On the Internet since blogs were called journals and AOL charged by the hour, David Badash writes about politics in general and gay rights in particular. His writings focus on issues that are decisive and challenging to our lives and lifestyles, and to this country. With the heart of a liberal and the mind of an analyst, David pulls seemingly disparate stories together to help people see their world from a divergent yet comprehensive point of view. The editor of The New Civil Rights Movement, David is also a contributing writer at The Bilerico Project. David is the creator of The Great Nationwide Kiss-In, a fifty-city, international gay rights response to the unlawful harassment, detention, and arrest of same-sex couples for kissing in public. He has been a guest on several radio programs, including The Michelangelo Signorile Show. David graduated in 1985 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design. He lives in Hell's Kitchen in a tiny studio apartment with a great view and a great Black Lab puppy named Text. |
Articles, Essays, Op-EdsAn Open Letter To Joe Solmonese About Teaparties, Taxes, Cabbages, And Kings"What little exposure we might gain is not worth the risk of being accused of palling around with teaparty terrorists. Why risk credibility with a protest hastily-organized on the coattails of our detractors that will merely give them the ammunition they need to say of our fight, "It's not about marriage, it's about money." The world, literally, is watching. Watching as yet another American civil rights movement spreads its wings. Last week gave hope to millions of Americans. Hope that said, in the words of our president, "Yes we can." Yes we can actually win the rights we so richly deserve. The civil rights. The "unnalienable rights". The moral rights. We need to let the world know that these are the rights we're fighting for. Economic rights come with moral rights. Not vice-versa." An Embarrassing Reconciliation On Gay Marriage "The Church has no say in the matter of same-sex marriage. It is not a sectarian issue but a secular one. Gays have no desire to get into bed with the church and are happy to leave the church out of our business. But civil unions and domestic partnerships are merely the final steps to our rightful goal, full and equal marriage, called marriage, and not sanctioned by the church, but by man himself. No contrition, confession to a priest, acceptance of punishment, or absolution for that which is rightfully ours, necessary." I Do Not Deserve Your Tolerance "Tolerance is for someone who doesn't know better, like my dog who likes to jump on people. Tolerance is for someone whose views negatively impact your life, like people who want to stop me from loving the man I love, with all my heart. I do not want your tolerance. I do not deserve your tolerance. I will not accept your tolerance, any longer. What I will do is my best to ensure that we are all given equality and the legal right to love and marry the person who loves us back. From now on I will tolerate nothing less." The State Of The Gay Union "There are battles appearing almost weekly across the country to enact more constitutional bans against gay marriage. But there are also bills appearing across the country to invalidate or overturn those bans. It is all in flux right now. Today. And whether we win or lose is up to you. Yes, you. Remember that anger you had November 4th, November 5th, even January 5th? Well, it's time to resurrect it. Because the fight is just beginning. And like it or not, you're included." Dear Michelle Malkin, I Like You Too! "Well, Michelle, I wish you would stop trying so hard to deprive me of my "unalienable Rights". I wish you would use your platform to stand for something, rather than against so many things. I wish you would stop your incendiary attacks against a group of people you obviously know little about, but who, for some very strange reason, you seem obsessed with, and frightened by. And I wish, dear Michelle Malkin, you would just leave us alone. Because until you do, until you stop your ugly, hateful, uninformed, senseless attacks on the gay community, I promise you, we'll be alert and vigilant and call you on every one of your ugly lies. We're here, Michelle, and we're watching your words." Four More Weeks and A Mushroom Cloud "With a little luck, and we could use a lot of it right now, four weeks from tonight we will know who will be the next president of these United States. It's been a long campaign, more than a year, and while, regardless on which horse your money's riding (assuming you have any left - money, or horses, for that matter) and while we're all ready to gallop (or Gallup) to the finish line, it's important to remember that today marks an extremely significant date that, despite crumbling markets, savings, and hope, needs never to be forgotten. Left, Right, Center? Wrong Question "Despite a campaign that crossed two years and several continents, right now it is impossible to grasp the full implications of the election of an African-American to this nation's highest office. The uninformed and uneducated naysayers, and the fear-sowing right-wing commentators who stoked the fires of hatred and ignorance were wrong: We did know enough about Barack Obama. The punditocracy is swimming in an ocean of its own hysteria, awash with its own failed analysis and prediction, and flailing about now, attempting to make sense of a sea-change in the perception of where the American psyche has landed." Give A Damn "To them, it was just another hour on the job. Their arrogance, their lack of respect and lack of interest in hearing the needs of others, was deafening. And I realized, this is how revolutions start. One group feels so passionately about an issue. And their representatives, their government, stands by, arrogant, disinterested, slumped over a fence." Another Casualty Of War: Our Capacity To Feel "Less than three years ago, the death of 300,000 people was incomprehensible. We've all seen the pictures on TV, the maimed and blood-soaked bodies, crying children, angry teenagers, civilian men and women on stretchers being rushed to hospitals. And yet, we have learned to separate our ability to grieve for, say, the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia, from our grief about the same number - or more - of Iraqi civilians. 300,000 dead in Indonesia was incomprehensible. 300,000 dead in Iraq, not so much. 3770 of ours, 300,000 of theirs." |
My work is a collection of ideas, opinions, and observations that I hope constitue a positive contribution to our national conversation. In The New Civil Rights Movement, I write about the current state of gay marriage and gay rights, and report and confront the rising underground of America's right-wing, Conservative, Christianist movement. Intellistocracy is an occasionally updated compendium of essays I write about the role human intelligence (intellect, not clandestine) plays in politics and government. My personal blog, David In Manhattan, details experiences and thoughts I feel are worthy of sharing. Albeit currently inactive, 365 Things.org is a daily attempt to use current events as opportunities to help people make their world just a little bit better. You can also read my up-to-the-minute thoughts, and get an idea of what's going through my head, by following my Twitter stream. If you read my work, and at the end feel compelled to say, "Ah ha!", "Hmmm...", or even, "Ohhh...", then I've done my job. If you feel the urge to share what you've read with others, then, I expect, I've done my job well. |
You can reach David Badash via email at davidbadash@gmail.com.