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A bigger boat: feminist and lesbian, gay and trans: different eras, same fight for inclusion
Advocate, The, Dec 18, 2007 by Anne Stockwell
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
IT WAS 1977 WHEN Bella Abzug--the redoubtable U.S. congresswoman from New York and one of the sparkling lights of the feminist movement--organized the first National Women's Conference, held in Houston. According to the conventional wisdom of that day, lesbians were a liability for the women's movement. "The lavender menace," National Organization for Women president Betty Friedan called us in 1969. Her reasons, put forth as revolutionary doctrine, came down to this: no room in the boat.
That same too-small boat has drifted across our path again, only now it's full of gays who can't find room for trans people. (It's interesting that the lightning rod for today's gay-trans controversy is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, of which Bella Abzug was an original sponsor.)
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It may take years, but the old, exclusionary ideas always give way. In early November I was present at Freedom on Our Terms, a new women's leadership conference organized by Abzug's daughter, the professor and activist Liz Abzug. The scene was Hunter College in New York City; the keynote speaker was Rosie O'Donnell. The old lavender menace idea didn't come up. At this major feminist gathering the hottest ticket was a lesbian. Rosie spoke fondly of Bella Abzug, who came on the political scene with her "hats, loud voice, and big body" and made people realize they had to listen. I'm sure I wasn't the only audience member who thought, If Bella has a true heiress, it's Rosie.
Even gays and trans folk who don't yet feel a personal connection know that the tide is pulling us together. But what does that really mean? In this issue we bring together a round table of smart and committed gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people for a no-holds-barred meeting of hearts and minds. If you don't believe they clicked, go to our cover story on page 38. Whatever you thought before, you may emerge feeling that gay-trans combustion is exactly the spark our movement needs.
In an angry sea, most of us worry that our boat's too small. But the old ideas give way. And time and again the boat turns out to be bigger than we thought.
ANNE STOCKWELL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
COPYRIGHT 2007 LPI Media
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