While the Sept. 11 tragedy weighed heavy on the minds and hearts of participants at last Friday's Color Triangle Jam, most agreed that the multicultural unity event was just what the community needed.
"I think that this was a really good opportunity to come together and mourn what's going on and also have a space to gather in honor of the victims of the violence there ( on the East Coast ) , but also of the violence and terror worldwide," said Cat Julia of the Jam Planning Committee.
The Jam, held Sept. 14 at the Hot House, brought together a diverse range of GLBT individuals and organizations, from Affinity to the American Civil Liberties Union. It was the second celebration thrown by the Color Triangle, a coalition of anti-racism GLBT groups.
The evening's program began with a "moment of silence to remember those who aren't with us right now and to think about what has happened," said emcee and Planning Committee member Karen Rothstein.
Bill Greaves, the Mayor's liaison to the GLBT community, gave an emotional plea to the audience, urging members to "please be careful, please be cautious. Any attack on you is an attack on all of us."
Afterward, Greaves told WCT that officials are, "really pleased that Unity Month events are continuing to happen in this time of crisis because the message that they bring is that we are unified."
Three members of the South Asian women's organization Khuli Zaban ( KZ ) read a statement condemning both Tuesday's terrorist attacks and the subsequent backlash against Middle Eastern communities. They also listed actions that allies of Middle Eastern communities can take to show their support.
"Remember that people of Middle Eastern descent are human beings, first and foremost," said KZ member Proshat Sherkaloo.
Aside from the speeches, the evening also featured performances by About Face Youth Theater, Lani T. Montreal, Ari Banias and C.C. Carter, and music by DJ Boy Wonder and Queer Beat Science.
Carter, who has family members in New York, noted that both people of color and members of GLBT communities have been pointedly missing from the mainstream media coverage of the terrorist attacks.
She told of a lesbian friend who was not let into emergency rooms to look for her missing partner last week because she isn't the next of kin. Carter called on GLBT media to highlight such untold stories. [ See Carter's column below. ]
"Tonight is about recognizing all of the faces of America," she said. Much of the talk Friday revolved around Tuesday's events, with community members trying to put the attacks and their aftermath in perspective.
"One of the things I find most offensive in this horrible tragedy is being manipulated for political ends," said Andy Thayer of the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network. He called some recent outbursts of patriotism "part of a pretty cynical, xenophobic agenda."
"After all, the color of mourning is black, not red, white and blue," he said. "LGBT people, if they're smart, will recognize the same people who push these agendas as the people who push anti-gay agendas. ... We slit our own throats if we align ourselves with those people."
Pamela Sumners of the ACLU cautioned against allowing the government to take security measures too far.
"Back in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the ACLU represented Fred Korematsu, the representative of all of the Japanese Americans interred in camps in World War II. We hope that that does not happen this time," she said. "I'm glad to hear our leaders talking about civil liberties and not just safety."
Sumners also responded to comments by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who backhandedly blamed gays and lesbians and the ACLU for last week's attacks.
"I felt very good to be dissed organizationally," Sumners said. Falwell later apologized for his statements, claiming he never meant to scapegoat any communities or organizations.
The Jam also featured a resource fair, with booths from: Affinity, Amigas Latinas, the Association of Latin Men in Action, the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, the ACLU, GayCo, A Different Voice Productions, Cheetah Gym and Compassion Action, Amnesty International, Horizons Community Services, the Law Office of Mary Cay Marubio, Chicago Black Lesbians and Gays, Chicago Professional Networking Association, Project Vida, the Night Ministry, It's Time! Illinois, the YWCA, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the Chicago Foundation for Women, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Crossroads Fund, the AIDS Walk & Run and Howard Brown Health Center.
For more information on the Color Triangle, call ( 773 ) 472-6469, ext. 406, e-mail info@colortriangle.org or visit www.colortriangle.org .
