In last month’s issue (July 2008), Rob made reference to the negative reaction of some members of our community to those of us who, through a variety of processes, have put ourselves out there as “spokespeople.”
First off, it needs to be understood that none of us have self-described as “spokespeople.” This designation is frequently used by reporters working under a deadline and limited word counts and so they often seek a “short-form” term to get a point across.
One of the most common criticisms is often framed in terms of “who elected you?” or “Who died and made you (king, spokesperson, pick-a-designation)?”
On one level this is fair comment. Most of us who are “activists,” or individuals the media seek for comments about GLBTQ issues, weren’t elected by our respective communities. However, most of us - including Steve and Rob as well as myself - were or are involved in areas which give us some insight, dare I say even authority, to speak to the issues of the day.
In the case of Rob and Steve they are publishers of a GLBTQ magazine deeply involved in both the Calgary and Edmonton communities and, as such, have a finger on the pulse of the community and can probably knowledgeably speak to issues which affect that community.
In my case, I have been involved in community organizing and gay politics, first on a local then a national level, since 1980.
I got my first taste of les-bi-gay politics from being involved with Gay Information and Resources Calgary (GIRC). While the primary focus of GIRC was its information and peer counseling service and drop-in, it also had a human rights and publishing arm. Doug Young headed up the human rights aspect and Bob Harris, who was also the President of GIRC, headed up publishing the small newspaper known first as Gay Calgary and, later, as Gay Horizons.
I was involved in a bit of student politics during my college years at Mount Royal College, so when I discovered GIRC (or, rather, when Doug discovered I was a Journalism school grad and talked me into getting involved with GIRC’s newspaper), I felt as though I had finally found my own cause to fight for. My exposure to Doug Young and Bob Harris certainly informed my ‘take’ on the status in Alberta, and Canada in general at that time, of my brother bi and gay men and sister lesbians and bisexual women. It just fit.
In 1983 I became involved with Gay Lines Calgary, which had arisen from the ashes of GIRC. I ended up coordinating Gay Lines Calgary, the forerunner to the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Association (now known as Calgary OUTLink), for 11 years.
As the only information and peer support service in Calgary, along with the now defunct Lesbian Information Line operated by the Womyn’s Collective, we were a natural source for media to turn to for comment on GLBTQ issues. None of the other groups in town, or their various leaderships, would speak to media. With my grasp of both Canadian and American queer political activity, and as Coordinator of the Gay Lines Collective, I often was the person media approached. That I had some understanding on how the media worked didn’t hurt.
When the Gay and Lesbian Political Action Guild (CLAGPAG) was active in the 1990’s, several of us who sat on the Steering Committee were frequently in the media as we were all involved in various aspects of community building and political work, primarily around the issue of sexual orientation inclusion in the Individual Rights Protection Act (IRPA), the provincial human rights legislation at the time. CLAGPAG disbanded following the Supreme Court of Canada finding in favour of Delwin Vriend’s case against the Government of Alberta. CLAGPAG, as an aside, was also the group which initiated the Gay Pride Marches and Rallies in 1991, 1992 and 1993 which later evolved into the current Pride Parade and Festival, organized by Pride Calgary.
During the 80’s and 90’s, I gradually made a name for myself as “That Activist.” When I first started down this road, I naively believed such work would open the arms of the community I had waited so many years to be a part of. I wanted to contribute to that community, to help move it towards a wonderful, light-filled, open place I believed - and still believe - we deserved to be. I never really understood the negativity directed at us or the mental and emotional process so many of us endured which resulted in a certain level of self-loathing.
My own experience growing up as a homosexual teenager (and a sexually inactive one, sad to say!) while not overwhelmingly positive wasn’t something I would describe as negative, either. Other factors made my teenage years difficult, but more or less understanding I was “probably” homosexual really wasn’t one of them. When I finally had my first true homosexual encounter I remember thinking it was like a loose floorboard in my life had finally clicked in to place. I was thrilled to discover I actually was gay. Within six months I was involved with GIRC and within a year I had come out to my family (a story unto itself...). Once my family knew I was gay, I really didn’t give care who else did.
