Great Movements in History

By Jim Koury

All great movements in history that have fostered change or have motivated individuals to step forward from their comfort zones to take action for the betterment of society have one key component in common. It drove early explorers to the shores of North America, created the desire of early settlers to forge westward and beyond, and individuals to take action generally that many would not consider taking to create a better life.

The common thread in humankind’s quest for fulfillment of a better life is the pioneering spirit of the individuals leading these great movements of people. This intense pioneering spirit within us has made America what it is today and will continue to influence its future.

America’s destiny has been shaped by pioneers who are not afraid to envision circumstances and conditions that will facilitate the fulfillment of America’s inherent promise of liberty and justice for all.

More specifically, pioneers who have fought for LGBTQ equality envisioned a society that openly accepted LGBTQ individuals based on their inherent self-worth and not on the prejudices related to the sexual orientation with which they were born.

Since the Stonewall Rebellion in June of 1968, the beginning of the modern-day LGBTQ equal rights movement, many pioneers have stepped forward to fight the fight. Their dedication and commitment to the cause of equality have helped foster a better understanding of what it means to be LGBTQ. Without their vision, the LGBTQ community would not have many of the rights and privileges we enjoy today.

We tend to forget the efforts of those before us and take for granted what has been achieved resulting from their efforts. It is their sacrifices made on that hot summer night in New York City in June of 1968, and by others that followed, that ignited the spark of equality in the hearts of many and kept it burning brightly. They dared to stand and say ENOUGH!

Sadly, in 2016 the pioneering spirit that drove America toward its goal of a “more perfect union” and to achieve the bold, daring and breathtaking progressive advancements achieved by our predecessors was put on hold when American voters go fucking stupid and elected the fascist pig called Trump. It is so embarrassing to me that we allowed such an evil force in American society to take pre-eminence and given it such power to wreak the havoc it has on the American way of life. It is a travesty beyond the pale of imagination.

Advancements made during the last 50 years up to the point of this horrific man’s elevation to the highest office in the land have been wiped out and severely muted and restricted. The most notable was Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed women’s right to choose. Given the opportunity, I have no doubt these repugnant people will continue to chip away at other progressive advancements premised on the constitutional right to privacy, such as same-sex marriage, access to contraception etc, etc.

In terms of LGBTQ rights, while many states have advanced queer rights, overall, the tone coming from the federal government is not one conducive to promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion. Equal treatment of American citizens who are different from the old white conservatives and those who sympathize with their regressive philosophy has taken a back seat and, in some states, has gone off the cliff.

The current fascist iteration of the GOP has no interest in any pioneering spirit to move us forward. Only efforts to send us back to a darker time in our history interests the GOP, where the rule of law is mocked and where a wink and nod give way to a secret form of justice based on racist and outright un-American values while publicly stating equality and justice for all is supported. The quest for the fulfillment of a better life? Forget about it! Their vision of a “better life” is one that existed in a prior time in America that supported and upheld white values and those of imperialist explorers attempting to subjugate indigenous peoples to their way of life. What a joke.

We need to continue to stand up for our rights and fight harder than our predecessors did to ensure a society in which LGBTQ individuals and all people who are different are entirely accepted for who they are and not discriminated against for who and what they are. Our obligation to those who follow is to wage the battle against those who would have us return to the days before Stonewall and before all the amazing progressive legislation passed since FDR. We refuse to go back to antebellum America.

To do this, however, the challenge before us is immense. We must relegate the MAGAT movement and those brain-dead folks who support it back under the rocks and in the cold, clammy caves where they are most comfortable and certainly need to remain. Their putrid mentality has sullied the American experiment. We cannot allow it to continue any longer.

I cannot emphasize enough that this upcoming presidential election is one of the most important elections we will experience in modern times, if not the most important. It is a choice between fascism grounded in racist and un-American thought, coddling up to a dictator wannabe, or continuing with a President who embraces American values and wants nothing more than to reinstill the pioneering spirit which drove us in the past, to continue to shine its light of freedom and progressive thought throughout America once again.

Vote, people. Vote like your lives depended on it. In many ways, they genuinely do rely on that very action in such a collective show of force that there is no doubt whatsoever what the intention of the American voter is resulting from the 2024 election. Make it one that preserves the American way of life and casts out the trash that has polluted our nation for eight VERY LONG years.

Jim is the author of two books, Unredacted and Soul Journey, and also publishes an online publication, Diversity Rules Magazine. He resides in Upstate New York in the city where he was born, with his dog Lina and cat Critter.
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