Frank hears it from LGBT activists
and report from a Massachusetts demonstration to show Barney Frank the LGBT rights movement is angry at his contemptuous attitude.
HOLYOKE, Mass.--Local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activists--many of whom were among the 200,000 people who took part in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., on October 11--turned out November 13 to protest Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) for his refusal to support the fight for full LGBT equality.
Frank was in Holyoke at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House for a fundraiser organized by local Democratic Party committees to honor the powerful chairman of the House Finance Committee.
In October, Frank, who is the first openly gay member of Congress, denounced LGBT marchers for not putting their energy into lobbying, commenting, "The only thing they're going to be putting pressure on is the grass."
To the horn-honking approval of numerous cars in the dense traffic, activists displayed signs and engaged in chants that exposed Frank's glaring hypocrisy. One activist's sign reminded Frank of his dismissal of the march with the pointed observation: "Do you still think the march did nothing? Kiss my grass."
Frank hasn't just expressed contempt for his constituents who are engaged in the grassroots struggle for LGBT equality, but he has also refused to sign onto Rep. Jerry Nadler's bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents same-sex married couples, including those in his home state of Massachusetts, from receiving more than 1,000 federal benefits.
As Finance Committee chair, Frank also played a leading role in bailing out Wall Street to the tune of over $700 billion, while doing next to nothing to help the millions of people losing their jobs, homes and health care. One popular chant called attention to the congressman's real agenda: "Barney Frank not a pretty picture, our rights denied while the rich get richer."
Protesters not only attracted the attention of local broadcast and print media, but they succeeded in engaging many of the banquet attendees in discussions about the purpose of their protest.
Local LGBT rights activist Gary Lapon, a member of the Amherst branch of the International Socialist Organization and one of the primary organizers of the 150-member Western Massachusetts contingent to the National Equality March, observed that the impact of the march is already visible. "California has recognized same-sex marriages performed out of state and honored slain gay activist Harvey Milk, and the federal government has outlawed discrimination of LGBT people in federal housing," Lapon said.
Lapon concluded with a call for continued organizing, which will be necessary to achieve full LGBT rights, and invited everyone to a Sunday afternoon meeting to formally inaugurate the Western Massachusetts chapter of Equality Across America, a grassroots national organization committed to achieving full federal equality for LGBT people.
In recognition of the need to keep building a movement strong enough to win full equality, activists departed with the chant, "Our civil rights under attack? Barney Frank, we'll be back!"
