2008 Woodie Awards
Don't Ask (I'm Telling): Notes on a culture in progress
Matt Hill Comer
Issue date: 11/14/06 Section: Opinions
On Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, free-lance columnist Charles Davenport, Jr. had an opinions column published in the Greensboro News & Record. Entitled "Notes on a culture in decline," Davenport proceeded to attack the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision for fairness and legal equality to same-sex couples. He also attacked Triad Equality Alliance, a local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) education and advocacy group. Among other topics, he also decided that I am apparently a part of some larger gay agenda to destroy society and the world as we know it.
Referring to a News & Record article in which my activism and work in the community was profiled, which appeared a week previous to his column, Davenport claimed, "The gay rights agenda often masquerades as a matter of 'civil rights,' and the activists' lofty assertions are buttressed by little more than hubris." He claimed gay rights activists are arrogant and guilty of nihilism.
I have to disagree with Davenport on this one. Culture and society isn't being destroyed; the movement he so fears is nothing more than progress. For millennia, humans have done nothing but "challenge the norm" and his so-called "ancient," "accumulated wisdom and natural law."
Can you imagine what our world would look like if no one ever "challenged the norm" or what it would look like without progress from the "tried and true" ways of doing things? What would the world look life if:
Moses never said "Let my people go!" to Pharaoh? No Israel, Passover, or those really cool Negro spirituals.
Jesus Christ never challenged the Jewish authorities of his day? No Church, no pope, no priests, bishops, archbishops or the Vatican.
Martin Luther never challenged the Church? No Lutherans, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Calvinists, Presbyterians, Quakers, etc.
The Puritans never challenged England? No Pilgrims, no "New World," no Thanksgiving or the "Freedom of Religion."
The Colonists never challenged Britain? No Declaration of Independence, no democracy, no USA.
Abraham Lincoln never challenged the "Confederate States of America"? No "Union," no freedom and the USA certainly wouldn't be the only world superpower.
Women never challenged men for the right to vote (or run for office)? Congress would have a lot more testosterone and Pelosi wouldn't be in line to become Speaker.
African-Americans (and their white allies) never challenged "Jim Crow?" No integration, inter-racial marriage, equality under the law and Obama would not be Senator.
Hippies never challenged Vietnam? Hell…we might still be fighting in Vietnam.
"Challenging the norm" isn't a bad thing. In fact, it is the only thing which has ever moved our world toward a better place. Throughout the entire history of humanity, individual men and women have stood up to challenge the norm and provide for progress.
Without progress the world stays static and when the world stays static, the wrongs of the past live on to the present. By challenging the norm and by pushing for progress, the lives of billions of people throughout the generations have experienced things they may have never seen without it: Democracy, equality, Freedom of Speech and Religion and of the Press; the middle class; public education; higher education; Abolition; Women's Suffrage; African-American Civil Rights; and, yes, someday: civil, legal and social equality for LGBT people around the globe.
How can someone say that one group of people aren't worthy of receiving the full legal and civil rights another group of people receive automatically and without question? How can someone say that those rights and privileges will be denied based solely on who a person is or how they were born?
Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Of course, Mead was right and I'm thankful for the millions of men and women throughout history who have challenged the norm. I'm grateful for the people who saw the promise of progress, took hold of it and didn't let go. People like Jefferson, Washington, Tubman, Lincoln, F.D.R., J.F.K., King, Shepard and so many more deserve praise for challenging the norm. We also owe them one hell of a debt. Without people like those, our world would be so different from what we know today that if we saw it, we might thing we were on a completely different planet.
Progress can't be stopped. Never has been, never will. Challenging the norm is, well, normal and without it, we are all doomed.
Read more from Matt at his blog: www.matthillnc.com
Referring to a News & Record article in which my activism and work in the community was profiled, which appeared a week previous to his column, Davenport claimed, "The gay rights agenda often masquerades as a matter of 'civil rights,' and the activists' lofty assertions are buttressed by little more than hubris." He claimed gay rights activists are arrogant and guilty of nihilism.
I have to disagree with Davenport on this one. Culture and society isn't being destroyed; the movement he so fears is nothing more than progress. For millennia, humans have done nothing but "challenge the norm" and his so-called "ancient," "accumulated wisdom and natural law."
Can you imagine what our world would look like if no one ever "challenged the norm" or what it would look like without progress from the "tried and true" ways of doing things? What would the world look life if:
Moses never said "Let my people go!" to Pharaoh? No Israel, Passover, or those really cool Negro spirituals.
Jesus Christ never challenged the Jewish authorities of his day? No Church, no pope, no priests, bishops, archbishops or the Vatican.
Martin Luther never challenged the Church? No Lutherans, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Calvinists, Presbyterians, Quakers, etc.
The Puritans never challenged England? No Pilgrims, no "New World," no Thanksgiving or the "Freedom of Religion."
The Colonists never challenged Britain? No Declaration of Independence, no democracy, no USA.
Abraham Lincoln never challenged the "Confederate States of America"? No "Union," no freedom and the USA certainly wouldn't be the only world superpower.
Women never challenged men for the right to vote (or run for office)? Congress would have a lot more testosterone and Pelosi wouldn't be in line to become Speaker.
African-Americans (and their white allies) never challenged "Jim Crow?" No integration, inter-racial marriage, equality under the law and Obama would not be Senator.
Hippies never challenged Vietnam? Hell…we might still be fighting in Vietnam.
"Challenging the norm" isn't a bad thing. In fact, it is the only thing which has ever moved our world toward a better place. Throughout the entire history of humanity, individual men and women have stood up to challenge the norm and provide for progress.
Without progress the world stays static and when the world stays static, the wrongs of the past live on to the present. By challenging the norm and by pushing for progress, the lives of billions of people throughout the generations have experienced things they may have never seen without it: Democracy, equality, Freedom of Speech and Religion and of the Press; the middle class; public education; higher education; Abolition; Women's Suffrage; African-American Civil Rights; and, yes, someday: civil, legal and social equality for LGBT people around the globe.
How can someone say that one group of people aren't worthy of receiving the full legal and civil rights another group of people receive automatically and without question? How can someone say that those rights and privileges will be denied based solely on who a person is or how they were born?
Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Of course, Mead was right and I'm thankful for the millions of men and women throughout history who have challenged the norm. I'm grateful for the people who saw the promise of progress, took hold of it and didn't let go. People like Jefferson, Washington, Tubman, Lincoln, F.D.R., J.F.K., King, Shepard and so many more deserve praise for challenging the norm. We also owe them one hell of a debt. Without people like those, our world would be so different from what we know today that if we saw it, we might thing we were on a completely different planet.
Progress can't be stopped. Never has been, never will. Challenging the norm is, well, normal and without it, we are all doomed.
Read more from Matt at his blog: www.matthillnc.com
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