After the Stonewall riots, the gay liberation movement was militant, agitating for more freedom and radical ways to live. But AIDS led to increased conservatism – and now, after gay marriage was effectively legalized, one had to ask: whatever happened to the thrilling gay movement of the 1970s?
Gay Liberation
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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Sorry, I just really don’t understand this at all….
Whatever happened? Oh, I don’t know. I guess gays wanted the same basic legal rights like others. You know, so they could — for instance — visit their loved one in the hospital when they were dying. You know, lame mainstream shit like that.
But thanks for offering up the hetero opinion on how you’ve been let down.
Yes, because transgendered persons have achieved total social acceptance, exy. Way to accuse Rall of homophobia while indulging in fucked-up gender norms yourself.
Black civil rights on white people’s terms don’t mean shit — hence the War on
Black MalesDrugs. Gay civil rights on straight people’s terms don’t mean shit — hence the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell but Bradley Manning is still subject to torture. Or is the latter some kind of fucking victory for gay people, too?Good cartoon, Ted — but the drawing (dated 7/5/13) doesn’t match the text below it (dated 7/3/13).
“whatever happened to the thrilling gay movement of the 1970s?”
That thrilling 70’s movement must have occurred in Dayton because it wasn’t happening in my home town.
Why do you have such contempt for gay people who just want laws that specifically target us taken off the books?
@ th –
“Good cartoon, Ted — but the drawing (dated 7/5/13) doesn’t match the text below it (dated 7/3/13).”
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I can hardly wait for the ‘toon dated 7/5/13 – but this has been a recurring problem in the past, with ‘toons posted before their time, sometimes as much as a week prior.
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I have a feeling that this will no longer happen because of recent developments. At least, I hope I’m right.
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Good luck, Ted!
I don’t think Ted has contempt for gay people. I think Ted has contempt for what the Oppressed always turn into: part of the Oppressor class.
It happened in the gay rights movement (now a multibillion dollar industry). It happened in the civil rights movement. It happened with women’s rights. A subset of the movement was identified and discrimination was transferred to that subgroup. See Germaine Greer’s “The Second Sex” which gives the notion of woman as other (i.e., safe to deny the humanity of).
Basically, the Struggle (TM) turns out to never be about the high-minded goal of equality in the first place. That’s just marketing copy. It becomes simply about brokering a deal with the bullies to stop picking on someone else. “See? He or she is more different than I am. He or she is weaker. He or she is even less able to fight back. Won’t it be much more fun to attack them than it is to attack me?”
Correction: “To stop picking” should be “to start picking”
Even Homer nods.
MMmmmmm. … Homer.
@ att
Wow. I can understand why you don’t see it since you seem to share it. Who are the people that you claim *gay people* have “identified” as the people the “picking on” should be “transferred” to?
BTW – It’s great news to hear that discrimination against gay people is over (eye roll) even if we did have to “transfer” it to somebody else.
Some of my best friends are…
Seriously, remember my column from a few weeks ago about how the gay rights movement has turned conservative? This is along the same lines.
Look, I want those stupid laws off the books too. But any liberation struggle has to be strategic. For example, rather than fight for the “right” to join America’s imperialist armies and the “right” to murder untold innocents, gays ought to have urged straights to boycott enlistment offices – because the military was/is both evil and homophobic.
Gays still suffer. Hell, “femme” straights suffer. Society needs to change more. But there is no doubt that the LGBT movement has become very conservative post-ACT-UP. The move toward monogamism is an especially unfortunate development, since logic would have dictated that straights should be becoming more like gays were – sexually liberated.
Hey, and what about this faster website, everybody?
Also, what Alex said. Look at Al Sharpton: he used to be dangerous, a threat to the system. Now he’s a shill for Obama and the Democrats. You know, the people who drone babies and read your mail and listen to your calls.
Scrolled so fast I nearly got whiplash.
Moving faster than a cartoonist at an open bar. A beautiful thing.
@ Ted “remember my column from a few weeks ago about how the gay rights movement has turned conservative?”
Actually, your columns and cartoons about the gay rights movement are a monotonous blur to me. I don’t visit here very often anymore and, since I had set my expectations pretty low, I wasn’t disappointed when I came back yesterday!
You said: “rather than fight for the “right” to join America’s imperialist armies “. I want not to be singled out as The Other *in the law*! I don’t want to enlist (I never would have, but I’m way too old now anyway) and I don’t want to be married or adopt any kids. I just don’t want to be the Official Government Sanctioned Other. I have no illusions what-so-ever about this somehow making the haters stop hating.
I don’t agree that ” there is no doubt that the LGBT movement has become very conservative”. This seems to indicate a misunderstanding of the word “conservative” in multiple ways.
You know, John, I’m always surprised when people write me (or other commentators) and say they don’t read my (their) stuff often. Even if it’s true, you’d make more impact by claiming to be a regular reader who is now suddenly pissed off. It wouldn’t change my mind, but it might be a little upsetting.
Anyway, everyone is entitled to want what they want. But as the cliché goes, be careful lest you get it. Had the LGBT movement been agitating for joining the military, marriage, etc. – which are inherently right-wing activities – as part of a broader progressive or, better yet, left agenda, there wouldn’t be a cartoon to draw here. But it’s been their main focus. If you don’t believe the movement has gotten conservative, look at its leaders: incredibly wealthy white businessmen.
This is not how it used to be, as I am reminded by watching documentaries about the 1970s in San Francisco.
Re: Al Sharpton
He used to be a sideshow. I’m not sure how dangerous the show was. Now he works for GE.
The show was never dangerous. I meant him.
@ Ted Rall –
“Hey, and what about this faster website, everybody?”
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I’m glad you’re pleased. 🙂
Thanks! And thanks.
Good to see the webpage load up quicker!
Website: much much better
“you’d make more impact by claiming to be a regular reader who is now suddenly pissed off.”
Reading comprehension must not be your thing, so I’ll be clearer: I *was* a regular reader until I got pissed off at your bizarre gay rights complaints and I rarely visit here anymore.
” I’m always surprised when people write me and say . . . ”
LOL! Really? You are easily surprised. I didn’t just offer that statement out of the blue. You asked me if I had read your column from a couple of weeks ago and I had not read it because I don’t come around here no more. Upsetting you is not my goal. I take for granted that bloggers are not so fragile that the loss of a reader is too much to bear. Gotta love that “even if it’s true”.
[…] may be no greater example of his caricature status than one of his latest cartoons, titled “Gay Liberation,” which came with the following […]
For what it’s worth Ted, you’re the one who made me realize all the problems with today’s LBGT movement. Love the cartoon. I got it easily. It is sad how many movements get co-opted and end up settling for so little. Gays are just embarrassing themselves now. Their priorities are all wrong and that’s the point that so many miss and mistake for ‘contempt.’
Not to worry, Ted,- with enemies like «John From Censornati», you know that what you’re doing can’t be all wrong….
Liberation movements are essential, but when they’ve come part of the way, their universalistic aspects start to fade and they tend to transmogrify into merely yet another special interest attached in one way or another to the power elite. A pity – and it’s good that you point this out in the case of the so-called Gay Liberation Movement in the United States – but it has been ever thus….
Henri