by Troy Williams
I was a recent guest on Howard Bragman’s web series Gwissues to discuss if Mormons are in fact, giving up their anti-gay crusade. I was joined by Dustin Lance Black and Stephen Mansfield, the author of The Mormonizing of America. I know this topic raises a lot of skepticism among many. Rightly so. Please watch and share your comments. Is the Mormon Church just playing nice to side-step bad PR?
Enjoy
by Troy Williams
photo by Ben Winslow, Fox 13
So here I am at the Utah Capitol, being interviewed by everybody’s favorite newscaster Ben Winslow on Fox 13. I’m being extremely eloquent, laying out my prophetic vision regarding the American cultural shift toward full LGBT equality and blah blah blah…WTF?
Some asshat in the background is photo-bombing my big moment!
He kept his finger out during my entire interview! Ben couldn’t broadcast a single frame of my spectacular oratory all because of this Cro-magnon moron! I later discovered that he was walking around our entire “United We Stand” rally making crude gestures in front of the cameras. Trying to ruin our moment.
This, my friends is what an Internet troll looks like. He is the creep on the comment boards that calls Obama a socialist and gay parents pedophiles. He’s the kind of guy who wants the government to get its hands off his mother’s Medicare. He also loved Good Day to Die Hard and has stashed under his mattress a collection of barnyard porn.
When I look at this subtle display of red-neck sophistication I can see clearly the character of the men and women aligned against us.
And I know we are winning.
photo by David Newkirk
But he couldn’t spoil the day. No way. The afternoon was beautiful. How can you beat hanging out at the Capitol with some of Utah’s most inspiring citizens?
Looking out at the ethnically diverse crowd I couldn’t help but think of Harvey Milk’s “coalition of Us’es” — the marginalized few who stand together against all odds.
Jani Iwamoto spoke about Japanese interment in Utah, Jeannette Williams from NAACP reminded us how her people moved from slavery to freedom, Archie Archuleta from the Utah Coalition of LaRaza ignited us together in solidarity, and Berta Marquez from Mormons Building Bridges recalled the persecution that drove Latter-day Saints west.
All of these groups represent people that have historically faced persecution. They stood together with us and demanded an end to LGBT discrimination in Utah.
Jeanetta Williams from the NAACP
It was brilliant.
SB 262, our bill that would have ended LGBT workplace and housing discrimination in Utah, historically made it out of committee, but our legislators were too cowardly to take it to the Senate floor. They were too busy finding ways to kill wolves and reject federal healthcare money for low-income Utahans.
That’s the Utah Legislature for you. Reactionary, xenophobic and absolutely determined to stick it to the feds, even at the cost of their own people.
But there were bright spots on the LGBT front this session. Mormon Republican Steve Uruqhart surprised many in his party by standing up to sponsor the bill. He’s no leftist radical. He’s a conservative guy who believes that every person in Utah should have a fair shot.
That gives me hope.
Of course the xenophobes have more influence in the Legislature than we do for the time being. They serve their ideological constituents, men like my photo-bombing troll. So I don’t worry too much. I see where we are headed as a nation. We can move forward with every confidence that we will soon see full equality for all LGBT Americans in all fifty states – and yes, that includes Utah.
The work is not over. This isn’t the end, but a midway point down the road. And there is more to do. We must educate our representatives. Come out and talk with our families. Tell our friends. Confide with our co-workers. Live authentically.
We all need to do our part. It’s easy. Click on over to UtahValues.org and find ways to communicate with your legislators. Keep the dialogue going. Because we are coming back next year and we won’t stop.
Ever.
A big shout out to Brandie Balken and Jim Dabakis and so many more at Equality Utah. They truly understand the importance of coalition building. They work in a spirit of collaboration and have no desire to take the glory for themselves. They work tirelessly to unite the “use’es” – against all odds.
Brandie Balken inspires the crowd!
Dabakis charms the media.
They are my heroes.
I also want to take a sec and tell the world that I’m so glad I’m gay! Because if I wasn’t, I’d never have the most adorable, sweet, handsome and amazing boyfriend ever! I’m pretty blessed.
