In the local LGBT community, there are several longstanding rifts and some recent divisions. So-and-so doesn’t talk to so-and-so, this one doesn’t talk to that one. At times, the unity of the community is nonexistent.
This was certainly apparent on Sunday during OutFest, which, by all accounts, was a huge success.
As a minority community, it’s important to recognize that individuals are going to disagree on issues and have different opinions on how to accomplish goals. There might not even be agreement on what the goals of the community should be, much less how to achieve them.
That shouldn’t stop progress.
One of the issues presently under discussion is the proposed affordable housing for seniors at the William Way LGBT Community Center.
On this, it’s important for the community to bring to the table questions it has about the project, about the risks and the benefits. This is a major undertaking, and there are a lot of unknowns. Now is the time for discussion, so that issues can be addressed and, if there are problems, they can be resolved at the onset, not by stopping the project in the middle.
And while it’s good for the community to talk about specific issues, it is also important to think about the overarching goal, the big picture: to provide for LGBT elders who aren’t well off.
Considering the size of the project, there are myriad questions that have not been addressed in PGN. Frankly, there are other issues that need coverage too, and it would be irresponsible of the paper to devote thousands of words to this one issue.
Often, community conflicts are based on ego: One person pushes his/her agenda, sometimes to the benefit of the community, sometimes to the benefit of one’s bank account or reputation. And sometimes, it’s to the detriment of another group, organization or person.
Sometimes, individuals take actions personally, whether they are meant that way or not. Sometimes the actions are personal, meant as an attack to harm an individual or group.
In acrimonious situations, it’s easy to retaliate, to return like with like. It’s harder to work toward honest communication in a civil manner — particularly when parties aren’t speaking to each other.
Certainly, there are challenges in determining in which direction the community should go, as the “community” is made up of individuals.
First and foremost should be the good of the community — all of us.