Do we REALLY want equality?

As an activist, “equality” to me is far more than a word and a goal. My somewhat limited experience has taught me that it is something much more: a responsibility. Over the last few years, we’ve talked about marriage equality, workplace equality, housing equality, this equality, and that equality.

And we all need it. We all want it. Well, most of us do. Don’t we? In the midst of our struggles, I think a few questions need to be asked. And they’re not easy ones.

First, are we willing to treat ourselves as equal? When I was a child, my parents insisted that I attend every single normal class in school. It was suggested to them that because of the severity my hearing loss, I should go through some special education. They refused. As a result, I had to make a few adjustments by sitting on the front row near the teacher in all my classes and endure a lot of taunting. My afflicted speech pattern was also the subject of much ridicule. No, it wasn’t a lisp… just a lot of mumbling.

Through it all, I never saw myself as less than my classmates. They might have, but I knew better. In short, I had to deal with being different long before I ever even thought about those other boys I was attracted to. Do we see ourselves as less than human? We know some of our neighbors do. Are we equal? Equality is meaningless if we discount it ourselves.

Second, are we willing to pay the price for equality? In a world where we have our own TV and satellite radio stations, our own newspapers and magazines that are just as glitzy as anything else out there, do we even know what the cost of equality is? We have blogs and websites that are filled with enough statistics, news, and information that would fill volumes. But the common denominator through all of them is that only a few people are involved with any of these media outlets.

So what is the price? The root word of “activism” is “active.” It involves getting out of our comfort zones (yikes!) and playing a part, even a small part. I’ve been so encouraged in the past few weeks when people have called me out of the blue to ask how they can help. “Come to one of our planning meetings, and see what we’re doing,” I say.

But very few have shown up. And the few that have come are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. They are filled with passion, vision, hope, and an understanding that there is a long road ahead. They’re in it for the long haul, and I can tell. What about the rest of us? What are we afraid of?

Let me be specific. I’ll put on my “Chairman of Clarksville Pride” hat for a minute, and say that we have a huge event planned for this May 20th. So far, we’ve made a lot of the necessary arrangements for planning this year’s festival which is for all of Middle Tennessee. There are only a handful of us working on the committee, and we’re exhausted. Quite simply, we need your help. We need your support. And, we need your financial support. And Clarksville Pride is just one of the myriad of groups in the mid-state that is working to support GLBT rights.

The very message of this year’s Pride festival in both Nashville and Clarksville centers around equality. I’ve enjoyed the conversations I’ve had with the president of Nashville Pride, Todd Grantham, and we both share a vision of reaching out to even more people than last year. And of course, we need help to do it.

The final question I have to ask is this: Do we really WANT equality? I’ve talked with a few cynics that told me that they didn’t see the point, and that things would never change. Others are so used to being denied any access to equality that their first response to any conversation about equality is to put their guard up and say, “yeah, right.”

What would happen if all of us who desire equality actually took a stand to make it happen? It’s a challenge that I offer to everyone. If we were to let go of our cynicism and lower our guard a little bit, we can unite our voices like never before. We can go to our Pride festivals and clubs and enjoy ourselves. And we can vote. We can write our congress representatives, both state and federal. We can talk to our friends and family… you know… the straight ones. And tell them why equality is so important. And we can support those organizations that are working on our behalf financially. Really. We can.

But most importantly, we should. We should do all of these things. Will you join us, my friends? Whether you’re in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Clarksville, we need your help. Will you pick up that phone or that checkbook? Even if it’s a little… it counts. It always counts.

Here’s a thought: instead of saying, “yeah, right,” when it comes to equality, Let’s add a letter ‘s’ to that… it changes everything. All of the sudden, it becomes a clarion call with one voice, “Yeah. RIGHTS!”

- David W. Shelton