Radical Directions

I attended a meeting tonight who's purpose was to help identify what direction Basic Rights Oregon would be taking in the next 5 years. The list that was created was pretty standard: education, healthcare, workplace issues, documentation issues, etc. It took 2 hours to create that list. At the end everyone was given the chance to put in one last comment about the direction things would/should be taking. Several commented that since this is the first year that there hasn't been an anti-LGBTQ proposal for the upcoming elections that we should be taking steps now to be radical, to push the envelope, and to make the progress that we've been wanting and needing.

I agree that, void of any other taxing concerns/pesky legislation, now is the perfect time to forge ahead and really create some change on our own terms. The issue becomes what should we forge ahead with? What would be considered radical? Providing education to the public in general is not radical. Even providing education to specific professions (such as police officers, EMT's, etc) is not radical. Passing an inclusive national non-discrimination law that specifically mentions gender-identity is not radical. Promoting marriage equality is not radical. Providing support in places of employment for people who are transitioning and support for people to get their documentations amended is not radical. Even removing the current hoops that transfolk have to jump through to get hormones and/or surgery is not radical. All of these things should be common sense. People need to understand what LGBTQ is and to understand that this community is not a threat. Transfolk should feel comfortable to be themselves at work. Transfolk need to have access to their own ID's and documents that shows a congruence with who they really are. People should have control over their own bodies. It should all be a given. And givens aren't radical.

So what would be really radical? What would really push the envelope? We could always push to knock all gender designations off of identification forms. That would certainly reduce a lot of issues for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. We could push for better research into techniques for trans fertility/reproduction and gene-therapy... allow for more than just an outward physical transition.

I think that ultimately the most radical thing that could be done is to get us to the point where none of this really matters anymore. Where people can just be. Where there won't be discrimination or hatred or violence or intolerance of any kind simply because someone is LGBTQ. (I realize that is point in my rant sounds really single-issue focused. It might read that way but in my head I'm also thinking about the end of discrimination, hatred, violence, intolerance, etc based on race, ethnicity, creed, religion, health status, mental health status, ability level, age, gender, class, education level, body stature, etc). Idealist? Yes. Realistic? Not if we don't believe it's possible. Radical? Oh yes!