You must Be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mohandas Gandhi

1. When the Dust has Settled It�s coming -- the writing is on the wall � a day when all Americans will be granted equal protection, by law, of their fundamental rights. You may be inclined, at the present moment, to blind yourself to the plight certain classes of people who are at present not allowed to marry or serve in the military. You may simply refuse to believe the fact that many are unjustly imprisoned, denied medical care, or even tortured or killed because of sanctioned prejudice and hateful ranting against the value of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered community. Ironically, there are even members of this community � typically those who have never personally felt the sting or persecution � who are angered by what they perceive as an unnecessary plea for equality. After the Second World War, everyone who was either directly or tacitly involved with the Nazi party wished to distance themselves from wartime persecution, yet we now recognize that everyone who played a part in the dialogue of hate, also played a role in the physical violence associated with it. When will we learn that it is NEVER ok to treat people as less than people? Even if the Nazis had won the war, and even if the concentration camps were still open and fully sanctioned by our government, they would still be wrong. The winners of a war may own the privilege of writing their history to suit their agenda, but they never have the privilege of truth. Truth transcends political agendas. But the Nazis didn�t win the war� anymore than the religious right will win the war against human rights and equality. The writing is on the wall, and the days the US military can legally send gays and lesbians to prison is numbered, as are the days a transgendered woman can be legally sent to a men�s prison (where she is certain to be murdered), as are the days when a judge can split up a happy family simply because the child�s parents are homosexual. So the question remains� which side are you on? And when the court decisions are finally made and the dust has settled � when all Americans are finally granted the most fundamental rights (the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), how will you be remembered? Will you be like Jerry Falwell, who used biblical references to justify the continuation of segregation in the 1960s, or will you be remembered as the lone voice in the wilderness who shouted from the mountaintops, �enough!� In 1992, I was a decorated Air Force captain who had flown many dangerous missions, putting my life on the line and even getting shot at in Central America in the line of duty for my country. I thought I was lucky, when the jury in my court-martial decided that I should simply receive a dishonorable discharge, rather than the nine years in prison the prosecution was recommending. Little did I realize my conviction for being gay would be a death sentence, however, when, years later, my lack of VA medical benefits would result in my being denied the healthcare my peers were able to take for granted. Then, in Florida last November, Superior Court Judge John Lee Parrott was originally supportive and encouraging of the adoption he was preparing to grant, until he discovered, while skimming the home evaluation report, that the parents were a lesbian couple. Suddenly, �the judge�s mood shifted, and he began �acting really disgusted.�� The adoption was denied, though the couple is still appealing the case. When the dust has settled. When all Americans are legally allowed to live and love, free of persecution and free of imprisonment � free to raise our children and free of fear of sanctioned violence, how do you want to be remembered? Will you be the prosecuting attorney in my case that asked the jury to send a homosexual to prison for nine years? Will you be the judge who splintered a loving family? Will you be the preacher who used the bible to justify segregation? Or will you even be the gay or lesbian person who�s apparently unaffected experience lead you to say nothing � or worse, to say that our fight for equality is unnecessary or embarrassing? When the dust has settled, when all Americans are allowed to be who they are without reprisal � when hate speech has fallen out of vogue � when it is no longer accepted or popular to demonize a person because of who or how they love another� how will you be remembered? Will you be like the former Nazi Party member who grows silent and fades into the background, hoping against hope that no one will recall all the hateful things you said? Or will you continue the fight even after the war is lost � joining a supremacist group and frothing hatred at a remote private military camp? When the dust has settled, when the courts have finally ruled, when we have finally remembered that �Christianity� is supposed to be based on the teachings of Christ � will you be proud of where you stood during the uncertain times, or will you simply crawl into a hole and hope no one remembers who you are, or what you said or who you hurt? When the dust has settled, will you like yourself? -- Troy CarlyleWhen the Dust has Settled It�s coming -- the writing is on the wall � a day when all Americans will be granted equal protection, by law, of their fundamental rights. You may be inclined, at the present moment, to blind yourself to the plight certain classes of people who are at present not allowed to marry or serve in the military. You may simply refuse to believe the fact that many are unjustly imprisoned, denied medical care, or even tortured or killed because of sanctioned prejudice and hateful ranting against the value of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered community. Ironically, there are even members of this community � typically those who have never personally felt the sting or persecution � who are