| FIRE IN THE LAKE By Ko Imani [email protected] Back on the Bus, Ya'll! Every year LGBT communities around the country confront ever-proliferating anti-queer ballot initiatives led mostly by white Christian men intent on denying Lesbian, Gay, Bi-affectionate and Transgender Americans equal protection under the law. Queer veterans of such campaigns, most prominently Dave Fleischer of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, tell us that the most effective way to defeat these cruel initiatives is through aggressive voter identification projects. That means going door-to-door, laying out the issues and asking how people will vote, and then contacting supportive voters again right before the election to remind them to get out the vote. Unfortunately, in many small communities it's very difficult to get enough local LGBT and Ally people to show up for door-knocking! We can look to a square coastal state for one solution to this problem. In November 2001, a group of young Oregon Democrats came up with a beautifully simple plan to engage a new generation of progressive leaders in grassroots civic action, educate people, bridge the urban/suburban/rural divide, and elect a more progressive government: buy a bus! They got a reconditioned 1978 10-wheel cruiser and launched the Oregon Bus Project. All summer the bus crisscrossed Oregon bringing trained canvassers (as well as Democratic candidates) to swing legislative districts, registering voters and engaging them in dialogue about important issues. Everywhere they go, the OBP perform a community service project first thing in the morning. They work closely with local volunteers, and in the afternoon walk door-to-door to deliver their messages and ID like-minded voters. At the end of the day, OBP volunteers gather with members of the local community for a social event or rally and discuss issues and strategies. Is it working? They have signed up over 1,000 volunteers to go on the bus. They knocked on some 21,500 doors in the first five canvass days. They've received enormous press coverage and praise for their ingenuity and dedication. Four of the five Senate races they worked on in 2002 were winners. It works. So, hey, let's steal their idea! For the New Year, each state's LGBT organizations should consider investing in a "Queer Bus Project." Get a bus, train LGBT and Ally canvassers and get out into communities under attack by the Right and help ID voters and raise consciousness. Even if your State isn't threatened by anti-LGBT initiatives today, it will be soon, so now's the time to prepare, fundraise and build coalitions. Besides, there so many LGBT-related issues that a conscientious QBP would never lack reasons to get folks back on the bus; racism, classism, sexism, genderism, ageism, religious prejudice, welfare "reform," environmental justice and children's rights are LGBT issues, too, after all. People defending equality and justice can always use the help. Of course, queer groups always need people-movers, whether it's to a Halloween hayride or to the State Capital for Beloved Community Lobby Day, so the buses could even be loaned or rented out to other progressive groups when not in use for pro-LGBT voter identification. With Republicans running things in Washington, now more than ever, we need to work closely with a variety of groups to register voters and build coalitions. One of the many important reasons to emulate the Oregon Bus Project is its focus on young people. I and my fellow 18 to 34 year olds constitute about 30 percent of the electorate, but only some 20 percent of us are registered to vote and even fewer are regular voters. In addition, most LGBT organizations have a hard time reaching and motivating us, although, it must be said, involved young people are among the most vocal, creative and effective activists in our movement. Queer Bus Projects would have to be about more than identifying voters, defeating anti-LGBT initiatives, and supporting progressive people and issues. They would also have to be about getting new LGBT and Ally people of all ages, races and religions engaged in activism and politics. Queer Bus Projects would have to be about motivating and directly and actively involving new people in the journey toward social justice, and giving them the tools and inspiration for a lifetime of activism and civic engagement. They would have to be about constructing sustainable, diverse communities that work. They would have to be about developing long-term relationships with voters across a wide range of issues. They would have to be about nonviolent dialogue, about education and about respect. And they would have to be about having a hellava good time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queer activist and author Ko Imani lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with his partner and their puppy. Ko's must-read book, Shirt of Flame: The Secret Gay Art of War will be available soon. Visit Ko online at www.geocities.com/newlgbtactivism. [Return to LGBT Columns] [Return Home] |