In 2009, are you serious? This was the cry of the GLBTQ community in Atlanta this afternoon. There must have been hundreds of GLBTQ supporters and allies at a rally in Atlanta's midtown.
Today I proudly stood with over thirty fellow Unitarian Universalists in a community rally against the raid at Eagle Atlanta, a gay bar in Atlanta. We were there not only stand up for rights, but also to support the GLBTQ community in Atlanta. From victim accounts of the raid there were heavy handed tactics, oppressive slurs against homosexuality, and possible rights violations. Rev. Anthony David, Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta gave a stirring speech and there were a great deal of press present.
Without a protest and without speaking out there is the danger of losing the momentum on speaking out against misdeeds. Richard Gilbert speaks of the prophetic imperative that demands that we speak, especially in the face of human dignity. The South has had more than its share of struggles for rights and recognition. The struggle still continues and Unitarian Universalists are on the rising front of recognizing that love knows no boundary. Love should not be bound by law, oppression, and fear. We must speak up and speak loud or we will lose our right to speak at all.
Thank you all for coming out in support of the Atlanta LGBT community.
ReplyDeleteWe especially want to thank Rev. David for having a direct, to-the-point speech. Some past rallies have had a bit of an image problem, with spiritual leaders who meandered from idea to idea, but Rev. David was really good up there. I think we have a decent video clip of his segment, and plan to post it if no one puts out a better version first.