Though I'm fairly certain I never signed up for it, I regularly receive in my inbox the GLN (Gay Liberation Network) news. And while I'm only fairly certain I never signed up for it, I'm entirely certain I asked to be removed from their mailing list. This was followed by a series of ridiculous communication about their difficulties "finding my e-mail address" as expressed in an e-mail to me and inability to get me off the list.
Why, you might ask, did I ask to be removed?
The GLN provides me what are, without much contest, the most hateful messages that appear in my inbox. They attack, slur, name-call and mud-sling those with differing views.
As a self-proclaimed member of the "queer community," I understand how it's very easy to get angry over stuff like this. But slamming people with messages of hate is exactly the sort of thing by which we feel oppressed, so why do we insist on perpetrating it?
Today they're sending me a copy of a petition for the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communications to cancel an upcoming ceremony honoring James Dobson. The museum has stated that these choices are politics-blind, which the GLN slams as "calculated to attract right-wing dollars."
Come on. A Chicago institution isn't going to honor James Dobson to attract money.
I'm not a big fan of the guy myself, but I believe in recognizing the good in people and honoring their achievements. Should we turn our back on the good just because of the presence of the bad? I rely pretty heavily on relationships with people who have views different from my own, from co-workers and friends to my very own family.
And I get really frustrated to see that, at times, the most offensive communication is coming from allies to my cause.
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