Knock Off the Boycott Stuff, Tomorrow it Could be You

Here's a what if. Suppose a gay rights group puts a proposition on the ballot to amend the constitution to expand the definition of marriage to include marriage between a man and a man and a woman and a woman. A gay restaurant owner, a gay waitress, the director of a musical theater, a gay minister, give one hundred or more dollars to the yes on gay marriage amendment group to insure passage.

Then the predictable happens. It kicks up a firestorm among Christian fundamentalists, traditional family groups, and the usual suspect right wing talk radio yakkers. Then one or more of them in their righteous rage says let's get the names of the above mentioned small change donors to the marriage expanding amendment. Let's then harass, harangue, and bully them. How would the gay groups that backed the amendment respond? We know the answer. They'd scream bloody murder about intimidation, harassment, and bullying. They'd shout and breast beat that it's an infringement on the right to exercise free speech and political advocacy. They would sprint to the nearest courthouse and try to get injunctions against the boycotters. Finally, they'd implore the public, authorities, and politicians to defend tolerance.

It's all of course the old saw about whose ox is being gored. The moral of this what if is this: today the target may be someone or something that you don't like tomorrow the target could be you.

For the record few black straights have been stronger supporters of gay rights including the right to marry and a louder voice against discrimination anti-gay violence, bigotry, and vilification than this writer and activist. But harassment, intimidation and bullying in defense of those rights is just too dangerous a line to cross. One that I won't cross and neither should those who called for boycotting of the Prop 8 supporters.