UNSUNG VICTORIES VERSUS PARTY IN THE PENTHOUSE
Paul Varnell, almost always worth the read:
Thinking about it later, I realized that I was engaging in a bit of impromptu gay activism. Here was a man who seemed genuinely interested, so it was worthwhile trying to answer his questions. I may have been the first openly gay person of whom he could ask these questions. I firmly believe that the most effective activism is individual, person-to-person encounters like this.
I do to. Which is why I always roll my eyes at those who insist on "visibility", Washington-style or assume special, er ... voice-over privileges, in a way.
It's also why I chuckle at the lists of the Named Gays, who make the top 100. Yes, we all understand why that occurs (what good comes out of it), but when was a "story" ever written about ordinary Josephine, who changed lives the way Paul may have above? [In fact, one afternoon, p-dog asked me what I had done after a day of virtually no accomplishments, and I blustered boldly, "Changed lives!" We both cracked up. And use it as a refrain to this day.]
So, when I didn't get an invitation to the swank party of the Politburo, I didn't feel soooo left out, or tooooo envious of their highly-paid-to-be-gay-status, did you?
