Podcasts about gay rights movement

TRANSCRIPT Robertson: [00:00:00] Gissele: Hello and welcome to the Love and Compassion podcast with Gissele. We believe that love and compassion have the power to heal our lives and our world. Gissele: Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more amazing content. And if you’d like to support the podcast, please go to buy me a coffee.com/love and compassion. Today we’re talking about how to become a more compassionate civilization in light of the world’s most recent events. Robertson Work is a nonfiction author, social ecological activist, and former UNDP policy advisor on decentralized government, NYU Wagner, graduate School of Public Service, professor of Innovative Leadership and Institute of Cultural Affairs, country Director, conducting community organizational and leadership initiatives. Gissele: He has worked in over 50 countries for over 50 years and is founder of the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative. He has five published books and has [00:01:00] contributed to another 13. His most well-known book is a Compassionate Civilization. Every week he publishes an essay on Compassionate Conversations on Substack. Gissele: Please join me in welcoming Robertson work. Hi Robertson. Robertson: Hi Giselle. How are you? Gissele: I’m good. How about yourself? Robertson: I’m good, thank you. I here in the Southern United States. I’m glad you’re in wonderful Canada. Robertson: great admiration for your country. Gissele: Ah, thank you. Thank you. Gissele: I wanted to talk about your book. I got a copy of it and it was written in 2017, but as I was reading it, I really found myself listening to things that were almost prophetic that seemed to be happening right now. What compelled you to write Compassionate Civilizations at this moment in history. Robertson: Yes. Thank You you so much, and thank you for inviting me to talk with you today. Robertson: And I wanna say I’m so touched by the wonderful work of the Matri Center for Love [00:02:00] and Compassion. I have enjoyed looking at your website and listening to your podcast and hearing Pema Chodron speak about self-love. If it’s okay, I’d like to start with a few moments of mindful breathing Gissele: Yes, definitely. Robertson: okay. I invite everyone to become aware of your breathing, being aware of breathing in and breathing out. Breathing in the here and in the now. Breathing in love. Breathing in gratitude. I have arrived. I am home. I’m solid. I am free breathing in, breathing out here now. Robertson: Love [00:03:00] gratitude. Arrived home solid free. Okay. And to your question, after working in local communities and organizations around the world with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and doing program and policy work with UNDP and teaching grad school at NYU Wagner, I felt called to articulate a motivating vision for how to embody and catalyze a compassionate civilization. Robertson: So each of us can embody, even now, even here, we can embody and catalyze a compassionate civilization in this very present moment. We don’t have to wait, you know, 50 years, a hundred years, a thousand years. we can embody it in the here and the now. So I was increasingly aware of climate change, climate disasters, [00:04:00] the rise of oligarchic, fascism, and of course the UN’s sustainable development goals. Robertson: I also had been studying the engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hahn for many years, and practicing mindfulness and compassionate action. As you know, compassion is action focused on relieving suffering in individual mindsets and behaviors, and collective cultures and systems. The word that com it means with, and compassion means suffering. Robertson: So compassion is to be with suffering and to relieve suffering in oneself and with others. So, I gave talks about a compassionate civilization in my NYU Wagner grad classes and in speeches in different countries. Then in 2013, I started a blog called The Compassionate Civilization. So in 2017, there was a [00:05:00] new US president who concerned me deeply and who’s now president again. Robertson: So a Compassionate Civilization was published in July of that year, as you mentioned, 2017. The book outlines our time of crisis and provides a vision, strategies and tactics of embodying and catalyzing a compassionate civilization, person by person, community by community. Moment by moment it it includes the movement of movements, mom that will do that. Robertson: Innovative leadership methods, global local citizen, and practices of care of self and others as mindful activists. So there’s a lot in it. Yeah. The Six strategies or arenas of transformation are environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance and peace, and non-violence, socio. Robertson: So since then [00:06:00] I’ve been promoting the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative, as you mentioned, to support a movement of movements. The mom, Gissele: thank you for that. I really appreciated that. And I really enjoyed the book as well. It’s so funny that, the majority of people see a world that doesn’t work and they want things to change, but they don’t do something necessarily to change it. When did compassion shift from a private virtue to a public mission for you? Robertson: Great question. Thank you. I think it began the private part began very early in my Christian upbringing. I was raised by loving parents to love others. You know, love of neighbor is the heart of Christianity. And understand that love is the ultimate reality. You know, that you know, as we say in Christianity, God is love. Robertson: So then when I went off to college at Oklahoma State University, I found myself being a campus activist. So I shifted to activism for civil rights. We were [00:07:00] demonstrating for women’s rights and for peace in Vietnam. As you know, the Vietnam War was raging. And after that, I attended Theological Seminary at Chicago Theological Seminary, but. Robertson: My calling happened when I was still in college, and it was in a weekend course, just a one weekend in Chicago. Some of us drove up and attended a course at, with the ecumenical Institute in the African-American ghetto in Chicago. And my whole life was changed in one weekend. I mean, I woke up that I could make a difference and I could help create a world that cared from everyone, you know? Robertson: And here I was. I was what? I was a junior in college. So then after that, I worked after college and grad school. I worked in that African American ghetto in Chicago with the Ecumenical Institute. And then in Malaysia, I was asked to go to Malaysia and my wife and I did [00:08:00] that, Robertson: And then. We were asked to work in South Korea, which we did. And then the work shifted from a religious to secular is we now call our work the Institute of Cultural Affairs. And from there we worked in Jamaica and then in Venezuela, and then back in the US in a little community in Oklahoma Robertson: And then I also worked in poor slums and villages. So then with the UNDP. I worked in around the world giving policy advice and starting projects and programs on decentralized governance to help countries decentralize from this capital to the provinces and the cities and towns and villages to decentralize decision making. Robertson: Then my engaged Buddhist studies particularly with Han and his teachers and practice awakened me to a calling to save all sentient beings. what [00:09:00] an outrageous calling, how can one person vow to save all sentient beings? But that’s what we do in that tradition of the being a BofA. Robertson: So through mindfulness and compassionate actions. So then I continue my journey by teaching at NYU Wagner with grad students from around the world. I love that so much. Then to the present as a consultant, speaker, author, and activist locally, nationally, and globally. So Gissele has been quite a journey, and here we are in this moment together, in this wild, crazy world. Gissele: Yeah, for sure, One of the things that I really loved about your book that you emphasize that we need to have a vision for the world that we wanna create. If we don’t have a vision, then we can’t create it, right? many of us are, focusing on anti, anti-oppressive, anti crime, anti this, anti that. Gissele: But we’re not really focusing on what sort of world do we wanna create? and I’ve had conversations with so many people, and when I ask the question, if people truly [00:10:00] believe. The human beings could be like loving and compassionate, and we could create a world that would be loving and compassionate for all many people say no. Gissele: And so I was wondering, like, did you always believe that civilization could be compassionate or did you grow into that conviction? Robertson: Great question. I definitely grew into it. Yeah. even as a child, I was awakened, you know, by the plight of African Americans in my country, in our little town in Oklahoma. Robertson: So I kind of began waking up. But I wasn’t sure, how much I or we could do about it. So I really grew into that conviction through my journey around the world working in over in 55 countries, it’s interesting the number of people your podcast goes to serving people and the planet. Robertson: So. Everywhere I worked Gissele, I was touched by the local people, that people care for each other, you know, in the slums and squatter settlements, in villages, in cities, the, the rich and the [00:11:00] poor. everywhere I went regardless of the culture, the language, the races, the issues the, the local people were caring. Robertson: So my understanding is that compassion is an action. It’s not just a feeling or a thought. It’s an action to relieve suffering in oneself and in others. but suffering is never entirely eliminated. You know, in Buddhism, the first noble truth is there is suffering, and it continues, but it can be relieved as best we can with through practices, through projects, through programs, and through policies. Robertson: So what has helped me is to see, again, a deep teaching in Buddhism that each person is influenced by negative emotions of greed, fear, hatred, and ignorance. And yet we can practice with these and to become aware of them and just, and to let them go, you know, and to practice evolving into loving kindness as [00:12:00] you, as you do in in your wonderful center. Robertson: Teaching more loving, kindness, trust and understanding. We can embrace inner being that we’re all part of everything. We’re all part of each other. You know, we’re part of the living earth. We’re part of humanity. I am part of you, you are part of me. And impermanence, you know, that there is no separate permanent self. Robertson: Everything comes and goes, and yet the mystery is there’s no birth and death. ’cause you and I. we’re part of, this journey for 13.8 billion years of the universe, and yet we can, in each moment, we can take an action that relieves our own suffering and in others. So, as you said, a vision is so, so important. Robertson: I’m so glad you touched on that, that a vision can give us a calling to see where we can go. It can motivate us, push us, drive us to do all that we can to realize it, you know, if I have a vision for my family. To care for my family. If [00:13:00] I have a vision for my country, if I have a vision for planet Earth, that can motivate me to do all I can do to make that really happen. Robertson: So right now there are so many challenges facing humanity, climate disasters. Oh my, I’m here in Swanno where we’ve had a terrible hurricane in 2024. We’re still recovering from it. Echo side, you know, where so many species are dying of plants and animals. It’s, it’s one of the great diebacks of in evolution on earth, oligarchic, fascism. Robertson: Right now, we’re in the midst of it in my country. I can’t believe it. You know, you’re, you’re on 81. I, I thought I was, gonna die and still live in a country that believed in democracy and freedom and justice. And so now here we, I have to face what can I do about oligarchic, fascism and social and racial and gender injustice. Robertson: Other challenges, warfare. And here we are in this crazy, monstrous war [00:14:00] in the Middle East. You know, what can we do? What can I unregulated? Artificial intelligence very deeply concerns me. we’ve gotta regulate artificial intelligence so it doesn’t hurt humans and the earth. Robertson: It doesn’t just take care of itself. So, you know, it’s easy Gissele to be despairing and to give up, you know, particularly at this moment. But actually at any time in our life, we’re always tempted to say, oh, well, things will be okay, or There’s nothing I can do, you know, but neither of those is true. Robertson: There are things we can do. We can stop and breathe and continue doing what we can where we are. with what we have and who we are. We do not have to be stopped by despair or by cynicism or by hopeism. We don’t. So thank you for that question about vision. I vision still wakes me up every day and calls me forward. Robertson: I’m sure it does. You as well. Gissele: Yeah. I [00:15:00] mean, without vision, it’s like you don’t have a map to where you’re going to, right.what’s our destination if we don’t have a vision? And so this is for me, why I loved your book so much. you are helping us give a vision Gissele: I mean, the alternative is what is the alternative? there’s my next question. What happens to a society that abandons compassion? Robertson: Exactly. Well, I sort of touched on it before. it falls into ignorance and into greed. Wanting more wealth, more power. for me for my tribe and, and falls into hatred, falls into fear, falls into violence, and that’s happening now, she said. Robertson: But I love what Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us of, of is that if there is no mud, there is no lotus. And that, that means is, you know, if there is no suffering, there can be no compassion . So without suffering and ignorance, there is no compassion or wisdom, because suffering calls us to relieve it. when I see [00:16:00] my wife or children in pain, I want to help them. Robertson: or when I see others, neighbors, you know, during the pandemic, our neighbors took food and water to each other. You know, after the hurricane, neighbors brought us water. suffering calls the best from us, it can, it can also call, call other things. But again, there’s no mud. Robertson: The lotus cannot grow. So we can continue the journey step by step and breath by breath. So that’s what I’d say for now. but that’s an important question. Gissele: you said some key things including that, people have a choice. They can choose to be compassionate, or they can choose to use that fear for something else, right. Gissele: But I often hear from people, well, you know, they want institutions to change. why are the institutions more, equitable, generous, compassionate and you know, like. I don’t know if we have a vision for what compassionate institutions look like, [00:17:00] what would compassion look like at that level? Robertson: Oh, that’s where those six areas you know, the compassion would look like practicing ecological regeneration or sometimes called environmental sustainability. You know, that we we’re part of the living Earth gazelle, We’re not separate from the earth . We breathe earth air, we drink earth water. Robertson: We you know, the earth. Hurricanes come. The earth. Floods come We are earthlings. I love that word, earthlings, and so, how do we help regenerate the earth as society? And that’s why, you know, legislation aware of climate change, you know, to reduce carbon emissions. Robertson: The Paris Accord, and that’s just one example, how do we have all laws for gender equality so that women receive the same salaries as men and have the same rights. as men, we gotta have the laws, the institutions you know, and the participatory democracy, that we have a constitution. Robertson: a constitution is a vision. of what we are all about. Why are, we’re [00:18:00] together as a country, so that we can each vote and express our views and our wishes, and that government is by foreign of the people. It is. So it’s, it’s critical, you know, that we vote and get out the vote again and again and again. Robertson: And to create those laws, those institutions they care for everyone. And the socioeconomic justice. we need the laws and institutions that give full rights to people of color to people of every culture and every religion, and every gender every transgender, every human being, every living being has rights. Robertson: That’s why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is so important. I’m so grateful that it was created earlier in the last century in my country our country cannot go to war without congressional approval. Robertson: Aha. did that just not happen? Yes. But it’s in the Constitution. the law says that we must talk about it [00:19:00] first. We must send the diplomats. We must doeverything we can before we harm anyone. War is hell. there are other ways of dialogue and diplomacy. Robertson: we can do better. But again, it takes the laws and institutions. Gissele: thank you for that. I do think that we have some sort of sense in terms of what we find doesn’t work for us, right? these institutions don’t work, they’re based on separation, isolation, punishment, and we see that they don’t work. We see that, like inequality hurts everyone. Gissele: We see that all of these things that we’re doing have a negative impact, including war. And yet we don’t change. What do you think prevents societies from becoming more compassionate? Robertson: if we’re in a society that if harming people through terrible legislation and laws and policies that makes it hard for people then have to either rebel and then they can be you know, killed. Or they have to form movements peaceful movements like the [00:20:00] Civil Rights Movement in my country, you know, with Martin Luther King leading peace marches and our peaceful resistance, in Minneapolis, the peaceful resistance to ice, so what one big thing that’s, that makes people think they can’t be compassionate again, is the, larger society, you know, the institutional frameworks and legislations and laws and government practices. Robertson: But even then, as we’re seeing, you know, in Minneapolis and everywhere, and Canada is leading in so many ways, I think I, I’m so grateful for the leadership of your, your prime minister, calling the world thatwe must not let go of the international rules rules based international practices that we’ve had for the last 80 years, my whole life. Robertson: You know, we’ve had the, the UN and the international rules and now some powers want to throw those out, but no, no, we are gonna say no. we’re [00:21:00] surrounded by forces of wealth and power as we know. And however we can each do what we can to care for those near hand, far away, the least the last, and the last for ourselves, moment by moment. Robertson: Breath, breath by breath. And sometimes we, the people can change history and the powerful can choose compassion. And, we’ve changed history many times. We’ve created democracy. We, the people who have created civil right. Universal education and healthcare of the UN and much more. Robertson: you touched a moment ago on the pillars of a compassionate civilization. You know, there are 17 UN sustainable development goals, as you know, but I decided 17 was a big number, so I thought, why don’t we just have six? That’s why my book, it has six arenas of transformation for ease of memory and work. Robertson: and they are environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, peace and nonviolence. So modern [00:22:00] societies can be prevented from being compassionate also by Negative emotions as we were talking about, of ignorance, greed, hatred, and violence. Robertson: Greed thinking, I need more wealth. I’m a billionaire, but I need another billion. You know, I’m the richest billionaire in the world, but I wanna buy the US government hatred, violence. So these all for me, all back into the Buddhist wisdom of the belief that I’m a separate self. Robertson: Therefore, all that’s important is my ego. Hell no, that’s wrong. You know, my ego is not separate. When I die, my ego’s gone. You know, all that’s gonna be left when I die, or my words and my actions, my actions will continue forever. my words will continue forever. May I, ego? No. So the, if I believe my ego is all there is, and I can be greedy and hateful and fearful and violent, but ego, unlimited pleasure and narcissism, fear of the other, ignorance of cause and effect, these don’t have to drive us. So [00:23:00] structures and policies based on negative emotions and the delusion of a separate self and harm for the earth. We don’t