Dana Beyer
Executive Director, Gender Rights Maryland
Dan Massey, Renaissance Man, Androgyne and Longtime LGBT Change Agent, Passes On
Posted: 02/05/2013 9:15 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/dan-massey_b_2606946.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/dan-massey_b_2606946.html)
There are legions of activists at work in our nation of over 300 million people, the vast majority of whom receive scant or no attention over the course of their lives. Some would like the attention but can't get it, while others shun it, preferring to work outside the glare of the media and celebrity. All types are needed to play the inside and outside political game and navigate the long, deliberate and often agonizingly slow process of educating the masses on their cause. I'd like to believe that the horizon of equality has been seriously telescoped, as the time from Seneca Falls to Selma was 117 years, and the time from Stonewall to today is one-third as much. But even 44 years is a long time, so I'd like to introduce you today to one of those quiet warriors of the past 44 years, Dan Massey, who passed away last week at the age of 70.
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Most important, however, was Dan's passionate advocacy over the years in support of social justice for all. Never afraid to be in the avant-garde, Dan and Alison were early and fervent supporters of the trans community in the D.C. region. Serving as a home base, feeding the troops, engaging in debate and never failing to keep the ball moving forward, they exemplify the meaning of the word "persevere." I think I know why President Obama used the word twice in his Barnard commencement address: He was thinking of couples like Dan and Alison and the others whom they've inspired. They are what community organizing is all about.