Stalinist realism/perfection/Heinlein/lesbian and gay issues

[susanmcgee48176]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie" 
<sistermagpie at ...> wrote:
>
> > > Susan:
> > > It's kind of like leaders in the lesbian and gay community not 
> > > being thrilled with JKR because she didn't include lesbian/gay 
> > > characters in the book and only outed DD after the fact. I 
don't 
> > > look for perfection... <snip>
> > 
> > Mike:
> > It seems those leaders suffer under the same delusion as most 
> > politicians -- nothing is ever good enough and everything the 
> other 
> > side says is wrong because the other side said it.
> 
> Magpie:
> I wouldn't go that far. I mean, I can't imagine why people would be 
> thrilled about it. She had a single gay character and she left him 
> out of the book for some reason. Why should they be praising her 
for 
> that as leaders of the lesbian and gay community when this way of 
> handling a gay character is actually a throwback? It just seems a 
> bit much to say "nothing is ever good enough" about somebody not 
> putting any gay characters in their series. 
> 
> -m
>
And I understand why people aren't thrilled either.

However, I'm a community organizer (among other things), and I was 
brought up in the 50s...Even ten years ago, if you had told me that 
gay marriage would be legalized in one or two states (and several 
other countries) and that the California legislature would twice pass 
bills legalizing it, I would have laughed..In 1973, a gay 
psychiatrist who addressed the AMA had to totally disguise himself, 
disguse his voice, dress in a costume, etc. because of fear of 
disclosure of his sexual orientation....The non-discrimination bill 
(ENDA) will pass Congress, although the president has already said he 
would veto it....TREMENDOUS progress has been made in the last 40 
years in recognizing lesbian and gay civil rights...and as more and 
more people get to know more and more lesbians and gays personally 
(and as more and more lesbians and gays come out people will realize 
they know lesbians and gay men and most of them are like everyone 
else). 

So, I think change is incremental, and every little bit helps. Too 
often (on the left)people are impatient with anything but perfection..
unless something is "pure" it's not good.....

Susan

Susan