Legendary queer activist Larry Kramer took aim at The Advocate at last week’s National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention.
Taking the microphone following publisher Michael Phelps‘ celebration of the 40-year old magazine’s “new” design, Kramer – whose ACT-UP helped pave the way for the AIDS movement – implored Phelps and his staffers to do more than toying with new fonts.
Dallas Voice‘s David Webb reports:
As the nation’s largest gay publication – one that had once lived up to the nature of its name – The Advocate owed more to the nation’s LGBT population, [Kramer] said.
…
The publisher and his editor had little to say, except that the magazine had evolved over its 40 years.
Kramer’s reformist mission continued two days later during a prescheduled speech. The 72-year old insists today’s gay activists aren’t as effective as they could be:
The activist – who once roared but now almost whispers into the microphone – accused LGBT people of being “passive” and “apathetic” today. Freedom cannot be won without a fight, he warned.
“If you want the freedom, [then] you have to find a way,” Kramer said. “Just don’t be so passive. We are capable of so much more.”
He lashed out at society in general and the education system for failing to teach the history of gay and lesbian people to students. Kramer called on people to get angry and resume “in their face” activism like he and others employed in the 1980s when gay men were dying daily from AIDS.
He complained that he is concerned his partner will not inherit enough from his estate to be secure when he dies because of unfair laws that penalize gay couples and reward straight ones. He lashed out at gay rights leaders, claiming their tactics are not doing enough to bring about equality for LGBT people.
One attendee, another 80’s era activist, William Waybourn agrees with Kramer, but only to a certain extent.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Waybourn says that while Kramer’s got a point, he’s fallen victim to convenient, partially blind exaggeration.
I understand his frustration. It’s the same for all of us in that age range. You have a greater sense that the clock is ticking.
…
Things are never as bad or as good as Larry Kramer makes them out to be. He’s right, and he’s wrong. I think we’ve made a lot of progress. Is it enough? I don’t think so. I think there is a lot more that could be done.Is it going to happen in our lifetimes? I don’t think so because there’s just not the fervor that existed that was not only driven by the passion for equality but also because AIDS was upon us. It created a different dynamic back then.
Waybourn concedes that many of today’s activists lack a “driving force”.
While Kramer and Waybourn may have a point, perhaps activists avenues have simply taken a technological turn. Rather than rallying troops on the streets, activist bloggers and political operatives are using the Internet to spread their message. And, as we saw with Michael Rogers and Larry Craig, they’re having tremendous results.
GranDiva
Larry’s problem is that the whole world doesn’t think like he does, and he can’t stand it. Never have I witnessed someone so doggedly convinced that his way is the only way.
GranDiva
Whoops, I take that back. Who’s the American President now?
Matt
Excellent point, GranDiva! They’re both myopic, convinced that their point of view and strategy is not only the only right one, but the only moral one as well. The key difference is, of course, that Larry fought on the front lines when he was called to action, and W-hat’shisname has always been a blustery scared little bunny (with apologies to little bunnies everywhere of course).
ggreen
Having lived through Larry Kramer’s brand of activism once I hope I never have to see it again. Believe it or not all of today’s activists are standing on his 72-year-old shoulders. Times and attitudes change so do kinds of activism. We are seeing a much subtler kind of activism these days. Lots of pro gay things happen now silently from the top instead loud pushing from the street.
The bigger issue IMHO is the complacency of today’s gays. There are exceptions but younger gays I meet are a boozed up version of Paris Hilton. Me, Me, Me, Gimmie, Gimmie, I’m entitled.
Dawster
He came from a time when people fought. People believed. People had hope and ideas. People would chain themselves to heavy object because they wanted change. People demanded movement. People had heart, they had love.
On some levels it makes me sad that today’s major advancement is in the furthering of complacency and prescription anti-depressants. Nobody cares anymore. Nobody believes. Nobody protests – at least not like they use to.
No one gets indignant anymore. I agree, the world has changed, but that doesn’t mean passion has to.
Leland Frances
Kramer often shoots himself in the mouth, but he’s totally right about the Advocate and apathy generally.
“Rather than rallying troops on the streets, activist bloggers and political operatives are using the Internet to spread their message.” Spread WHAT message? Preaching to the choir is still preaching to the choir whether you do it in person or in print or on the Net. The Human Rights Champagne fund is the worst example with their belief that you can create social change by press releases alone. Too bad only a few queens actually read them.
They spend OVER SIX MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR ON SALARIES ALONE!!!! What are you, girls, getting for all that and the other 30-some million in HRC’s annual budget except the perpetutation of their empire and their salaries? Name THREE concrete things they’ve done for the community. I dare ya.
Jack Jett
Thank you Larry Kramer for speaking the truth. This very speech is the reason that someone like Kramer should be leading this gay movement in place of Solomesea and the HRC.
We need someone that is not afraid to stand up in to these evangelicals and not pussy foot around it with fucking cocktail parites for A gays and celebrities which doesn’t get us anywhere.
Jack Jett
rock
Jack Jett..I agree with you…we need a number of “I am Mad as Hell and Not going to take it any more” Gay Leaders….instead we have the cocktail set……we need a version of the Howard Dean build from the grassroots up movement at the local levels, counties, cities and states instead of the top down philosophy of the HRC blow hards that spend a lot of our money on themselves…
time to make life liveable for all of us and not just the big city groups……we are everywhere so why are we not fighting for all of us everywhere?
I say give ’em hell Larry and keep going and time we find leaders like Larry to keep giving them hell until we get what every other American has…..the same constitutional rights as str8 citizens…
until then, we have miles to go before we sleep…so why have we decided to keep sleeping?
Tony Mills
Jewish queers at the helm, it’s a disaster waiting to to happen, how long till the ship hits an iceberg like the Titanic. The guys at LPI are feeding at the table of sodomeeee…will they pay for their sins?
How about getting some catholics and arabs…now that’s sexy. Are gays obsessed by sex..count me in ducky! Tray boner!!!