have to live that way. We don’t have to believe propaganda and misinformation and ignorance, and we can provide the education needed and the experience. Robertson: We don’t have to accept wealth hoarding. You know, why do we have billionaires? Why isn’t $999 million enough? Why doesn’t that go to care for everyone and to care for the earth? So again, we have to let go of wealth hoarding of power hoarding. Robertson: we don’t need all that wealth. We don’t need all that power. We can, we can care for each other. We can care for the earth. Gissele: There, there are so many amazing things that you said. I wanted to touch on two the first one is that I was having a conversation with an indigenous elder, and he said to me, you know, that greed is just a fear of lack, right? Gissele: And it really stopped me in my tracks because, when we see people hoarding stuff in their [00:24:00] house, we think, well, that’s abnormal. And yet we glorify the hoarding of wealth. But it isn’t any different than any sort of other mental health issue in terms of hoarding. And so that really got me to think about the role of fear. Gissele: And, if somebody’s trying to hoard money, it’s not getting to the root of the problem, issue. It’s never gonna be enough because they’re just throwing it into an empty hole. It’s a a billion Jillian, it’s never gonna be enough because it’s never truly addressing the problem. Gissele: But one of the things that you said as we were chatting is, that the wealthy, the elite, they can choose compassion, they can always choose it, which is an amazing insight. And yet I wonder, you know, in terms of people’s perspectives of compassion and power, do you think that the two go hand in hand or can they go hand in hand? Gissele: Because I think there might be some worries around, well, if I’m more compassionate, then I’m gonna be, taken advantage of, I’m gonna be, a mat. what is your [00:25:00] perspective? Robertson: Oh, I agree with everything you said and your question is so, so important. Thank you so much. Robertson: there are billionaires and then there are billionaires like Warren Buffet. Look, he’s given. Tens of billions of dollars away, hundreds of billions of dollars away, and other billionaires have done that. And then there are the billionaires, who think 350 billion isn’t enough. Robertson: You know, I need more. Well, that’s crazy. That is sick. That is sad that, that is a disease. And we have to help those people. I feel compassion for billionaires who think they need another 10 billion or another a hundred billion, or they need five more a hundred million dollars yachts, or they need another 15 $200 million houses around the world and that that is very sad. Robertson: And that they’re really suffering. They’re confused. Yeah. They forget what it means to be human. They’ve forgotten what it needs to be. An earthling that we’re just here for a moment. Gissele: Agree. Robertson: We’re just here for a moment, for a [00:26:00] breath, and we’re gone. Breathe in, we’re here, breathe out, we’re gone. And so we can stop. Robertson: We can become aware of that fear, as you said. We can take good care of that fear. I love the way Thich Nhat Hahn says. He says, hello, fear, welcome back. I’m gonna take good care of you. Fear. I’m gonna watch you take care of you. You’re gonna Evolve. ’cause everything is impermanent. Everything changes. So fear will change. Robertson: Fear can change. Fear always changes It evolves into Another emotion, another feeling, So let it go. Let it go. In the truth of impermanence. ’cause everything is impermanent. Fear is impermanent. So we also can remember the truth of inter being that I am part of what I fear, I am part of. Robertson: This current federal administration. You know, I’m part of the wealthy elite, and it is part of me. I fear of the US administration right now, but it is part of [00:27:00] me and I’m part of it. I fear climate change, but it is part of me. I’m part of it. I fear artificial intelligence , unregulated. I fear old age, but boys, I’m 81 and a half, it’s here. Robertson: So I’m gonna take care of it. I’m gonna say, Hey, old man, I’m gonna take care of you. And they’re all me. There’s no separation. I love Thich Nhat Hahn’s word. We enter are, we enter are now, how can I stop, become aware of fear, breathe in and out, and know the truth of inter being and impermanence and accept it. Robertson: Care for it. get out to vote, care for the self, write , speak, do what I can to care for what I can. My family, my neighbors, my city, my county, my country, my world. And everything changes. Everything passes away. Everything comes in and out of [00:28:00] being, what happened to the Roman Empire? Gissele: Mm, Robertson: what’s happening to the American Empire. Everything comes in and goes out like a breath, breathing in and breathing out. And then everything transforms into what is next? What is next? what is China going to bring? Ah, there is so much that we don’t know, Robertson: I love Thich Nhat Hahn’s teaching that. when we become aware of a negative emotion, we should Stop, breathe, smile. And then say, oh, welcome. Fear. Welcome back. Okay, I’m gonna take care of you. Okay, we’re in this together. Robertson: And then you just, you keep breathing in awareness and gratitude and things change. Your grandkid calls you, your baby calls you, your dog, your cat. You see the clouds, you see the earth, the sun. You see a star. You realize you’re an [00:29:00] animal. You know the word animal means breath. Robertson: We are animals. ’cause we breathe. We’re all breathing. So I love that. You know it. I love to say I am an animal. ’cause I, you know, we, human beings are often not, we’re not animals. We’re superior To animals, you know? Right. we are animals, that’s why we love our dogs and cats and we can love our, the purposes and the elephants and the tigers and the mountain lions and, and the cockroaches and the chickpeas and the cardinals we are all animals. Robertson: We’re all breathing. So I love that. Gissele: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that was so beautiful. I felt that also, I really appreciated the practice too. In this time when we, like so many us are, are feeling so much fear and so much uncertainty and not knowing how things are gonna pan out, to just take a moment to breathe and reconnect to our true selves, I think is so, so fundamental. Gissele: And I hope that listeners are also doing it with us. you know, as I have [00:30:00] conversations with people around the world we talk a lot about, the way that the systems are set up, the institutions. Gissele: And it took a lot of hard work for me to realize that we are the institutions, just like you said, so the institutions are made up of people. And I was so glad to see that in your book, that you clearly say, you know, like it’s about people. It’s about us. It’s like we make up these institutions, you know? Gissele: And when I’ve looked at myself, I’ve asked myself, who do I wanna be? What do I really, truly wanna embody? And my greatest wish for this lifetime is to embody the highest level of love and to truly get to the point where I love people like brothers and sisters, that I care for them and that we care for one another. Gissele: And yet, there are times when I wanna act from that place, but the fear comes up, the not wanting or not trusting or believing when the fear comes up, how can compassion really help us change ourselves so that we can create a [00:31:00] different world? Robertson: What you said is so beautiful, and your question is so powerful. Thank you. Yes. And I’m gonna get personal here. we can do what we can, we can take care of ourselves, we can take care of others as we can, but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when we can’t. You know? Robertson: So I, here I’m 80, I’m over 81, and I have issues with balance and walking, and I have some memory issues and some low energy issues. So I have to be kind to myself. I, so I’ve just decided that writing is my main way of caring for the world. That’s why I publish one or two essays a week on Substack, on Compassionate Conversations for 55 countries in 38 states. Robertson: And so I said, you know, I used to travel around the world all the time. Not anymore. I don’t even want like to travel around the county. Robertson: Anyway, I’m an elder , so I have to say , okay, elder, be kind to [00:32:00] yourself, but also do everything you can, write everything you can speak with Gazelle if you can. Robertson: I also have to decide who I’m gonna care for. I’ve decided I’m gonna care for my wife who just turned 70 and my two kids and my two grandkids, my daughter-in-law, my cousins and nieces and nephews, my neighbors here and North Carolina. Robertson: The vulnerable, you know, I give to nonprofits who help the hungry and the homeless to friends and to people around the world through my writings and teachings And so the other day I drove to get some some shrimp tacos for my wife and me for dinner. Robertson: And a lady came up and she had disheveled hair. And she just stood by my car and I put the window down a little and she said. can you drive me to Black Mountain? that’s not where we were. I was in another town. ‘ cause I’m out of my medicine. Robertson: She just, out of the blue said, stood there and said that. And I thought, [00:33:00] oh, oh, hmm. Oh, so, oh yes. So I, I wanted to say, but who are you? How are you? Do you live here? Do do you have any friends or family? Do you, you, can I give you some money? Do you have, but I was kind of, I was kind of struck dumb, you know? Robertson: I thought, oh, oh, what should I do? And so I said, oh, I’m so sorry I don’t live in Black Mountain. And she said, oh. And she just turned and walked away and she asked two other cars and they said no. And then she walked away. And then she walked away. I thought, oh, Rob, Rob, is she okay? Does she have a family? Robertson: Did she have a house? What if she doesn’t get her medicine? How can she walk to that town? Could you have driven her and delayed taking dinner home to your wife? And then I said, but I don’t know. And then I thought, oh, but she’s gone. And I then I said, okay, Rob. Okay, Rob, [00:34:00] you’ve lived 81 years. You’ve cared for people in the UN in 170 countries. Speaker 3: Yeah. Robertson: And you’ve been in 55 countries, you’re still writing every week, you’re taking care of your neighbors and family and friends. Don’t beat yourself up. Old guy. Don’t beat yourself up. But next time, you know what Rob, I’m gonna say, Hey, my dear one, are you okay? I don’t have any money, but I can I buy you? Robertson: We are here at the taco shop, Can I buy you dinner? I would, I’m gonna say that next time, Rob. I’m gonna say that. and then I also gazelle,I’m gonna support democratic socialist institutions. You know, some people are afraid of that word, democratic socialist. Robertson: But you know, the happiest countries in the world are democratic socialist countries. Finland is the world’s happiest country. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, those are in the top 10 [00:35:00] when they’ve, when there have been analysis of, if you, if you Google happiest countries in the world, Robertson: those Nordic countries come up every year. Why? They are democratic socialist countries. You pay high taxes and everybody gets free college. You know, free education, free college, free health everybody gets taken care of in a democratic socialist country in the Nordic countries and New York City. Robertson: I’m so proud that our new mayor in New York City Zoran Mai is a democratic socialist. He is there to help everybody, but particularly those who are hurting the poor, the hungry , the sick, or the people of color, women, the elderly, the children. I’m so proud of him and I write about him on my substack and I write him Robertson: I he’s one of my heroes just like Bernie Sanders is one of my heroes. And Alexandria Ocasio Cortes, a OC is one of my, my heroes, CA [00:36:00] Ooc. So, and you know, I used to never tell anybody I was a Democratic socialist ’cause I was afraid. I thought, oh, they’ll think I’m a socialist. Hell no. I am now proud to say I’m a democratic socialist. Robertson: I’m a Democrat. I vote the Democratic ticket, but I’m always looking for progressives, progressive Democrats, you know, democratic socialist Democrats. because, you know, our country can be more like Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland New York City. New York City is showing us the way America can be like a New York City. Robertson: I’m so proud of New York City and I used to live in New York City so as an old person. I can only do what I can do. and I’m not saying, oh, I poor me. I can’t do anything. No, no. I’m not saying that. I’m saying I can do a hell of a lot as this 81-year-old, it’s amazing what I can do, but that is why I write and speak and care for my family, neighbors, friends, the poor. Robertson: [00:37:00] Donate to nonprofits for the homeless and the hungry vote. Get out the vote. So yes, that’s my story. Gazelle. Gissele: I totally relate. I mean, I’ve been in circumstances like that as well, where you wanna help. But the fear is like, what if a person kills you? What if they don’t really have medication? Gissele: What if you get hurt or they try to rob you or they have mental health problems? Mine goes to protection and it is very human of us to go there first. And so, so then we get stuck in that ping pong in that moment and then the moment passes and you’re like, you know, was it true? Could I have driven that person? Gissele: And that would’ve been something I wanted to do for sure. But in that moment, you are stuck in that, yo-yo, when the survival comes in. And so helping ourselves shift out of that survival mode, understanding and learning to have faith and trust. And for me that’s been a work in progress. Gissele: It really has been a work in [00:38:00] progress. The other thing I wanted to mention, which I think is so important that we need to touch on. It’s the whole concept of socialism. So I was born in South America before I came to Canada and so I remember lots of my family members talk about this, there’s many South American countries that got sold communism, as socialism we’re talking about approaches that instead of it being like a democratic socialism that you’re talking about, which is the government, make sure that people are taking care of and that the people are probably taxed and provided for what would happen in those countries was that. Gissele: Everything got taken away. People were rationed certain things, and, it was horrible. it was not good, but it was not socialism. And there was many governments that took the majority of the money, then spent it on themselves, left the country, took it themselves, and so especially the Latin American community is very much afraid of socialism because they think back to that, the [00:39:00] rationing of electricity, the rationing of food, the rationing of all of that stuff, it wasn’t provided openly. Gissele: It was, everybody gets less. And so you have these people with this history that then have come to the US and think they don’t want socialism. They think democracy means that people aren’t gonna take stuff away from them, but that’s not what it means either. ’cause I don’t even know if like in North America we have a true democracy. Robertson: so thinking about reframing of how we think or experience democratic socialism, that it doesn’t mean less for everybody and in everything controlled by the government. It means being provided for abundantly and, also having the citizens be taxed more, which means we are willing to share our money so that we can all live well, Beautiful. Beautiful. Oh, thank you. Hooray. Wonderful. What country are you? May I ask where you coming? Gissele: Yeah, of Robertson: course. Gissele: Peru, I Gissele: [00:40:00] Yeah. Robertson: Wonderful. I’ve been to Peru a few times. A wonderful, beautiful country. And I, I lived in Venezuela for five years. ‘ cause I love, I have many friends in Venezuela. Robertson: But anyway I agree with everything you just said. That’s why I said what I said that I now can, I can confess that I am a democratic socialist. And that’s not socialism. It’s a social democracy is what it’s called. Yeah. That’s what they call it in Finland and Denmark and so on. Robertson: They call it social democracy. It’s democracy. But it, as you say, it’s cares for everyone and for the earth. We have to always add and the earth, ’cause you know, all the other species and, and the other life forms and the ecosystems, the water, the soil, the air, the minerals the plants, the animals. Robertson: and we have the money, as you said. I mean, if I had $350 billion, think of what taxes I could pay if the tax rate was, you know, 30%. [00:41:00] And rather than nothing, some of these, some of these folks pay, Gissele: well, I think we have glorified that we all wanted that, right? Like we got sold this good that oh, we should all want to be as wealthy as possible, right? And so we normalize the hoarding of money. Not the hoarding of other stuff, right? Gissele: And so we have allowed that, which gets me to my, next point, you talk about the environmental impact as part of a compassionate society, which absolutely is necessary. Gissele: And as human beings, we can be so lazy. We want convenience. We want to, have our package the next day. We don’t wanna wait. are we willing to pay higher wages? Are we willing to wait? Longer for our packages, like, are we willing to, invest in our wardrobe instead of buying fast fashion? Gissele: We don’t do these things and these have environmental impacts, and it also have human impacts, and at the end, they have impact on us. What can we do to ensure that, that we address that [00:42:00] complacency so that we are creating a fair, affordable , and compassionate world. Robertson: So important. Thank you. Robertson: It’s, it’s a life and death question. So yes, we should always ask about ecological and social impacts and take actions accordingly. That’s why I recycle every day. You know, some people say, oh, recycling is stupid. What do they really do with this, with it? You know, are they, are they really careful when you, they pick it up? Robertson: but I recycle religiously every day That’s why I support climate and democracy through third act. There’s a group that Bill McKibbon has started here in the US called Third Act. It’s a group of elder activists, activists over 60 who are working on climate and democracy issues. Robertson: So I’m doing that. That’s why I vote and get it out to vote. And as I said, I vote for Democrats and Democratic socialists. That’s why I write and speak and vote for ecological regeneration for social justice, for peace, for [00:43:00] democratic governance. It’s so critical that we keep questioning our actions like. Robertson: Okay, why am I recycling? Is it really worth the time? You know, deciding about every item, where it goes, and then putting out it out carefully and rinsing it first. And is that really going to help the world? ’cause you also know we need systemic changes, because you can always say, oh, but what the individual does doesn’t matter. Robertson: We need laws, we need institutions of ecological regeneration, and we need laws on caring for the climate and stopping climate change. So you can talk yourself out of individual responsibility when you realize that we need laws and institutions that protect the environment. Robertson: But it’s both. It’s both. what each person does, because there are millions of us individuals. So if there are millions of us act responsibly, that has, is a huge impact. And then if we [00:44:00] also have responsible laws and institutions that care for the environment as well as all people, then that’s a double win. Robertson: So I agree with you. We have to keep asking that question over and over and making those decisions and they’re hard decisions. We have to decide. Gissele: Yeah, I’ve had to look at myself like one of the commitments I’ve made to myself is not buying fast fashion. And so, investing in pieces, even though sometimes I feel lack oh my God, spending that much money on this, you know? Gissele: Yeah. It all comes back to me. if I am not willing to pay a fair wage, that means that the next person doesn’t get a fair wage, which means they don’t wanna pay a fair wage and so on and so forth. And then it comes back to me, you know, my husband has a business and then, you get people that don’t also wanna pay a fair wage. Gissele: It’s all interconnected. And so we have to be willing, but that also goes to us addressing our fear, our fear of lack, that we’re not gonna have enough. All of those things. And the biggest fundamental [00:45:00] fear, and you mentioned