Revolution

They’re calling it Stonewall 2.0.

I call it about time. I do not share the same views as my cohort RA, as such I think that’s what makes us an interesting pair of pseudo-journalists. You see her take on same-sex marriage although an interesting one built of convictions and such is far from my view on the subject. However that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I want to talk to you about this “new wave of advocates” this cultural revolution of sorts; you see some California voters were outraged by the Prop 8’s passing. There is nothing better than the youth of America becoming outraged at a moral or cultural situation. If there hadn’t been these pioneers and their outrage today’s America would be a very different one. The cultural revolution of our parents during the 60’s and 70’s changed the path of America. In the sixties you had the Rise of feminism which brought the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Chicano movement which among other things saw to the rise of the MALDF in 1968, the counterculture/social revolution you know Hippies. Together they created a new liberated stance for society, including the sexual revolution, the youth of America began demanding more freedoms and rights for women, homosexuals, and minorities. The seventies saw more social progressive values that began in the sixties, the rise of Environmentalism and the United States celebrating its first Earth Day on April 22 1970. Civil Rights took a severe blow with the deaths of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, JR. and Senator Bobby Kennedy, but continued to march on.

And now we have a new wave of advocates, shaken out of a generational apathy, having pushed to the forefront of the gay rights movement, using freshly minted grass-roots groups and embracing not only new technologies but also old-school methods like sit-ins and sickouts. You see a Mr. Palazzolo (32 year old male from California), recently founded the group Equal Roots Coalition with some friends stating “I’d been focused on other things in my life, then November fourth happened, and it woke me up.” Isn’t that often how it is? The youth and it’s political inexperience making social change because of some other social awaking. The youth trying to make a difference, not just for one’s self but for the community. This isn’t just for the realm of gay rights, but this new awakening can mean a leap for civil rights for everyone. Let us hope that this is the case, and not a flash in the pan situation that our generation is known for.