Julie Nemecek wrote a moving article a few weeks back on her website, that I believe is a transcript of the speech she gave at the MSU rally protesting proposition 8. Within it are words of wisdom for those fighting injustice, as many in the transgender community are passionately doing.
She starts strong, saying:
We are here today to celebrate the beginning of the end of the political power of the extreme right. They have lost their self-proclaimed moral authority and we have now claimed the moral high ground.
Indeed, I have felt for a long time that those on the far right claim to be followers of Jesus, but look more like those Jesus spoke out against. The higher moral authority comes from those who do as Jesus commanded – to Love others as you love yourself. To love your enemies as your friends.
Julie continues with the wisdom of how to fight prejudice, and is Martin Luther King-esque in the admonition to maintain the moral high ground. To speak with dreams of a better future, not out of hate and hurt but channeling our righteous anger into peaceful change this world needs.
We are angry today. It is a righteous and just anger but we must avoid words and deeds of violence or hate and harness that anger into positive expressions of the dreams we have. We are angry at some religious leaders, but we must not forget that many religious leaders, and true religious expression, are on our side.
Yet in this time we shouldn’t remain quiet – there are those who want to take away the gains we’ve made – to de-legitimize our claim to the fundamental rights every person should have.
Keith Olbermann’s comments on proposition 8 nearly brought me to tears, and are well worth watching:
Transgender Rights / Transgender Discrimination
I believe that despite all the challenges we face in the transgender community – despite the challenges that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters face – that the United States was founded with a declaration that promises a bright future for all. I’ll end this post with Julie’s words of hope, because when all the hate has been said and done, love will remain.
230 years ago our country – our country! – issued a bold declaration proclaiming ALL are created with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It took awhile before ALL included blacks, but we got there. It took awhile until ALL included women, but we got there. “ALL” still does not include lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people, but we will get there!
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Thanks for the kind words. It’s affirming when others share your vision. All the best,
Julie
Julie’s words sound as condemning and judgemental as those of the “extreme Right" she claims to abhor; there are more than a few on the “extreme Left", be they activists or hate-merchants such as Keith Olberman (and yes, anyone who has tuned in to Olberman’s program has heard his hateful, intoelrant words toward and about those he disagrees with) who would similarly do well to remember that they do not also alone possess the moral high ground.
RJ, I’m not sure I agree with you on either count (Julie’s words or Keith Olberman). I haven’t seen many other news casts by Keith, but the one I attached resonated with love and hope for a better future. Righteous anger at others who would stifle love in it’s birth. He is not condemning the right for who they are, but for what they do to other people – there’s a big difference. The far right condemns others for who they are, even though the only offense is to their sense of propriety. I would not condemn Martin Luther King… Read more »
I got in a mood the other day, one that caused me to write a long missive about how we need to get Out, Loud and Proud. It was written mainly to the transsexual community but I am sure has play with others in the gender varient community.
I am trying to get a letter writing campaign going to support several key pieces of federal legislation. I think it will have more play if the powers that be see that the grass roots actually agree with the major LGBT rights groups.
Any way this is the link: http://joanna.thepumas.net/pages/essays/loudnproud.html
Pardon my language but DAMN THATS POWERFULL.