death to me, is the ultimate Gissele: fear That we must overcome I think once we do, like, I think once we understand that we are not, this human vessel. Gissele: that we’re not just this bag of bones and live in so much constrained fear that perhaps we could. really open up ourselves to be willing to be more compassionate . What do you think? Robertson: Absolutely. I’m with you all the way. Yes. We fear death because we’re caught in that illusion of a separate permanent self. Robertson: You know, it’s all about me. Oh, this universe is all about me. The universe was created 13.8 billion years for me. Robertson: Yeah. But it’s all about me and particularly my ego, honoring my ego. Building up my ego, praising my ego being, you know, that’s why I wanna be rich and famous. Robertson: Fortunately, I never wanted to be rich or famous, but that’s another story. We’ll talk about that some other time. But everything and [00:46:00] everyone is impermanent. When I realized that truth and it, it came to me through engaged Buddhism, but you could, you could get that truth in many, many ways. Robertson: That everything and everyone is impermanent. we’re part of the ocean. But the waves don’t last forever, do they? But the ocean lasts forever. Robertson: So My atoms, are part of the 13.8 billion year old universe. my cells are part of the living earth. Yes, they remain When I die, you know, go back into the earth. back into the soil and the water and the air but My ego doesn’t remain. What, what remains, as I said before, are my actions. Robertson: Everything I did is still cause and effect. Cause and effect. Rippling out. Rippling out. Okay. Rob, what did you do? What did you say? did you help that, did you touch that? Did you say that? so my actions and words continue rippling forever. So Ty calls that, or in the Plum Village tradition of engaged Buddhism, it’s called my continuation. Robertson: Your actions and your words [00:47:00] are your continuation that last forever as your actions and words will continue through cause and effect touching reality forever. So when my ego does not remain so I can smile and let it go. I often think about my continuation. You know, I say, well, that’s why, maybe why I’m writing so much and speaking so much. Robertson: And caring for so many people every day, you know, caring to care for my wife and my children and grandchildren and friends and neighbors, and the v vulnerable and the hungry, and the homeless, and the, and my country, and my city, and my county, and my, and why do I write substack twice a week? Robertson: And containing reflections on ecological, societal, and individual challenges and practices. And so every, week I’m writing about practices of mindfulness and compassion. So I’m trying to be the teacher. I’m trying to send out words of mindfulness and compassion so that they will continue reverberating when I’m dust, Robertson: So [00:48:00] I’m reaching out. In my substack to just those 55 people in 55 countries, in 38 states, touching hearts and minds and even more on social media. every month I have like 86,000 views of my social media. Why do I do it? It’s not just about ego, you know? Robertson: Oh, Rob, be famous. No, Rob is not famous. I’m a nobody. I gotta keep giving and giving and giving, you know, another word, another action, so I can, care for people around me through personal care, donations, voting, volunteering workshops, I’m helping start a workshop in our neighborhood on environmental resilience through recycling, through group facilitation. Robertson: I’m trained in, facilitation. I’ve been trained my whole life to ask questions of groups so they can create their own plans and strategies and actions. that’s some of my answer. Robertson: I hope that makes some sense. Gissele: Thank you very much. I appreciated your answer and it made me really think you are one of our compassionate leaders, right? [00:49:00] You’re, you’re kind of carving the way and helping us reflect, ’cause I’ve seen some of your substack, I’ve seen like your postings. Gissele: That’s actually how I kind of reached out to you. ’cause I was so moved by the material that you were sharing, the willingness to be honest about what it takes to be compassionate and how hard it can be sometimes to look at ourselves honestly, because we can’t change unless we’re willing to look at ourselves. Gissele: All aspects of ourselves, like you said, we are the billionaires, we are the oligarchy, we are all of these people. The racism that voted that in the, the racism that continues to show the fear, all of that is us. And so from your perspective, what do compassionate leaders do differently? Robertson: Yes. Well, it great question. Robertson: what do compassionate leaders do differently? Well, he or she or they. Robertson: are empathic. I think it starts with empathy. What are like, what are you feeling? What are you thinking? Robertson: What are you, what’s happening in your life? So an empathic [00:50:00] leader listens to other people. They see where other people are hurting. They care. They ask questions and facilitate group discussions, enable group projects. They let go of self-importance, you know, that it’s not all about me. Robertson: They let go of narcissism. They let go of, the ego project. They help others be their greatness. They care for their body mind so that they can care for others. and they donate and vote and recycle and more and more and more and more. did you know in Denmark. In elementary school every week, children are taught empathy. Robertson: You know, they have courses on empathy, Robertson: when I was growing up, I,didn’t have courses in school on empathy in church school, you know, in my Sunday school at, in my church. I was taught to love my neighbor and to love everyone, and that God was love. But in school, in my elementary [00:51:00] school and junior high and high school, we didn’t talk about things like empathy and compassion. Gissele: Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I did know about Denmark ’cause my daughter and I are co-writing a book on that particular topic. The need to continue to teach love and compassion in, Gissele: being a global citizen. Right? And, and I’m doing it with her perspective because she just graduated high school, so she has like the fresher perspective, whereas mine’s from like many moons ago. Gissele: We need to continuously educate ourselves about regulating our own emotions, having difficult conversations, hearing about the other, other, as ourselves. Because that’s, from my perspective, the only way that we’re gonna survive. a friend of mine said it the best that we were having a conversation and she does compassion in the prison system and she says, I can’t be well unless you are well. Gissele: My wellness depends on your wellness. And that just hit me in my heart, like, ugh. Not that I live it every day, Robertson, Gissele: every day I have to choose and some [00:52:00] days I fail, and other days I do good in terms of like be more loving and compassionate and truly helping the world. But it’s a choice. It’s a continual choice. So this goes to my biggest challenge that maybe you can help me with, which is, so I was having this conversation with my students. We were talking about how. In order to create a world that is loving and passionate for all, it has to include the all, even those who are most hurtful, and that is really difficult . Gissele: I’m just curious as to your thoughts on what starting point might be or what can help us look at those who do hurtful things and just horrible things and be able to say, I see God within you. I see your humanity. Even though it might be hard. Robertson: Yes, It is hard. several years ago when I would hear [00:53:00] leaders of my country speaking on the media, I would get so repulsed that I would turn it off but I began practicing. Robertson: I practiced a lot since those days and I realized, you know. People who hurt, other people are hurting themselves. they’re actually hurting. they’re suffering. People who hurt others have their own suffering of, they’re confused. they’ve forgotten what it means to be human. Robertson: They’re, full of, greed, of their own fears, all about me. Maybe they’re filled with hatred they become violent. they’re suffering. I still find it very difficult to read or listen to certain people. Robertson: But what I do is I stop and I breathe and I smile and I say, okay. Robertson: I care. I’m concerned about you. I don’t know what I can do, but I am gonna do everything I can to care for the people, being hurt, you know, like my fellow activists in [00:54:00] Minneapolis are doing, or elsewhere, we could mention many places around the world where people are risking their own lives. Robertson: You know, in Minneapolis, two activists were killed, Ms. Good Renee Good, and Alex Pretty were killed because they went beyond their fear, you know? they got out there in the street because the migrants were being hurt and they got killed. Robertson: So, you know, At some point you have to come to terms with your own death, I don’t know if I have a, a minute to go or 20 years, I still have to let go. And so how do I care for my wife, my family, my friends, my neighbors my country, the vulnerable, the homeless, the hungry, and, as you said, for the wealthy and powerful who are hurting others, you know, starting wars attacking migrants, killing activists. Robertson: It’s hard. You know? So I have to say, I love the story of [00:55:00] when during the Vietnamese war Thich Nhat Hahn and his monks. They did not take sides. They did not say we’re on the side of the Vietnamese or the us. They did not take a side in the war. This is hard for me ’cause I, I usually take sides. Robertson: The practice was, okay, we’re not going to support we’re Vietnamese or the us. Were going to care for everyone. So they just went out caring for people who were getting hurt and during the war, people who were hungry, people who needed food, people who were bleeding, Robertson: So they decided their role was to care for those who were hurt not to attack. To say, I’m for the blue and I’m against the red. They said, I’m just gonna, care . Like, the activists in Minnesota, They’re, they’re not attacking ice, they’re singing to ice. Robertson: And so yes, we have to acknowledge our own anger. [00:56:00] I’m angry with these politicians. sometimes I want, to hate them, but I have to say, I do not hate you, my friend. You are confused. You’re so confused. You’re hurting others. So you’re so hurtful. Robertson: You don’t realize how you’re hurting others. But, I’ve got to try to stop you from hurting others. I’ve got to try to help those who are hurt and maybe I’m gonna get hurt, you know, because in the civil rights movement, if you’re out there doing on a peace march, you might get beaten up. Robertson: as I said, I’ve lived in villages, poor villages, and. Urban slums in several countries. And some people could say, well, that’s stupid. You could get hurt. You know, you could, you could as a white person living in a African American slum or in a Korean village or in a Venezuelan village, Robertson: So, you know, I say, was I stupid? Was I risking and I was with my wife and children? Was I risking the lives of my wife and children by living in slums and, and villages? Yes. Was I stupid? I mean, [00:57:00] no, I wasn’t stupid, but I was risking our lives. But I somehow, I was, called I wanted to do it. I said, okay. Robertson: but my point is it’s risky, you know? And you have to keep working with yourself. That’s why I love the word practice. Robertson: You know, in Buddhism we keep practicing, and I love your, the teaching of that you have on your website of Pema Chodron, you know, on self-love. You know, you have to keep practicing. How do I love myself? Say, okay, I’m afraid and I’m just this little white person, but or I’m this little old white person, but I’m gonna do everything I can and be everything I can. Robertson: I really appreciated the story of Han not choosing sides. I mean, you’re right. If we are going to see each other’s brothers and sisters and is is one global family, we can’t pick a side over the other, even though we so want to. Gissele: And, and I’m with you. when I think that there’s a [00:58:00] unfairness, when there’s people that are vulnerable or suffering, I’m more likely to pick to the side that is like, oh, that person is suffering. They’re the victim. But what you said is spot on. People that truly lovewho have love in their heart, like when you were raised with love. Gissele: You had love to give others because your cup was full. So it overflowed to want to help others, to want to love others. People that are hurting, that don’t have love in their hearts are those that hurt other people. Robertson: Mm-hmm. Gissele: They must because they must be so separated from their own humanity. Robertson: Yes, yes, yes. Gissele: And yet things are changing. You mentioned Minnesota, and I wanted to mention that I love that they’re doing the singing chants, and they’re not making them wrong. they’re singing chants like you can change your mind. You don’t have to be wrong. You don’t have to experience shame and guilt for the choice you’ve made. You can always change your mind. And in your book, you talk a lot about movements. Do you wanna [00:59:00] share a little bit about the power of movements and helping us create a compassionate civilization? Robertson: Oh, yes. Thank you. I’m, I’m a big movement fan. it started in college with the Civil Rights Movement. I realized, wow, you know, if a lot of people get together and do something together, it can make a difference. Like the Civil Rights movement. Gissele: Yeah. Robertson: And the women’s movement and peace movement. Robertson: And like in Vietnam, the peace movement, we could really make a difference if we get out in March. I think that being an individual or part of an organization that is part of a movement can be a powerful force. And so I focus in my life and that, that book on the six movements that I’ve mentioned, and those movements can work together. Robertson: And when they work together, they become a movement of movements. They become mom. Hmm. I like that because I I’m a feminist and I think that we need so [01:00:00] desperately we need more feminine energy inhumanity and in civilization. Robertson: So I’m a unapologetic feminist. And so that’s why I like that the movement of movements, the acronym is Mom, you know, and so it’s the Moms of the World will lead us like you. And so they’re the movements of ecological regeneration, socioeconomic justice, I’m repeating gender equality, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, peace and non-violence. Robertson: And you know, we also have the Gay Rights Movement, the democracy movement. there’s so many movements that it made a huge difference. So. I began saying that I, after writing the book, I said, okay,now my work is the work of the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative. Robertson: And I decided I wouldn’t make an organization, I it, wouldn’t have a website, I wouldn’t register it. I wouldn’t raise money for it. It would just be anybody and everybody [01:01:00] who was part of the movement of movements who was working to create a compassionate civilization. Robertson: So that’s what I did. And that’s where I am. I’m this old guy in my home. I don’t get out a lot. I don’t drive a lot. I just drive to nearby town. I have a car, but I don’t use it a lot. I don’t like to walk up and down hills. Robertson: IAnd sometimes I can’t remember things and I say, Hey, but look, you have so many friends all over the world and you can keep encouraging through your writing. So that’s why I keep writing, you know, it is for the movement of movements. Robertson: I guess that’s why I write. here’s something I want to share, something I thought or felt or something that I wrote about. And maybe it will touch you. Maybe it’ll encourage you. Maybe we’ll help you in your life. Robertson: I live in a homeowners association neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood that has a homeowners association. We’re 34 families and we have straight families, gay families. we have white families and non-white families. [01:02:00] We have Democrats, Republicans and Socialists. Robertson: We have Christians and Buddhists and Hindus. And so what I do, I say, Hey, we’re all neighbors. We all helped each other during the pandemic. We all helped each other after the hurricane. It doesn’t matter what our politics are or our religion or our sexuality, we’re all human beings. Robertson: We’re all gonna die. we all want love. We all want happiness. And We can be good neighbors. We don’t have to have ideology, you know, we don’t have to quote the Bible, we don’t have to quote Buddha. We can just be good neighbors. So we’re gonna have a workshop this spring And so we’re all going to get together down the street in this big room, in the fire station, and we’re gonna have a two hour workshop. And will it help? I don’t know. Will it make us better neighbors? I don’t know. Why am I doing it? I’m driven to do it. I’ve done workshops all over the world and I wanna do a workshop in my neighborhood. Robertson: I’ve done workshops with the un, I’ve done [01:03:00] workshops with governments, with cities So I love to facilitate. I love getting people together to solve problems together to listen to each other, respect each other, to honor each other. Gissele: so I’m just gonna ask you a couple more questions. But I’m just gonna make a comment right now about what you said because I think it’s so important. Gissele: Number one is I love that your neighborhood is a microcosm of what our world could be like . The fact that people got together to help and make sure that people were taken care of. If we could amplify that, that could be our world. I think that’s such a beautiful thing. Gissele: And the other thing that I think is really fundamental is that even through your life, you are showing us that some people are going to go pickett. And that’s okay. Some people are gonna write blogs to help us, and that’s okay. Some people are gonna do podcasts, and that’s okay. There are things that people can do that don’t have to look exactly the same. Gissele: Some people are going to have more courage, and they’re going to put their bodies in front and potentially get hurt. Other people, maybe they can’t do [01:04:00] that. So there are many different ways to help. The other thing that you said that was really, really key is the importance of moms . And that was one of the things that really touched me about your book, the acronym. Gissele: I was like, oh my God, I so resonate with this. Because I do feel that we need more feminine energy. We really kind of really squash the feminine energy. But the truth of the matter is we need more because fundamentally, nurturance is a mother energy is a feminine energy. Gissele: Compassion’s a feminine energy. Yes, yes, yes, Robertson: yes, yes, Gissele: so if I can share my story. Last night I was at hockey game. My son was playing hockey. Robertson: Mm-hmm. Gissele: And our team they don’t like to fight. Gissele: We play our game and we have fun and we’re good. And so the previous teams that were there, it was under Youth 15, most of the game was the kids fighting. And taking penalties. And so the game ends, the people come off the ice and two men that are starting to get like into a fight [01:05:00] now, woman got in front of them. Gissele: Wow. and said, we all signed a form that said, this is just a game. Remember who this is for? even though she was elevated, she totally stopped that fight between two men that we were not small. And So it was, it was really interesting. Robertson: Wonderful. Gissele: it was a woman who actually stopped a fight Gissele: It’s the feminine power. And that doesn’t mean, and I wanna make this clear, that doesn’t mean that men have to be discarded or have to be treated the same way that women are treated. ’cause I think that’s a big fear. That’s a big fear that some white males have. It’s no, you don’t have to be less than, Robertson: right. Robertson: We need Gissele: to uplift the feminine energy. So there’s a balance. ’cause right now we’re not balanced. Robertson: Exactly. Exactly. Oh, boy. Am I with you there? there’s a whole section in my book, as you noticed on gender equality I’m gonna read a tribute to Mothers I. Robertson: Tribute to Mothers Giving Birth to New Life, nurturing, [01:06:00] sustaining, guiding, releasing, launching, affirming Love. Be getting Love a flow onwards. Mother Earth, mother Tree, mother Tiger, mother Eve. My grandmother’s Sally and Arie, my mother, Mary Elizabeth, my children’s mother, Mary, my grandchildren’s mother, Jennifer, my grandchildren’s grandmothe

