Sound Off: Get off your ass and do something.

October 11, 2006 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Sound off is a new section where you can tell the world what you're thinking! If you would like to submit your opinion for your own sound off article, e-mail soundoff@gaysocialites.com!

This Sound off is written by Mitchell Boxer of St. Paul, MI.

Everyone seems to have something to say, but no one seems to ever want follow their talk with actions. I am so tired of people complaining and acting like victims rather than getting off their asses and making things happen.

I get so steamed when I hear people complain about gay rights. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, I support gay rights actively. Most of you who bitch and complain do nothing.

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In May, I started an online petition in support of gay rights. I had intended to send it to my congressional representatives and my governor. I stayed awake til the wee hours of the night entering in the text and submitting over 300 email addresses. I sent this to all of my friends, and all of the contact I picked up through my local chapter of Plag. I knew for sure we would get the 150 signatures I had expected.

Over a one month span, I got 47 signatures. The statement at the top read, "Dear Government Leaders: By signing below, I urge you to actively support all legalization to allow gay marriage." It takes about 90 seconds to type your name into my petition, and that's it.I was shocked and extremely disappointed.

I had worked so hard on something so simple. I thought for sure that all of my fellow activists would help me. After only receiving 47 signatures, I thought surely I had done something wrong. I immediately started calling people I knew well to ask them why they didn't sign my petition.Instead of telling me that they didn't agree with me or telling my wording wasn't correct, the most common response was "oh, I forgot. Sorry!" I heard this from people that I see regularly. I heard this from my close friends. I heard this from people who are supposed to be gay rights activists.I was shocked and apauled. I yanked my petition off my blog, and replaced it with an entry that reads, "get off your ass faggots and do something. If not, we'll all soon be destroyed."

I encourage you to do the same. Get off your ass and do something. Contribute. Sign. Protest. Rally. Do whatever it takes to ensure we are given our rights as Americans and not looked at as just a group of queers.