Josh and Troy photo by Newkirk.
Gay is Great!
by Troy Williams
I was interviewed this week by Bryan Young the editor-in-chief of Big Shiny Robot on the recent controversy over sci-fi author and rabid homophobe Orson Scott Card writing a Superman comic. Bryan asked me to weigh in on efforts by many comic fans to boycott the issue. Read the full article in the new Salt Lake City Weekly.
Bryan writes:
I’m conflicted about this [boycott]. While I agree that Card’s opposition to equal rights is despicable, I have an easy time separating artists from their art if I like it. It’s why I still love Roman Polanski films. I’m doubly conflicted as I took many a creative-writing seminar taught by Card in my school days, and he was always a perfectly wonderful, charming guy and a reasonably good writer.
To help me sort through my disgust with Card’s medieval views on love and my much more modern love of Superman, I turned to Troy Williams, public affairs director for KRCL and fellow rabid comic nerd, for perspective.
“Orson Scott Card reminds me a lot of Superman’s archnemesis Lex Luthor, who is also absolutely obsessed with Superman,” Williams says. “Luthor is so consumed by jealousy of Superman that he ultimately spends his entire life fighting against him. Card is also so obsessed with gay people that he works tirelessly to ostracize us from the institutions of American culture. Superman, on the other hand, does not discriminate. He risks his life daily to defend all of us.”
All-Star Superman #12 by Grant Morrison, art by Frank Quitely
Yup. That’s my take. I believe OSC is outrageously jealous of gays. I also believe he is schizophrenic. In one column he advocates the overthrow of the U.S. Government “by whatever means is made possible or necessary” if gays are allowed to legally marry — and in the next, decides he must be outraged on behalf of all gays everywhere for how inconsiderately we were portrayed in the film Mamma Mia, which he argues is “a slap in the face to all gay people.”
WTF?
Yup. In his review, Card dismissed the treatment of Colin Firth’s gay character. “as a writer, I would never show such disrespect toward a homosexual character as to treat him or her the way Mamma Mia! (and Rowling) treated theirs. Having a gay character, for them, is merely an attempt to show how politically correct they are. In my fiction, having a gay character requires a commitment to treat him or her as fairly and deeply as I treat my straight characters.”
Which is it Orson? Gay or anti-gay? Revolution or Respect? Perhaps, like Batman’s villain Two-Face, Card just flips the proverbial gay coin to see what side will prevail. I personally don’t need OSC to be outraged on my behalf. Though obviously, Card has some deep personal issues centered around homosexuality that he really, really needs to work through. In that respect, this looks like a job for Superman.
To conclude Bryan’s column;
Williams is even more optimistic about the outcome. “In Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman, Lex Luthor drank a vial that temporarily gave him Superman’s enhanced powers so that he could ultimately destroy him,” he says. “But, unexpectedly, Luthor began for the first time to see the world through Kal-El’s all-inclusive and all-loving eyes. Luthor, for the first time, saw the harmonious structure of everything. Superman’s worldview ultimately offers redemption for his longtime adversary.
“So, who knows?” Williams continues. “Perhaps if Card spends a few hours inside Superman’s head, thinking his thoughts and writing his words, something powerful will happen. Perhaps Card, like Luthor before him, will have his irrational jealousy and xenophobia annihilated by the pure love and super-enlightenment of Kal-El of Krypton. We can hope.”
We certainly can. And we can still skip those two issues of Superman. Boycott notwithstanding, if you’ve read Card’s run on Iron Man, you’ll know you’re probably not going to miss much.
That’s what’s so great about Superman. He came to earth to inspire all of us, even super creeps like Lex Luthor and Orson Scott Card.
Thanks Bryan. May the force be with you!
by Troy Williams
This afternoon, seeking shelter from the winter storm, I went with friends to see Lincoln. The film was inspiring. It reminded me how great we can be as a nation when we have the courage to overcome our worst impulses. It’s impossible to watch without drawing parallels between Lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery and the political struggles of contemporary times. And while I recognize there are vast differences in ending slavery and say the current struggle of obtaining full civil equality for LGBT Americans, I can’t help but draw strength from the historical narrative. The past helps us confront the challenges of our present.