We have seen an extraordinary change in attitudes towards gay and lesbian people over the last half century in the West. Within living memory, homosexuality was criminalised. Now, same-sex couples can get married and share custody of children. This is nothing short of a moral revolution. Plenty of progressives think, not only that this change was inevitable, but also that further liberalisation is inevitable. My guests today are not so sure. They note that, for the first time in a long time, younger people on average are less accepting of homosexuality than are slightly older people. Perhaps this is a result of immigration patterns. Perhaps it's a result of strategic errors made by activists. I'm joined by three people who all agree that something has gone wrong, although they disagree – subtly – on exactly how and why. Ronan McCrea is professor of constitutional and European law at University College London and the author of 'The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom.' Matthew Vines the the Founder and Executive Director of The Reformation Project and the author of 'God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships.'And Julie Bindel is a journalist, broadcaster, author, and the co-founder and co-director of The Lesbian Project.All of these guests share a concern that the wins of the gay rights movement are very fragile. There is a very real possibility that we will look back on the early twenty-first century as an historical blip – a brief moment of victory that was squandered. We ask how that fate might be avoided. Discussed in the show: 'The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom''God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships' 'Lesbians: Where are we now?' The Lesbian Project podcast Stephen Ireland news storyMy interview with Darel E. Paul Operation Spanner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around Ireland and in Europe, the gay rights movement has had extraordinary success. Many would argue that there is more work to be done.However, Ronan McCrea, Professor of Constitutional and European Law at University College London argues that it's time for the movement to possibly take a step back, or risk unravelling all that's been achieved…He is author of ‘The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom', and joins Seán to discuss.

