The Foundation for a United Front held its second annual Stonewall riot panel at the First Unitarian Church in Hyde Park July 10. The panel, presented by the foundation's Public Sphere program considered questions not generally discussed in mainstream LGBT politics.
Just eight attended the talk, held in the church's large sanctuary.
Speakers included Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network; Gini Lester, president of the Community Alliance & Action Network; and Nebula Li, a law student and community activist. Emma Todd, another scheduled panelist, was absent.
The event opened with a short introduction from the foundation's executive director, A.J. Segneri.
The discussion focused on politics, activism and pop culture.
The range of topics discussed was very broad. Gay, lesbian and transsexual identities in the public eye and the media and issues of class and race in the gay community often cropped up as subtopics within more general areas of discussion.
"One thing that astounds me that has not been [addressed] in our community is that what with the great recession it's very common now for 20 and 30 somethings to be living at home. What does that mean for the whole issue of coming out of the closet?" Thayer asked, remarking on how the issue of class affects the future of the LGBT community as a whole.
Activism was a major concern. Panelists shared the opinion that internet campaigns weren't sufficient, that rallies, organization, and older methods of protest such as civil disobedience were far more effective.
"The first pride was a riot," Li noted. "It was a resistance of queer people of color, trans people of color, trans women, standing up and asserting their rights after being profiled by police..."
Within the conversation on activism, the question of sound strategy cropped up. Panelists questioned if it was more effective to vote people into office to get a job done or to fight battles outside of the legal system with public sentiment, forcing those elected to hear their message and make a change. Opinions here were mixed, but close. The presidency of Richard Nixon was bought up as an example of the latter, of public outcry forcing change in laws despite partisan battles.
The domination of the LGBT community's image by white males in the media was a hot topic for discussion, and that went hand in hand with the under-representation of the community as a whole. Panelists stated that the media did not seem to have inclusive views for minorities, trans people or queer youth.