Case in point. Two weeks ago I spent a half hour up at the Utah Capitol Building with my old mentor and conservative culture warrior, Gayle Ruzika. I jokingly told her that if she supported a statewide LGBT non-discrimination bill that I would give her my VIP tickets to the next Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert.
She didn’t budge.
Gayle is committed to protecting her religious freedom. She told me that if she owned a religious bookstore she wants the freedom to fire a gay employee. But she did have the caveat that if she ever owned a clothing store she would for sure keep me! She’s just so kind.
Unfortunately, this unelected lobbyist has great sway amongst Utah’s elected officials. And she can strike great fear in their hearts. She can invoke an angry god whose wrath is kindling against a perverse nation. She can proclaim that if gays are ever equal then the very freedoms religionists enjoy will be obliterated. There can be no compromise. The issue of religious freedom and LGBT equality must remain forever at odds.
As the New Pornographers aptly observed, “now it’s my rights versus yours.”
But can the two be reconciled? Religious organizations don’t want to be sued if they refuse to perform gay marriages, or allow gay adoptions. I get it. I just have a hard time accepting why a decent human being want to discriminate in the first place. Can you imagine in 2013 a Church fighting to maintain the freedom to outlaw black marriages? or even inter-racial marriages? Of course not. Any Church that advocated such a position would become a social pariah.
But that hasn’t always the case. Certainly not in Lincoln’s day. Religious ideology was the very rationale used to deny African-Americans the most basic human dignity. Pious believers argued zealously that God had created the Negro to be subservient. Today they argue that LGBT Americans must be denied access to the most basic of human institutions.
It is still legal in Utah and in many states to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We can be fired from our jobs and evicted from our apartments. There are protections for race, gender, age, ability and religious affiliation, but not so for sexuality. Again and again, “religious freedom” is being used as an excuse to justify ugly, exclusionary public policies.
Religions are terrified that if the Supreme Court strikes down both DOMA and Prop 8 they will be forced to marry gay people. They want exemptions. They want the freedom to discriminate.
Religions survive by crafting clear boundaries of In-group vs. Out-group. Good vs. evil. Pious vs. Deviant. White vs. Black. Man vs. Woman. Gay vs. Straight.
Geezus, these endless battles are exhausting!
And I don’t buy the religious freedom argument. I grew up in Mormonism. I can’t imagine Jesus, Nephi, Moroni or Joseph Smith ever advocating the right to exclude a marginalized population. They all understood persecution. They were the victims of discrimination and hatred. They endured violence at the hands of their oppressors. Even before the threat of swords, bullets and angry mobs, they all taught a message of love and peace.
Let the religiously fortified walls of bigotry fall.
There are some freedoms that should be forever lost to the dustbin of history; namely the freedom to discriminate and oppress.
It is an idea that is beautifully expressed in Tony Kushner’s screenplay of Lincoln. While contemplating the urgency to end a war and pass the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, the president argues,
“If we submit ourselves to law, even submit to losing freedoms, the freedom to oppress, for instance, we may discover other freedoms previously unknown to us.”
It’s an idea that we must seize and proclaim to every legislator, bishop, priest, rabbi and cardinal. Yield your freedom to oppress. Yield your xenophobia. Who knows? You may discover an opportunity to live the fullest expression of your faith.
You may discover that the blessings of equality, justice, inclusion and freedom may actually liberate us all.
by Troy Williams
Listen to the new RadioActive short on Utah Phillips and the final remains of Joe Hill:
Utah Phillips
One was a labor organizer who was executed in Salt Lake City, an early casualty of the American class war. The other was a folk-singer and hobo who once made a home in Salt Lake City but was later black-listed and forced out of town. They both inspired laborers to organize and fight for their rights.