Around Ireland and in Europe, the gay rights movement has had extraordinary success. Many would argue that there is more work to be done.However, Ronan McCrea, Professor of Constitutional and European Law at University College London argues that it's time for the movement to possibly take a step back, or risk unravelling all that's been achieved…He is author of ‘The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom', and joins Seán to discuss.

A new book chronicles how the gay rights movement was organised in Ireland, and examines what lessons can be learnt from its losses and successes, and ultimately how these lessons can be passed on to future social movements.Joining Seán to discuss is Michael Barron, author of ‘How Ireland's LGBTQ+ Youth Movement Was Built: Civil Society in the Pursuit of Social Justice'...

A new book chronicles how the gay rights movement was organised in Ireland, and examines what lessons can be learnt from its losses and successes, and ultimately how these lessons can be passed on to future social movements.Joining Seán to discuss is Michael Barron, author of ‘How Ireland's LGBTQ+ Youth Movement Was Built: Civil Society in the Pursuit of Social Justice'...

On the twilight of Pride Month, the New York Times published (and sent out a push notification for) a guest essay titled “How the Gay Rights Movement Radicalized and Lost Its Way” by a gay journalist named Andrew Sullivan. If you thought I could resist this A Bit Fruity bait, you'd be wrong. Today, Chase Strangio — who recently made history as the first lawyer to argue in front of the Supreme Court in US v. Skrmetti — helps us parse out some genuinely difficult questions. What is the right way to ask people in power for your rights? Has the gay movement gone too far? What is the point of the New York Times? Listen to bonus episodes on Patreon! Find me on Instagram. Find A Bit Fruity on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FAIR News Weekly | 7/4/2025

We've previously explored how LGBTQ+ history has often been overlooked, ignored, or deliberately erased, demonstrating the importance of remembering and honoring our past. Despite ongoing attacks from the current administration aimed at censoring or rewriting queer history, LGBTQ+ historians continue to preserve it, ensuring that our stories and the figures who shaped them are not forgotten.In this episode, Keith Stern, author of Queers in History, joins us discuss the evolution of his groundbreaking encyclopedia over the past three decades and how understanding our history can empower future generations and strengthen today's activism.Related Episodes:Listen to Episode 145. Resisting Erasure: Preserving LGBTQ+ History (with Michael Venturiello)Additional Resources:Learn More About Queers in HistoryLearn More About Keith SternSupport the showGet Your Merch

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Christina Cauterucci speaks with Zein Murib, Fordham professor and author of Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity, about the historical roots of the marginalization of trans and bi people in the gay rights movement. Zein, who recently wrote the Slate piece "Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target? " breaks down how the movement's focus on a narrow definition of identity left trans and bi people vulnerable to political attacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In past episodes, we've explored pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history that have often been overlooked or erased, highlighting why remembering our past is so vital. With the current administration actively trying to erase our history, preserving and sharing these stories—from hidden queer figures to the fight for educational accessibility—is more urgent than ever.In this episode, Michael Venturiello, an LGBTQ+ historian and founder of Christopher Street Tours, joins us to talk about the importance of preserving LGBTQ+ history, the misconceptions that still exist, and how we can ensure these stories are passed down to future generations.Related Episodes:Listen to Episode 17. Mobsters & Mos: How the Mafia Owned Gay NightlifeListen to Episode 63. The Stonewall RiotsAdditional Resources:The Mafia's Control of New York's Gay Bars: A Hidden Chapter in LGBTQ+ HistoryLearn More About Christopher Street ToursRead Christopher Street Tours' LGBTQ+ Community GuideFollow Christopher Street Tours on InstagramConnect with Christopher Street Tours on FacebookFollow Christopher Street Tours on TikTokFollow Michael Venturiello on InstagramConnect with Michael Venturiello on LinkedInSupport the showGet Your Merch

CPF Director Bob Shrum joins media experts, Martin Gurri, Adam Nagourney, and Gordon Stables, for a discussion on how the changing media landscape has contributed to global populist trends. They discuss the transformation of the media landscape, the role of the elites in the media and politics, and media's impact on the state of democracy globally.    Featuring: Martin Gurri: Former CIA Analyst; Author of "The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium" Adam Nagourney: National Political Reporter for The New York Times; Author of "The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism" and "Out for Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in America"; Fall 2019 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future Gordon Stables: Director, USC Annenberg School of Journalism Bob Shrum: Director, USC Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife

Marlon Wayans jokes abotu waht the gay rights movement needs in his Netflix special, "Woke-Ish".

“Rapidly growing interest in the subject of homosexuality has made novels on this theme a big seller...”Happy Pride Month! After one publishing house started finding success with publishing books focusing on themes of homosexuality in the late 1940s and early 1950s, they began keeping a mailing list of those interested in gay books. But the United States Postal Service started catching on, and the publishers were indicted on obscenity charges. That didn't stop Donald Webster Cory, the pen name of American academic Edward Sagarin, from starting his own gay mail-order book business in 1952: the Cory Book Service. But Sagarin was plagued by internalized homophobia, and for decades maintained that homosexuality was a mental illness that can be cured. That is, until another queer academic had enough of Edward's drama.Theme music is credited to Wendy Marcini, Elvin Vanguard, and Jules Gaia.Instagram: @literaryscandalsSelected bibliography:• Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement by David K. Johnson• "The Book Club That Helped Launch the Gay-Rights Movement," The New Yorker• "Sagarin, Edward (Donald Webster Cory)," GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture

The central doctrine of the gay rights assumes homosexuality is genetic.  “I am gay because I was born that way.  It's like being black.  It's built into your DNA and there is nothing you can do about it.  To criticize homosexuality is the same as racism.”  Without this doctrinal assumption the whole edifice of gay rights collapses.   But it's simply wrong.  Let me give you four reasons why the gay rights movement is built on false doctrine. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/phil-mitchell7/message

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Gay rights supporters and those struggling with student debt get some bad news today from the Supreme Court.  President Biden announces some new plans to deal with student debt.  Hamburgers and hot dogs are top choices at outdoor Summer parties but maybe we should be thinking about changing that.   

Heather R. White is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Religious Studies Department and Gender and Queer Studies Program at the University of Puget Sound and a Research Associate at the Women's Studies in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School. Her research focuses on religion, identity, and politics with an emphasis on queer, post-secular, and critical race theories as frameworks for interpreting recent U.S. history. White is the author of Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights (University of North Carolina Press, 2015). Visit Sacred Writes: https://www.sacred-writes.org/carpenter-cohort

The Rebel News podcasts features free audio-only versions of select RebelNews+ content and other Rebel News long-form videos, livestreams, and interviews. Monday to Friday enjoy the audio version of Ezra Levant's daily TV-style show, The Ezra Levant Show, where Ezra gives you his contrarian and conservative take on free speech, politics, and foreign policy through in-depth commentary and interviews. Wednesday evenings you can listen to the audio version of The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid the Chief Reporter of Rebel News. Sheila brings a western sensibility to Canadian news. With one foot in the oil patch and one foot in agriculture, Sheila challenges mainstream media narratives and stands up for Albertans. If you want to watch the video versions of these podcasts, make sure to begin your free RebelNewsPlus trial by subscribing at http://www.RebelNewsPlus.com

EPISODE 1553: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to James Kirchick, the author of the Liberties journal essay "From Queer to Gay to Queer", on why he believes the theory of "queerness" is a "parasite" on the gay rights movement James Kirchick is the author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 1553: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to  James Kirchick, the author of the Liberties journal essay "From Queer to Gay to Queer", on why he believes the theory of "queerness" is a "parasite" on the gay rights movementJames Kirchick is the author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Curator of the soon-to-be-unveiled KC Rainbow Tour Joel Barrett joined me on this episode of Keep Them Coming. Joel shared stories of this city's queer past, including the influential 1966 meeting of the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations or NACHO, pronounced NAY-KOE, which was the ember of activism that helped spark the Gay Rights Movement; stories of an open lesbian Bunny at the Playboy Club named Lea Hopkins; the Jazz District; the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America; and Womantown. We also discussed showing respect via pronouns, finding long-lost gay family, and Anita Bryant.   Find the KC Rainbow Tour on: Instagram JoelSpeaksOut.com Happy Singles Appreciation Day! Enjoy this playlist Single and Vibin' on Spotify. 