While my family was far from happy about me being gay and it caused a fracture between my parents and I that was never fully resolved (both my parents are now deceased; Dad in 1980 just as we were starting to connect as two adult men, and Mom in 2000 after twenty-odd years of conflict between her and I), I was content and happy with myself for the first time in years. Coming out proved to be one of the most important and valuable things in my life.
So, I was surprised when I started encountering quite negative reactions to my activism and media involvement from those I regarded as my peers. I understood many of us, perhaps even most, are just not in a position where being publicly gay/lesbian/bi is an option. I was not faced with that and I felt I could make a difference and believed I had a moral obligation to try and make that difference. I could not, in good conscience, just sit back and do nothing.
What surprised me was not the lack of activists in Calgary and generally in Alberta. Even now, one can count on the fingers of one hand the number of GLBTQ activists in this province - I understood the various reasons, real or perceived, which barred many from getting involved. But rather, what surprised me was the vehemence often associated with the reaction against those of us who were active.
Many times would I be out at the bar and be cornered by someone who would proceed to get up in my face, jabbing at me with the tip of their forefinger, demanding to know who the hell I thought I was, just letting me know I did not speak for them, that I was rocking the boat, I should just shut up, etc. I often used to joke, by way of self-defence I suppose, that I had a permanent blue mark just below my left clavicle, about the size of a fingertip, which I referred to as my “You-Don’t-Speak-For-Me-Spot.” I also considered legally changing my first name to “That”, since everyone seemed to think that’s what it was anyway (“THAT Stephen Lock...”).
In 2003, I was approached by the national GLBT political action and lobbying group, Egale Canada, to come on their national Board of Directors as a co-representative of the Prairie/NWT/Nunavut Region. Gilles Marchildon, who had held the position for a couple of years, was resigning it in order to take a run at being Egale’s Executive Director. He knew of me through my involvement against the police raid on Goliath’s Saunatel, my producing and hosting a GLBTQ radio show, Speak Sebastian, for 14 years on CJSW FM 90.1, as well as through some of the writing I had done for various queer and alternative press over the years. After serving as interim Regional Co-Director for the Prairies/NWT/Nunavut Region, I was elected by the membership of Egale to serve in that capacity.
As mentioned by Rob in last month’s “Letters From the Editor”, I no longer give quotes or interviews to media. I have not done so for the last 2 years. For a variety of reasons I simply chose to step back and let others step up, if they so chose. Interestingly, Steve and Rob are pretty much the only ones who have consistently done so, along with various representatives of Outlooks Magazine – however Keith Purdy who put himself forward at one point, likewise seems to have stepped back.
I don’t regret my 20-some years of gay activism. It was important work and it was important to me to be able to do that work. Did I accomplish what I hoped to? No, not by a long shot. But I did help to accomplish some things. I helped establish a Pride Parade presence in this city. I helped establish a variety of organizations, several of which continue to exist today. I helped bring attention to the fact that gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals faced real discrimination in Alberta and that the Government of Alberta was complicit in that by denying us full and equal access to the very legislation designed to protect individuals against discrimination. Delwin Vriend brought it home. I helped with having equal marriage in Canadian law so that gay and lesbian couples could legally marry and have our relationships legally and fully recognized as just as valid, and just as valuable, as opposite-sex relationships.
So, when someone reacts to seeing one of us quoted in the media and dashes off a nasty little email demanding to know who gave us the right to put ourselves out there, perhaps knowing those of us who have been available to media, do have a background that is useful here.
Of course, we could always use more people speaking on behalf of a highly diverse community. We need a variety of perspectives to be presented - hopefully ones not buried in the mindset of the Closet.