Joe Hill
Joe Hill and Utah Phillips are synonymous with the labor movement. Their stories and songs ignited a people to resist injustice. Hill famously said at his execution, “don’t mourn, organize.” Phillips was fond of saying, “The state can’t give you freedom, and the state can’t take it away. The degree to which you resist is the degree to which you are free…”
Back in the 80′s when Phillips discovered a portion of the ashes of Joe Hill were stored in the National Archive, he along with the president of the IWW set out to liberate his remains. They did so, and before they mailed Hill’s ashes around the world, Utah took a pinch and laid them to rest inside the body of his old road-weary guitar.
Utah Phillips passed away in 2007. His guitar and legacy live on through his son, Duncan, who still performs his father’s stories and songs. I’ve known Duncan for years. We traveled to Ft. Benning, GA several years ago to participate in the annual School of the Americas protest in 2004. It was there that I first met Utah Phillips — the grand-fatherly story-teller, with signature red plaid shirt and brown fedora. I was rather new then to the social justice activist world, and the three days I spent with him were life-changing.
I asked Utah if he ever knew a time worse than ours (we were then in the heat of Bush’s war on terror). He smiled at my naive question and told me the story of Labor — a rich history that I was, for the most part, largely ignorant.
He told me the story of Sojourner Truth — the abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.
Then he told me about Mother Jones — the child labor activist.
And then Joe Hill.
Utah told me that we were all building a ship — and even though we may not be on board when it sails, that we need to build it anyway. It was the story that he had put to verse,
“Ship Gonna Sail”
Chorus:
Workin on a ship, may never sail on.
Ships gonna sail, gonna sail someday.
Workin on a ship, may never sail on.
Gonna build it anyway.
Utah’s stories placed our own lives into historical context. Women’s rights activists, labor organizers, peace and justice activists, environmentalists, LGBT rabble-rousers — we are all connected, we are all engaged in the same struggle. I never truly understood the interconnectedness of social movements until that fateful weekend.
Troy Williams, Amy Ray, Utah Phillips SOAW protest 2004
I also owe one other debt to Utah Phillips. He introduced me to Amy Ray from the Indigo Girls.
Last week I went with KRCL’s Bad Brad Wheeler to visit with Duncan in his home — to hear Duncan tell the stories of his late father, and to remember the legacy of Utah Phillips. Duncan keeps the stories alive at thelongmemory.com. It was great to see and hear Duncan pick up his father’s guitar and share the songs and stories that have inspired generations of workers and working class heroes.
Duncan Phillips
“Caught dead in Utah” — Utah Phillip’s guitar holds a pinch of the remains of Joe Hill.
Utah Phillips’ guitar
by Troy Williams
A big thanks to CATALYST magazine for including me as one of their “CATALYST 100″. The qualification for nomination being “those who have made [Utah] a more sustainable, compassionate and vibrant place to live.” There are many people on this list, far more vibrant than me, but I’m extremely honored to be numbered with them. It’s also great to see the fictional character Dottie Dixon, whose misadventures I helped unleash upon the world back in 2009, also making the list.
CATALYST is a monthly magazine that follows “the rise of the ‘cultural creatives’ — those who take a whole-systems approach to the world’s ecological, social and spiritual crises.”
by Troy Williams
A big congratulations to Mormons Building Bridges! The Salt Lake Tribune has named them the 2012 Utahns of the Year. Well deserved. Last summer over 300 faithful Latter-day Saints took the brave first step of marching in our Pride Parade. Dustin Lance Black and I had the privilege to lead them in the march. It was an incredibly inspiring and unforgettable experience. I’m thrilled that the editors and journalists of the Tribune saw fit to honor their efforts.
photo by David Newkirk
story excerpt:
“They called themselves Mormons Building Bridges. They were not out to debate politics or doctrine, organizers said, but to promote love and listening. Still, their simple yet potent gesture echoed around the globe, setting an example for fellow believers who then took up the style, if not the name, in 15 other Pride parades. They also attracted national and international media attention, well-known enough even for spoofing in the satirical magazine The Onion.
“They are The Salt Lake Tribune’s Utahns of the Year for 2012.”
Pat Bagley