Shawn Smith gives a historical perspective on the formation of the gay bear community and he also shares some insights about bears.  It's almost like sitting in a college class as he gives us some insider information and insights regarding the bear community.In addition to his knowledge and engagement in the bear community, his involvement in an emerging Gay college campus organization began a path of LGBT activism, advocacy, and community-building as the Gay Rights Movement began to coalesce in the mid-70's across America. Lured by the freedom and anonymity of big city life, Shawn shares his adventures along the road to freedom of sexual expression.A writer and storyteller by trade, he's now quasi-retired and slacking poolside: A dirty old man enjoying the free and Fabulously Gay life that Palm Springs has to offer.Contact Shawn at: macgizmoguy@hotmail.com  Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2023Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Researcher Edward Alwood explains how activists in the Gay Rights Movement used public relations practices to reframe media coverage in the 1950s and '60s. Show transcripts are available at https://journalism-history.org/podcast/

Shawn Smith shares his stories of coming out in the rural midwest.His involvement in an emerging Gay college campus organization began a path of LGBT activism, advocacy, and community-building as the Gay Rights Movement began to coalesce in the mid-70's across America. Lured by the freedom and anonymity of big city life, Shawn shares his adventures along the road to freedom of sexual expression.A writer and storyteller by trade, he's now quasi-retired and slacking poolside: A dirty old man enjoying the free and Fabulously Gay life that Palm Springs has to offer.Contact Shawn at: macgizmoguy@hotmail.com  Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com

Welcome back to Q4Q! This week, queer historian Tyler Albertario & Haley wade through the history of the correspondence club, Contact. The penpal club served as a clandestine way for homosexual correspondents to connect during the 1920s & ‘30s. Learn about notable members like Henry Gerber, Manuel boyFrank, and Frank McCourt–who's letters form the foundation of the present knowledge of the club's history. Do you want to hear more from Tyler? Follow him on Twitter @TylerAlbertario.Listen to us on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your tunes!Interested in being on the show? Contact us at Q4QPodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @Queerpersonals and Instagram @Queerpersonalspodcast.Music strummed by Omar Nassar. Cover art by Bekah Rich. Sources:Jeremy Sorese, “Henry Gerber is the Founder of the Society for Human Rights, the First Known Homosexual Organization in the United States,” Shandaken Projects, October 2020. http://www.shandakenprojects.org/otherassets/HenryGerber_Online.pdfLetter to Merlin Wand, May 26, 1928 ("CONTACTS..."), Internet: Speculative Fiction database.Rob Roehm, “Contact without Friction”, Howard History: The Life & Times of Robert E. Howard, March 8, 2021. https://howardhistory.com/category/letters/Jim Elledge, An Angel in Sodom: Henry Gerber and  the Birth of the Gay Rights Movement, Chicago Review Press, 2022. Subject Files Series 3.1916-1984 Bulk: Contacts, Date: 1935, Manuscript Number: Box 8, Folder 9, Source Library: ONE National Gay & Lesbian, Archives, Archive: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part II Collection: Manuel boyFrank Papers Subject Files Series 3.1916-1984 Bulk: Contact, Date: 1945, Manuscript Number: Box 5, Folder 28Source Library: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Archive: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part II Collection: Manuel boyFrank Papers boyFrank (Manuel) papers Finding Aid, Online Archive of California, https://oac.cdlib.org/view?style=oac4;view=dsc;docId=c8ff3t5b;query=Contacts#hitNum5Support the show

Drag Aktivistin Barbie Breakout ist zurück bei Zart Bleiben und stellt mit Fabian Hart die Pride-Frage: Kann man stolz darauf sein queer zu sein? Was hat dieser Stolz mit Manhattan zu tun und vor allem mit Münster? Warum ist die Gay Rights Movement nicht einfach nur mit „Schwulenbewegung“ zu übersetzen und was sagen Stormy, Sylvia und Marsha dazu?

Best-selling author of "Reviving Ophelia" Mary Pipher talks about her new memoir, "A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence." And, before the Stonewall Inn raid in 1969, gay rights groups organized in Kansas City, Missouri, creating inroads of their own. KCUR's Mackenzie Martin reports.

Nika and Anya discuss the importance of straight men redistributing their wealth of knowledge about cars to the queer community. The besties discuss problematic age gaps, the intersection of the queer experience with queer representation in cinema (specifically the new film Fire Island), Nika's depressive episode coming to an end, and Anya getting robbed in London in 2017. Nika tells us about the leaps and bounds made by the pre-Nazi Germany gay rights movement, the betrayal of the “normal” gays to the greater queer community (go figure), and ultimately the tragic loss of the rich library of 19th century queer research and literature as fascism rose in the early 20th century. Content warning: mentions of suicide and also fisting. Tickets to our live show June 30th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES: www.patreon.com/bestmistakespod Hosted by Nika Lomazzo (@nikalomazzo) & Anya Volz (@anyavolz), produced by Elisa Coia (@elisa_etc). Follow the podcast @bestmistakespod and email your submissions to bestmistakespod@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bestmistakespod/message

This week, Jared and Rachel cover the drag king and activist, Stormé DeLarverie, and the South African activist, Simon Nkoli. ✸ Content Warnings: This episode contains adult themes and language, such as violence, injuries, racism, homophobia, dementia, segregation, imprisonment, AIDs/HIV, suicide, and death. Stormé DeLarverie: "Drag Herstory: A Drag King's Journey From Cabaret Legend to Iconic Activist" by Elyssa Goodman "It Wasn't No Damn Riot: Celebrating Stonewall Uprising Activist Stormé DeLarverie" by Jodi-Ann Burey "A Brief History of Stormé DeLarverie, Stonewall's Suiting Icon" by Rachel Tashjian Stormé's Biography from the U.S. National Park Services Stormé's Biography by Harley Osgood "Storme DeLarverie, Early Leader in the Gay Rights Movement, Dies at 93" by William Yardley Stormé's Wikipedia Page Simon Nkoli: "Till the time of Trial: The prison letters of Simon Nkoli" Simon Nkoli's Profile from South African History Online Simon Nkoli's Legacy Project Profile Simon Nkoli's Making Queer History Profile "Simon Nkoli, Queer South African Freedom Fighter" by Maria Helena Dolan ✎ Make sure to send in your personal listener stories to historicallyreallygoodfriends@gmail.com to be read on the podcast! ✦ Feel free to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. ☻ Give us a follow on Instagram @historicallyreally to see photos from today's episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Years before the Stonewall uprising, Drew Shafer started Kansas City's first gay rights organization and published the first LGBTQ magazine in the Midwest. It was that effort, in part, that made Stonewall a turning point in the gay rights movement. Plus, how the lead industry lied to the American public for decades about the dangers of its toxic products.

The Gay Rights Movement doesn't start at Stonewall. Frank Kameny was one of the earliest pioneers of Gay Rights. In the 1950's he was fired from his job as an astronomer for the Army Map Service. His crime: being gay. This leads him to a life of advocacy that starts at a time when it is incredibly dangerous to be gay and out. He takes on Congress, the American Psychiatric Association, JFK + LBJ, and anyone in society who wants gay Americans to feel ashamed of who they are. Listen in to hear about this life of radical activism from a guy who was kind of a square. Donate to support the show at ko-fi.com/daringdissent Follow on IG @daringdissent Theme song by Skilsel on pixabay.com Background music credit to White Hot (freebeats.io) Album Art by chnkyraptr Credit to Marquette University Archives for the McCarthy Audio Source list for all episodes found here --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week on Sweet Baby Gay we are talking Part 2 of the Supreme Court and Gay Rights. Part 1 is talked about in Episode 17.We decided to do this series because with everything going on in the United States with Roe v Wade, we thought it was a good time to talk about our rights in the queer community and how we got them. It has been a long fight, and it is important for us to stay educated and know about the people who fought for us. Let us know what you think!Find sources used on our website, AbbeyDotProductions.comThe cases covered in this episode:2000 - Boy Scouts of Ameriva v. Dale2003 - Lawrence v. Texas2013 - United States v. Windsory2013 - Hollingsworth v. Perry 2015 - Obergefell v. Hodges2018 - Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission2019 -  Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda                Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia                R.G. & G. R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionSupport the show

This week on Sweet Baby Gay we are here to talk about the history of the Gay Rights Movement and the Supreme Court of the United States.With everything happening in America within the past week, we thought it would be a good time to go through the Gay Rights court cases in the Supreme Court that have given us the rights we have today. Many of these writes have been determined with reference to Roe v Wade, so they could be at risk when the case is over turned. For our community, we believe it is best that we all stay educated and up to date about our rights. We did not make it through all the cases we wanted to, so this is only Part 1! Part 2 will be out next week. Find sources used on our website, SweetBabyGay.comThe cases covered in this episode:1958 - One, Inc. v Olesen 1971 - Baker v Nelson1986 - Bowers v Hardwick1995 - Hurley v Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston1996 - Romer v Evans1998 - Oncale v Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc. Support the show

A live audience interviews Andrew Sullivan (prominent conservative commentator and former editor of The New Republic) from his home in Cape Cod about modern conservatism, political correctness, and the gay rights movement — and he even tells us he's lighting up a joint on air.  Find more (including how to join us live) at PM101.live

Through the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Rights Movement we watch as the outer wheel of history takes one more revolution forward.

Is the gay rights movement the new civil rights movement? - Eric Saunders. (Citylight Conference) by CityLight Church

This Week We're closing Pride month out with some insight and education from the beginnings of the Gay Rights Movement in Ireland with Dr Patrick McDonagh, Learning about our past, how far we've come and how far we have to go. We also Discuss the ongoing oppression of Britney and the #FreeBritney movement, and Our Rotters of the Week.Enjoy x See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we're talking about the history of Pride and the Gay Rights Movement, from Sappho to Stonewall. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/secretloft/support

In this month's politisode Evan dives into the differences between the Queer Revolution and the Gay Rights Movement. These sometimes parallel, yet very different movements, have collided to spark the backlash impacting Pride organizations across the country right now. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yourqueerstory/message

In 1985, Gert McMullin was one of the first San Franciscans to put a stitch on the AIDS Quilt, the quilt that began with one memorial square in honor of a man who had died of AIDS, and that now holds some 95,000 names. Gert never planned it this way, but over the decades she has become the Keeper of the Quilt and has stewarded it, repaired it, tended it, traveled with it and conserved it for some 33 years. Gert knows the power of sewing. In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, Gert was one of the first Bay Area citizens to begin sewing masks—PPE for nurses and health care workers who were lacking proper protection—masks she made from fabric left over from the making of the AIDS Quilt. The comfort, outrage and honoring of an earlier pandemic being used to protect people from a new one. In January of 2020 The AIDS Memorial Quilt, now part of The National AIDS Memorial, returned home to the Bay Area after 16 years in Atlanta. It took six 52-foot semis to get it there. The over sixty tons of quilt, is made up of about 48,000 panels, each 3 x 6 feet, the size of a grave. The extensive AIDS Archive, which Gert gathered, collected and protected since its earliest days, is now part of The American Folklife Center at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. This piece features stories of Gert McMullin and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the Gay Rights Movement in San Francisco, Harvey Milk and The White Night Riots and more. With interviews with LGBT Rights activist Cleve Jones who worked with Harvey Milk and conceived of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and John Cunningham, Executive Director of the National AIDS Memorial.

This month we are celebrating Pride Month by sharing personal stories, pivotal moments in the Gay Rights Movement, and trailblazers.  In this episode, I will shed light on the evolution of the Rainbow Flag and why it is such a strong symbol within the LGBTQ+ community.  So, tune in to learn a bit of history around the creators of the flag, the meaning of the colors, and how it is becoming more inclusive today!We hope that this will inspire you to educate yourself and others as you celebrate Pride Month.  This education will aid you in understanding all members within the community better in order.Resources used to present this segment:~ www.HRC.org (Human Rights Campaign)~ Smithsonian Magazine - History of the Rainbow Flag~ USAToday.com - LGBTQ+ Pride Flag

This month we are celebrating Pride Month by sharing personal stories, pivotal moments in the Gay Rights Movement, and trailblazers.  In this episode, I will shed light on the evolution of the Rainbow Flag and why it is such a strong symbol within the LGBTQ+ community.  So, tune in to learn a bit of history around the creators of the flag, the meaning of the colors, and how it is becoming more inclusive today!We hope that this will inspire you to educate yourself and others as you celebrate Pride Month.  This education will aid you in understanding all members within the community better in order.Resources used to present this segment:~ www.HRC.org (Human Rights Campaign)~ Smithsonian Magazine - History of the Rainbow Flag~ USAToday.com - LGBTQ+ Pride Flag

Did the ghost of Teresita Basa possess a coworker to solve her own murder??? Amy gets into it and Monique is so obsessed she cannot handle it. Then Monique covers the long fight of the Gay Rights Movement against the American Psychiatric Association and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. If you liked this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe.

