Stonewall 2.0: It's What We Make of It
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-chrisler/stonewall-20-its-what-we_b_148865.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-chrisler/stonewall-20-its-what-we_b_148865.html)
Jennifer Chrisler
12/5/2008
Stonewall 2.0. It's a potent term combining the history and energy of Greenwich Village, 1969 and the social network horizons of the 21st century: activists in the streets, old-school placards in one hand, cell phones in the other, texting their counterparts in other cities, sharing enthusiasm, outrage, tactics and ideas -- and all of his happening live.
There has certainly been a lot of activity these past few weeks for LGBT equality -- an outpouring of emotion and street-level demands unseen in the LGBT community since the AIDS crisis of the early 1990s. I was in college then, newly out as a lesbian, galvanized by the energy of the moment. As outraged as we are by the passage of Prop 8 and similar measures in Arkansas, Arizona and Florida, we cannot miss the opportunity these terrible acts give us to develop new advocates and together make change. People are paying attention now. Right now. And as the leader of a national organization working to ensure equality for LGBT families, I can tell you that getting people to pay attention is usually the hardest, most frustrating first step in the long road towards progress.