things.”
And, even though I am, sadly, not gay, I really do think all these things, too! We are in agreement, Larry. And Larry’s very frustrated with the population of gays in American for allowing each other to become addicted to meth, acquire sexually transmitted diseases, and let AIDS go by claiming more human lives.
That was two-and-a-half years ago, and today, in the LA Times, an editorial written by Larry ran titled “Why Do Straights Hate Gays?” I realize he’s utilizing the same tactics as he was in his Cooper Union speech. More action needs to be taken in order for change to occur.I am fully aware that the state we’re in right now is bleak. Bush HAS created a legacy fof hate, and not only for gays, but for “feminist” women, minorities, immigrants and poor people. I struggled with this editorial at first because I like to look hopefully at the future and think that more people in my generation put gay rights at the top of their priority lists when it comes to voting for a candidate. But here we sit, on the fourth anniversary of the War in Iraq, and personally, after seeing this video, I’m sold on Obama. But then I see this piece from the New York Times’ political blog which explains how Obama avoided direct commentary on the heinous comments of General Peter Pace. If Obama gets elected, even if things improve slightly, it will still take some time, and gays still won’t be entirely equal. How can I possibly be a part of that? But what’s the alternative?
Larry ends his editorial with this paragraph:
“You may say you don’t hate us, but the people you vote for do, so what’s the difference? Our own country’s democratic process declares us to be unequal. Which means, in a democracy, that our enemy is you. You treat us like crumbs. You hate us. And sadly, we let you.”
At first, I’m heartbroken. But I can prove Larry wrong and demand more of the candidates I choose to elect in the coming years. Some of the most important people in my world are gay, and in that respect, they’re equal. My straight friends are lucky that I love them as much as my gay friends. I will fight to make gays as equal in this country as they are in my own life, and I’ll make sure that those who feel the same way follow my lead. Also, is it counter-productive to separate “gay rights” from “human rights?” I think yes.
Oh, wait, Dan Savage thinks Larry Kramer’s nuts. I feel better now.
This had me upset and riled today, so I needed to vent. Andrew Sullivan, please respond to my email post haste! His take on the article was perfect!
Tags: larry kramer | gay rights | andrew+sullivan