To celebrate Pride Month, Tiff gives us a history lesson on the Stonewall Inn Riots (aka The Stonewall Uprising). As this is our 30th episode, this is another deep dive. We do our best to highlight the struggles of the Gay Rights Movement and the spark that ignited it. This is a heavy one, but we felt it is important. Don't worry, we still make SOME jokes. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/tellmesomethingterrible?fan_landing=true)

This month we are celebrating Pride Month by sharing personal stories, pivotal moments in the Gay Rights Movement, and trailblazers.  In this episode, I will shed light on the Stonewall Riots (a.k.a Stonewall Uprising) and why this point in history was so monumental.  So, tune in to learn a bit of history as we journey through this month where many of us are remembering the fallen, protesting for acceptance and equal rights, and celebrating the battles we've won thus far within the LGBTQ+ Community.We hope to inspire you to step up and out!  We want you to be bold and own your truth!  Own who you are!

This month we are celebrating Pride Month by sharing personal stories, pivotal moments in the Gay Rights Movement, and trailblazers.  In this episode, I will shed light on the Stonewall Riots (a.k.a Stonewall Uprising) and why this point in history was so monumental.  So, tune in to learn a bit of history as we journey through this month where many of us are remembering the fallen, protesting for acceptance and equal rights, and celebrating the battles we've won thus far within the LGBTQ+ Community.We hope to inspire you to step up and out!  We want you to be bold and own your truth!  Own who you are!

Micheal and I cover two topics today one being the Trump accusations and the Gay rights protests

This Sunday marks the 56th anniversary of the Dewey Lunch Counter Sit-Ins. An infamous moment in queer history when gender-diverse youth challenged their exclusion from an American Diner. Four years before Stonewall and the formal Gay Rights Movement broke into mainstream consciousness, queer revolutionaries were already preparing for battle. From the formation of the Janus Society to the distribution of Drum Magazine, queer culture thrived in Philadelphia. Today we’re heading to the “City of Brotherly Love'', to discuss a place rich in all history, but especially LGBTQ+ history. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yourqueerstory/message

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.What is your take on the recent Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriages? And advice?Following the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize "gay marriages," here are a few bullet points that may prove helpful in guiding our thoughts.On this topic, God's word isn't difficult to understand, and can be ascertained quickly using any Bible concordance. Both testaments teach the same, and studies may be found elsewhere at this website. Taking our stand on the Word is not always fashionable. And yet modern liberal interpreters would have us believe that the unanimous understanding of the church has been flawed for 2000 years -- as was that of Judaism before (from the 13th century onwards). This means one of two things: that the apostles seriously misunderstood sexual ethics, or else that God intended his revelation to apply only to earlier centuries, and to be updated as society became more sophisticated. Neither one of these possibilities seems convincing. Note: modern Judaism no longer holds to a biblical view of heterosexuality.God will judge those outside the church, as Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 5. This is not our task. Moreover, we can still accept the person even if we don't accept the teaching. This is the meaning of tolerance. (Please refer to the two newsletter articles on tolerance: part 1, part 2.)This is nothing new! Building on the foundation of the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, the Gay Rights Movement, well organized and widely supported in the courts, media, the arts, and higher educational institutions, has been advancing powerfully. I am amazed that anyone would be taken off guard. 40-50 years of rhetoric, judicial verdicts, and the idolization among the youth of film stars, sports stars, and others who approve of nearly every sexual behavior -- so many years of the liberal agenda add up. Legalization and even promotion of homosexual lifestyles has been the reality in many western nations for many years.It's unrealistic to expect government to adopt biblical morals.  In our world -- as in the world of the Bible -- the government does not normally side with the church on moral issues.Jesus said, "Render to Caesar..." (Matt 22:21). Jesus rejected the ethics of Caesar, yet he respected Caesar’s right to govern as he saw fit. It is not the place of Christians to fight with the weapons of the world (2 Cor 10:4), nor do we put our hope in the arm of flesh (Eph 6:10-18).Not all homosexuals reject the Bible outright, and some re-interpret the principal passages on homosexuality as supporting gay lifestyle choices. Please watch gay apologist Vines, and read my response to the significant points raised by this young man.A civil union is not a biblical marriage. From Genesis to Revelation, biblical marriage is always between one man and one woman. Rather than use unbiblical terminology ("gay marriage"), let us refer to this relationship in a more neutral manner. I would suggest using "same-sex union" or "gay union" or "civil union" in place of "gay marriage."Serious Christians ought to be informed on the issues. Guy Hammond of Strength in Weakness ministries (SIW) has published a thoughtful assessment of the current situation. There is also a permanent link to SIW at the bottom of my homepage. You might also take a look at one of the studies in Christianity Today.Let's shatter the stereotype of the bigoted Christian. Reach out to men and women who self-identify as LGBT. Have them over to dinner (the way of Jesus). Defend their rights -- don't oppress them. Strive for empathy. Avoid caricatures. Don't talk about them; talk to them. Act in love.

Because it's November, we thought it only appropriate to spill the tea on some of our favorite Presidential Harlots: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Emily tells Karamia about Eleanor, who had boots on the ground in depression-era America, an ax to grind with her inner demons, and a secret love that posthumously propelled her front and center to the Gay Rights Movement.  Karamia tells Emily about Franklin, who turned a divided country back on its feet by day and by night made stiff drinks and bedroom eyes at every Lucy, Martha, or Missy that passed his way. Grab a hotdog and make yourself a cocktail (try not to pour it into your houseplant) and get ready for the kind of political scandal we actually enjoy.  Music by Lloyd Rogers. Like and Subscribe for more of our favorite Harlots! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Instead of relying on guesswork and opinion to understand why groups of people behave the way they do, today’s technology allows us to analyze and synthesize data. When we truly understand what we all value most, we can unleash enormous passion and power. This is the fundamental disruption of our time: we can now predict and influence what people will do next. David Allison, founder of The Valuegraphics Database, is our guest for this episode of Association Chat podcast. After a career spent developing ideas and concepts to engage stakeholders for several hundred organizations, David Allison recognized the need for a more scientific method to determine what really influences people to do the things they do. The result is The Valuegraphics Database, the first global dataset created specifically to help organizations predict and influence behavior using the values we share. My favorite quote from this interview came right at the end. "If you need any proof that demographics are harmful and hurtful and divisive, and cause all kinds of strife in our world; I'll point you to a few examples. Black Lives Matter. The Gay Rights Movement. The Women's Rights Movement. These are all demographics, demographic groups, standing up and saying, 'Do not treat me like a demographic. Treat me like a human being. Do not judge me based on my gender, my sexual orientation, the color of my skin. None of that matters. I just want to be a human, like the rest of you.'  I can't think of any more powerful condemnation of how terrible demographics are for our society." #ValuesThinking #BehavioralScience #DataDriven

It's PRIDE MONTH which means it's time for Savannah's yearly 'person who was involved in the ttonewall riots we never learned about' episode. She takes us through the wild life of the 'Rosa Parks of the Gay Rights Movement'. Hey, schools, maybe start teaching queer history.

In 1985, Gert McMullin was one of the first San Franciscans to put a stitch on the AIDS Quilt, the quilt that began with one memorial square in honor of a man who had died of AIDS, and that now holds some 95,000 names. Gert never planned it this way, but over the decades she has become the Keeper of the Quilt and has stewarded it, repaired it, tended it, traveled with it and conserved it for some 33 years now. Gert knows the power of sewing. In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, Gert was one of the first Bay Area citizens to begin sewing masks—PPE for nurses and health care workers who were lacking proper protection—masks she makes from fabric left over from the making of the AIDS Quilt. The comfort, outrage and honoring of an earlier pandemic being used to protect people from a new one. In January of 2020 The AIDS Memorial Quilt, now part of The National AIDS Memorial, returned home to the Bay Area after 16 years in Atlanta. It took six 52-foot semis to get it there. The over sixty tons of quilt, is made up of about 48,000 panels, each 3 x 6 feet, the size of a grave. The extensive AIDS Archive, which Gert gathered, collected and protected since its earliest days, is now part of The American Folklife Center at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The story of Gert McMullin and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the Gay Rights Movement in San Francisco, Harvey Milk, The White Night Riots. With interviews with LGBT Rights activist Cleve Jones who worked with Harvey Milk and conceived of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and John Cunningham, Executive Director of the National AIDS Memorial.

In this episode of Let’s Get Civical, Lizzie and Arden are joined by member of the fam, intern Huston! Join them as they talk about activist Marsha P. Johnson who is credited with starting the Gay Rights Movement, was a leader at the Stonewall Riots, and started a home for transgendered youth.  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @letsgetcivical, @lizzie_the_rock_stewart, and @ardenjulianna. Or visit us at letsgetcivical.com for all the exciting updates! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of the Betches Sup series ‘Queerantine History’, Bryan is joined by Chris Burns (aka Fat Carrie Bradshaw) of Betches to tell the stories of two Black LGBTQ+ activists in history. Then they discuss the difference of privilege within the LGBTQ+ community and highlight some disturbing stats around people of color within the community. Obé Fitness: Sign up for your 7-day free trial at obefitness.com and use promo code SUP to get 30% off your first month! RoboKiller: Stop spam calls 2020. Head to robokiller.com/sup on your mobile device now to download the app and get RoboKiller free for 7 days.

It's our first episode!! And we're exctied to talk about Jeanne Córdova, Los Angeles activist whom fought for lesbian visibility in the Gay Rights Movement and in mainstream culture. We talk her time in the habit, The Lesbian Tide, Gay/Feminist 11, and the Community Pages. -Research credits- When We Were Outlaws, Jeanne Córdova Gay L.A., Lilliam Faderman and Stuart Timmons https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/last-word/id405514067?mt=2 (EP. Jan 21,2016) http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/lesbian-tide.html https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jeanne-cordova-20160115-story.html https://www.newwaysministry.org/2017/01/14/remembering-jeanne-cordova-a-lesbian-nun-who-broke-her-silence/ http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/daughters_bilitis_S.pdf Follow QTS: @queeringpodcast Email: queeringtimeandspacepod@gmail.com Follow Star Castro: @l.a.mexicanlezbro Follow Lauri Roggenkamp: @picklemyth Please subscribe, rate, review and share

Hey everybody! Welcome back for another wild episode of Queer All Year! Today, we celebrate the life of Gilbert Baker, a great figure in the Gay Rights Movement and lived not far from Cat and McG. Among many things, he is largely known as having create the Pride Flag, a revered symbol to this day. He also was pro-cannabis legalisation so you know we're fans. He was greatly patriotic and was a great asset to the community. Thank you so much and remember: We Love You!

IN this episode, Paul and Selena are dissatisfied with their sets and try to figure out if Selena is in fact setting back the gay rights movement. As always, please follow us on social media and visit your friends in the hospital. XOXO

Ohio State University historian Clayton Howard discusses the history of the Gay Rights Movement from the '50s to present day, including the impact of the Stonewall Riots and the effects of federal legislation such as the G.I. Bill and the legalization of same-sex marriage.

June 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot that marked the birth of the modern LGBT rights movement. It is also the 4th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision on same-sex marriage, Obergefell v. Hodges. Ohio State historian Clayton Howard discusses the history behind these two important events, including homophile societies during the early Cold War, gay liberation in the late 1960s and 1970s, lesbian feminism, the AIDS crisis, and the push for same-sex marriage at the end of the twentieth century. Content Advisory: This recording contains an excerpt from a speech which contains explicit language. ----more---- Clayton Howard earned his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2010, and he is a specialist in postwar U.S. history. His research interests include the histories of American cities, suburbs, gender, sexuality, and politics.  Before coming to Ohio State, he taught at the University of New Hampshire and the College of the Holy Cross. Music: www.bensound.com

In this Episode, I focus on various smaller riots and actions of the LGBTQ+ community that took place in the 1960s prior to Stonewall, as well as covering the Stonewall Riots. Sources Used in this EpisodeSides, Josh. Erotic City: Sexual Revolutions and the Making of Modern San Francisco. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. The Council of Religion and the Homosexual. The LGBT Religious Archives Network. Online Exhibit. Accessed November 12, 2016. Vicki L. Eaklor. “Gay Rights Movement, US.” Social Sciences and History. GLBTQ Encyclopedia Archives, GLBTQ Inc: (2008), 1.Martin Duberman. Stonewall. (New York, NY: Plume Books: 1994), 194.https://www.them.us/story/who-threw-the-first-brick-at-stonewallhttp://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/picket-at-the-great-hall-cooper-union-second-ever-u-s-gay-rights-protest/ 7.mhttp://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/picket-in-front-of-u-s-army-building-first-ever-u-s-gay-rights-protest/Faderman, Lillian. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1991.Faderman, Lillian. The Gay Revolution. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2016.STEIN, MARC. 2019. “A Theory of Revolution for the Riots.” Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 26 (3): 19–20. “The Black Cat.” 2009. Advocate, no. 1023 (February): 23. BONDY, RENÉE. 2018. “Revisiting the Stonewall Narrative.” Herizons 32 (2): 10–11. Jerome Rodriguez, 2017. “Randy Wicker, Unsung Hero in LGBT-Rights Movement.” LGBT History Month. Philadelphia Gay News (Oct-27-Nov. 2): 13.“Randolfe “Randy” Wicker. 2007. “Speaking ‘Truth to Power’” Gay & Lesbian Times, Uptown Publications.

