Reply #44: You've made so many really excellent points!

[BillSam]

"Age is no excuse," yes. There are books about the early gay rights movement (even BEFORE Stonewall) and lots of information on the Internet. Let me make it clear that this is certainly not true of all younger gays, but far too many of them have no idea of what's gone before or for some strange reason think that activism didn't begin until they came of age! Maybe their mostly straight parents aren't activists so they assume all older people are the same -- no interest in social causes -- regardless
of their orientation.

I remember meeting a very young lady from GLAAD at a party. I mentioned that I had been involved with New York's Gay Activists Alliance, which was very vocal and visible many years ago. She, of course, had no idea of what I was talking about, no knowledge of the gay groups that had come long before GLAAD, and no real interest in what -- to her -- this old fart had to say, although she was polite enough. Depressing, really.

The corporate LGBT activists of today are largely (if not exclusively) very, very different from the unpaid gay activists of the past, who had only dedication, fervor and an honest need to make things better to sustain them.

I'm curious about your point about some older gays who want to remain "outlaws." I'm not saying this phenomenon doesn't exist, only that I can't really say I've encountered it in any concrete form. Sure, there are guys like myself who don't want every single gay bar to become "mixed" and so on, but that doesn't mean I'm a separatist or want all gays to remain on the political fringes without real rights. Could you elaborate on this (you can send me a private message if you prefer). Maybe some older gay men long for the days of mafia bars and dim lights if only because they were younger and hotter --THAT attitude I have encountered, but it's more about lost youth than anything else.

Thanks for a very interesting post!