2 B PFLAG OR NOT 2 B PFLAG

That's the question we're asking ourselves in Butler County, PA. The GLBTQ person in Butler County has so many needs that, at this point, it's hard to tell where is the best entry point to address them.

Is PFLAG that gateway for us? PFLAG certainly does address many of the issues that are of concern to every GLBTQ person and every person who loves/likes/supports them. Are we really looking for bridges to be built between GLBTQs and the dominant sexuality culture, i.e. heterosexuality? Or are we simply wanting to know other GLBTQ persons; networking, socializing, hooking-up? Are we ready to begin addressing the homophobic and aggressively anti-GLBTQ culture of Butler County by reaching out to allies of individuals, organizations and faith communities? I simply don't know.

Are we asking too much of ourselves to adapt our needs into an organizational structure, adhering to by-laws and paying dues? Or is such a framework exactly what we are needing? Are we able to create a valid place for ourselves in Butler County or do we need the education, advocacy and support of a larger coalition to help us BE the valid place. Do we believe that we are the people we have been waiting for?

Are we strong enough? In 1993 and 1994 I worked on a political campaign ("Hands Off Washington") in Washington State to help defeat proposed anti-gay ballot initiatives that would've endangered the freedom of sexual minorities across the state. We were successful in defeating those initiatives after years of work and millions of dollars. The ballot initiatives came to WA from Springfield, OR's Lon Mabon and the Oregon Citizens Alliance. When they failed in WA they moved on to Idaho and then on to Montana.

I was asked to come to Montana in the Bitter Root Valley to speak to a local gay alliance about our work in WA. I arrived late in the evening and found my way to my hosts' mammoth log house where two gay men and their dogs lived a "gay fantasy" life; beards, red long johns, organic garden, and so on. The next day was the meeting and I really had no idea what to expect . What I found was shocking.

GLBTQs from hundreds of miles away drove with casseroles in tow, some had their children, some had their dogs, all had the hope of making a difference. They had built an entirely new building for their community. Instead of GLBTQs using another group's building, other groups used the GLBTQ building: the Community Center. These men and women were ready for the fight. Mabon knew he was licked before he got started there and the fight never came but it was the firm grounded stance of the GLBTQ communities across the state that made that happen

The key is leadership, of course. Who among the GLBTQ population in Butler County is our Harvey Milk, our Pat Califia, Brenda Howard, Mary Wollstonecraft, Larry Kramer? Who feels it in their bones to lead us? Who are the straight allies we so desperately need to help us win the validation we seek? Who are the political visionaries who see GLBTQ Americans being robbed of their birth right status as Constitutionally protected citizens? Certainly not Brian Ellis and Darrel Metcalfe. They would gladly welcome someone like Lon Mabon into our lives.

Is the GLBTQ community of Butler County able to respond to the real threat, the growing threat, the actual and present threat to our safety and our accessibility to all the opportunities of our society?

We can't meet every challenge in front of us, right now. We can, however, start to strengthen our sense of responsibility to one another. There are a couple of other questions in addition to whether or not we can be a PFLAG Chapter. Can we be there for each other? Are we the people we've been waiting on to make a difference in the lives of GLBTQ persons in Butler County?