[EPISODE]  The Stonewall Uprising and the Beginning of the Modern Gay Rights Movement Join me for our first special episode in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in the United States, and the neighborhood where it took place. My guests will be Michael Venturiello, founder and owner of Christopher Street Tours, and Stonewall veteran and longtime village resident Michael Levine. Segment 1 Jeff starts out the show by talking about the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and introduces his first guest, Micheal Venturiello. The two talk about the start of gay life and gay communities before Stonewall dating back to the 1800s. Michael goes from 20s and the expression of drag in Harlem to the 40s and 50s to when President Esienhower made in clear in writing that the queer community could be discriminated against. Michael discusses gay advocacy and gay bars before Stonewall, and the power of being in a public place. Segment 2 Michael starts this segment by talking about the types of tours they offer at Christopher Street Tours. Michael continues by talking about the night of Stonewall and why the gay community felt 1969 was the time for their uprising. Michael and Jeff talk about LGBTQ life in the village before the 6 nights of Stonewall. Michael talks about the way that several LGBTQ organizations started up because they were inspired by New York. Michael tells of how the LBGTQ community has changed through the years. Segment 3 Jeff kicks off this segment by introducing his second guest Michael Levine. Michael talks about his move to Manhattan in 1967 and his start in urban planning. Jeff and Michael talk about Michael being closeted at work and his first few nights going into Stonewall. Micheal remembers his nights at Stonewall very fondly and talks about the “urban legend” that was the death of Judy Garland causing part of the riots. Segment 4 Michael talks about the actual night of Stonewall and how it started for him as a date. Michael continues about the moment the police showed up at the bar and his main fear of being discovered as a gay man. He notes the main difference of this raid from others– people weren’t leaving, and instead decided to dance in the street. Michael discusses night three, which was the first night the tactical police force showed up and news hit the papers. Michael tells Jeff how Stonewall truly affected his life positively, made him proud, and made him no longer a closeted gay man.

In 1973, a horrific fire killed 32 people in the gay bar, the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans. When city and state officials and the churches turned their backs on the victims and survivors of the tragedy, the gay community rallied together. Today it is known as the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement in New Orleans. Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/55-the-upstairs-lounge-fireSuggested Reading: The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973 by Clayton Delery-Edwards & Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire by Johnny TownsendWritten, hosted, produced by Erica KelleyResearched by Erica KelleyEdited by Chaes GrayOriginal Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison-Gamma RadioMerch | Donate | In the Media:https://southernfriedtruecrime.com @southfriedtruth (Twitter) @southernfriedtruecrime (Insta)https://www.facebook.com/southernfriedtruecrimehttps://www.youtube.com/southernfriedtruecrime

Happy St. Patrick's day! We are bringing you the stories that sparked the Gay Rights Movement in Ireland. 

History of the Gay Rights Movement

It’s a new format for the Dudes, the more taste and less filling variety.  Instead of one long episode a week, we’re now giving you three episodes that are easier to listen to during your drive to work. Be ready for new episodes to drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It’s the first Friday edition of the Dudes and we are giving you a sandwich of awesome.  Snoop Dogg has set a world record for something iconic, and you’ll want to hear what it is.  President Trump is imposing tariffs on our allies and we get the take on the matter from Ronald Reagan.  Nick Vicious is a terrible gay, but since it is Pride Month, he shares some of the history of the Gay Rights Movement.  Charles Barkley joins the Dudes to talk about being a bad gay.  Apple is introducing software to combat digital addiction.  Is digital addiction even a thing?   Be sure to visit our sponsors, get free and discounted stuff: go to gameflyoffer.com/dudesfromdallas and get a free 30-day trial subscription to play video games on any console and handheld you desire.  If you wanna save money on nerdy stuff, go to trylootcrate.com/dudesfromdallas and use the promo code bridge10 to save 10% on a new subscription.  Pick your crate and save money.  Now on YouTube, watch the dudes and subscribe to their channel.  Tell your friends and help them find the show on Stitcher, iTunes or Google Play Be sure to follow Dudes from Dallas on all the social media platforms and share with all of your friends. Facebook.com/dudesfromdallas Instagram: dudesfromdallas Twitter: @dudesfromdallas Also, be sure to go to www.dudesfromdallas.com to keep up with all of the latest information on what the Dudes are talking about, and reach out with your thoughts and comments.  Dudes From Dallas: Where the News Abides

Sometimes our activity for positive change in the world makes a visible leap and other times the impact of our work takes a seemingly long time to show any results. As Loeb points out, “You draw hope from the knowledge that whatever it is that you do, something unexpected is going to happen. And, it often happens at the periphery of your vision.”Tags: Paul Rogat Loeb, Paul Loeb, Vaclav Havel, Velvet Revolution, Keystone Pipeline, Rosa Parks, Raymond Parks, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Anti-Nuclear Proliferation, grassroots movements, Clarence Jordan, Koinonia Farm, Tiananmen Square, Tank man, Tolstoy, David Roberts, Grist Magazine, Climate Change, hope, optimism, renewable energy, Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dan Savage, Gay Rights Movement, getting out the vote, Walter Wink, Jesus and Alinsky, Bible stories, Turn the other cheek, nonviolent resistance, minimum wage, bike lanes, Cuiritiba Brazil, Bill McKibben, Peace/Nonviolence

Sometimes our activity for positive change in the world makes a visible leap and other times the impact of our work takes a seemingly long time to show any results. As Loeb points out, “You draw hope from the knowledge that whatever it is that you do, something unexpected is going to happen. And, it often happens at the periphery of your vision.”Tags: Paul Rogat Loeb, Paul Loeb, Vaclav Havel, Velvet Revolution, Keystone Pipeline, Rosa Parks, Raymond Parks, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Anti-Nuclear Proliferation, grassroots movements, Clarence Jordan, Koinonia Farm, Tiananmen Square, Tank man, Tolstoy, David Roberts, Grist Magazine, Climate Change, hope, optimism, renewable energy, Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dan Savage, Gay Rights Movement, getting out the vote, Walter Wink, Jesus and Alinsky, Bible stories, Turn the other cheek, nonviolent resistance, minimum wage, bike lanes, Cuiritiba Brazil, Bill McKibben, Peace/Nonviolence

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast series Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Paul Robinson, a Law Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the new book “Shadow Vigilantes: How distrust in the justice system breeds a new kind of lawlessness.” Paul is here today to talk about vigilantism and its impact on society.   Aaron and Paul start the episode by briefly explaining our criminal justice system; how the state or government takes on the role of plaintiff in criminal cases on behalf of the people. This responsibility makes it so citizens don’t have to be their own police force, it provides a sense of order.   When the government fails to provide justice to its citizens, or when citizens don’t believe justice has been served, they may turn to a form of vigilantism. It’s this act, the act of people taking the law into their own hands, that Paul’s book examines.   Paul explains two types of vigilantism. Classic vigilantism generally involves a group of people that has been ignored by society and they have to protect themselves. This can be seen during the Civil Rights Movement, where African American citizens were being targeted by the police and treated unfairly; and in the Gay Rights Movement when LGBT individuals were being targeted by the police without cause. In these two scenarios, these groups had to protect themselves from the government that was supposed to be there to protect them.   The second type of vigilantism is shadow vigilantism or community vigilantism. This is the type of vigilantism that can cause problems in our society because its root cause is less obvious. Rather than a group of people taking action to protect themselves, this involves individuals taking action, taking the law into their own hands due to a perceived injustice.   Join Aaron Freiwald and Paul Robinson for this great conversation about vigilantism. To learn more about vigilantism, read Paul’s book, “Shadow Vigilantes: How distrust in the justice system breeds a new kind of lawlessness.”   Paul’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Vigilantes-Distrust-Justice-Lawlessness-ebook/dp/B0738KG5QM   Remember to tune in every Friday for new episodes of Good Law | Bad Law!   Host: Aaron Freiwald Guest: Paul Robinson   Follow Good Law | Bad Law: YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw Website: https://www.GoodLawBadLawPodcast.com

This week on the What's In The Queue Podcast, it's the 2017 Netflix original documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson! This heart wrenching documentary follows Anti-Violence Project member Victoria Cruz as she looks for answers to the mysterious 1992 death of LGBT rights activist Marsha P. Johnson (the P stands for Pay No Mind :D). Join us as we learn about the history of the Gay Rights Movement and Marsha's fellow activists! Find us on the socials! Twitter: @whatsinthequeue Instagram: @whatsinthequeue Facebook: What's In The Queue Email us! We want to know what docs you're watching and which ones you think we should watch too! Contact us at whatsinthequeue@gmail.com.

Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, Winston Churchill, the Gay Rights Movement. Why silencing Elizabeth Warren fulfills Republican Goal number one (make liberals mad), and Super Bowl ads say we're on the right side of history. Nordstroms and Melissa McCarthy too.Support the show (https://www.paypal.me/proleftpodcast)

June is Pride Month in the US, so in this episode we examine the history of the gay rights struggle. Here's the lineup: 1) a short piece on the notion of "hidden history." 2) an interview with Andrew Berman, Executive Director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation, an organization that has played a key role in getting historical landmark status for the famous Stonewall Inn. 3) an interview with historian Jim Downs about his extraordinary new book, Stand By Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation (Basic Books, 2016). Show page and credits: http://inthepastlane.com/episode-012-the-struggle-for-gay-rights-in-us-history/ Episode 012 notes and credits Further reading about the history of the Gay Rights Movement in US History Michael Bronski, A Queer History of the United States David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution Jim Downs, Stand By Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation(Basic Books, 2016). Vicki L. Eaklor, Queer America: A People’s GLBT History of the United States Lillian Faderman, The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle Patrick Moore, Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk Johnny Townsend, Let the Faggots Burn: The Upstairs Lounge Fire Music for This Episode: Jay Graham, ITPL Intro (courtesy, JayGMusic.com) Kevin McCleod, “Impact Moderato” (Free Music Archive) Lee Rosevere, “Going Home” (Free Music Archive) Andy Cohen, “Trophy Endorphins” (Free Music Archive) The Bell, “I Am History” (Free Music Archive) The Bell, “On The Street” (Free Music Archive) Jon Luc Hefferman, “Winter Trek” (Free Music Archive)

This panel brings together a world-renowned artist, Zanele Muholi — whose activist photographic works shed a lens on the lives of gay and transgendered people in South Africa — with Evan Wolfson, who is said to be an architect of the gay marriage movement in the US. In the immediate wake of the Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage, these discussants will look at the influence of both culture and law to inform how we live and to change how we live. This session introduced and curated by Anna Deavere Smith. Speakers: Zanele Muholi, Evan Wolfson, and Farai Chideya

Jason pointed out this video on youtube to me, it's called The Gay Rights Movement. Here's a link to the video and all the links to help the documentary get made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u62OtM_vt5k Be on the right side of history. Opening theme by The Art of War Send feedback to areyouseriouspodcast@gmail.com or 206-338-3094

Kelly Barrick describes the Gay Rights Movement microfilm collection, a rich resource for the study of the LGBTQ community and its history, both in the United States and internationally.