angered by what they perceive as an unnecessary plea for equality. After the Second World War, everyone who was either directly or tacitly involved with the Nazi party wished to distance themselves from wartime persecution, yet we now recognize that everyone who played a part in the dialogue of hate, also played a role in the physical violence associated with it. When will we learn that it is NEVER ok to treat people as less than people? Even if the Nazis had won the war, and even if the concentration camps were still open and fully sanctioned by our government, they would still be wrong. The winners of a war may own the privilege of writing their history to suit their agenda, but they never have the privilege of truth. Truth transcends political agendas. But the Nazis didn�t win the war� anymore than the religious right will win the war against human rights and equality. The writing is on the wall, and the days the US military can legally send gays and lesbians to prison is numbered, as are the days a transgendered woman can be legally sent to a men�s prison (where she is certain to be murdered), as are the days when a judge can split up a happy family simply because the child�s parents are homosexual. So the question remains� which side are you on? And when the court decisions are finally made and the dust has settled � when all Americans are finally granted the most fundamental rights (the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), how will you be remembered? Will you be like Jerry Falwell, who used biblical references to justify the continuation of segregation in the 1960s, or will you be remembered as the lone voice in the wilderness who shouted from the mountaintops, �enough!� In 1992, I was a decorated Air Force captain who had flown many dangerous missions, putting my life on the line and even getting shot at in Central America in the line of duty for my country. I thought I was lucky, when the jury in my court-martial decided that I should simply receive a dishonorable discharge, rather than the nine years in prison the prosecution was recommending. Little did I realize my conviction for being gay would be a death sentence, however, when, years later, my lack of VA medical benefits would result in my being denied the healthcare my peers were able to take for granted. Then, in Florida last November, Superior Court Judge John Lee Parrott was originally supportive and encouraging of the adoption he was preparing to grant, until he discovered, while skimming the home evaluation report, that the parents were a lesbian couple. Suddenly, �the judge�s mood shifted, and he began �acting really disgusted.�� The adoption was denied, though the couple is still appealing the case. When the dust has settled. When all Americans are legally allowed to live and love, free of persecution and free of imprisonment � free to raise our children and free of fear of sanctioned violence, how do you want to be remembered? Will you be the prosecuting attorney in my case that asked the jury to send a homosexual to prison for nine years? Will you be the judge who splintered a loving family? Will you be the preacher who used the bible to justify segregation? Or will you even be the gay or lesbian person who�s apparently unaffected experience lead you to say nothing � or worse, to say that our fight for equality is unnecessary or embarrassing? When the dust has settled, when all Americans are allowed to be who they are without reprisal � when hate speech has fallen out of vogue � when it is no longer accepted or popular to demonize a person because of who or how they love another� how will you be remembered? Will you be like the former Nazi Party member who grows silent and fades into the background, hoping against hope that no one will recall all the hateful things you said? Or will you continue the fight even after the war is lost � joining a supremacist group and frothing hatred at a remote private military camp? When the dust has settled, when the courts have finally ruled, when we have finally remembered that �Christianity� is supposed to be based on the teachings of Christ � will you be proud of where you stood during the uncertain times, or will you simply crawl into a hole and hope no one remembers who you are, or what you said or who you hurt? When the dust has settled, will you like yourself? -- Troy Carlyle

2. There are many types of activism � many approaches to the topic � and many outcomes. I want you to understand that, in this presentation, we will approach the topic from a particular viewpoint � which is the viewpoint of non-violence, as proscribed by such leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr, and Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi. For those who are interested, this movement began, in many respects, with the teachings of Henry David Thoreau, whose opinions on �Civil Disobedience� forms a framework for non-violent change. There are many types of activism � many approaches to the topic � and many outcomes. I want you to understand that, in this presentation, we will approach the topic from a particular viewpoint � which is the viewpoint of non-violence, as proscribed by such leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr, and Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi. For those who are interested, this movement began, in many respects, with the teachings of Henry David Thoreau, whose opinions on �Civil Disobedience� forms a framework for non-violent change.

3. Do you believe this? Can you think of examples in your own or other people�s lives where words have manifested into actions? Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907, Warsaw, Poland � December 23, 1972) was considered by many to be one of the most significant Jewish theologians of the 20th century. Quotations "All it takes is one person� and another� and another� and another� to start a movement" "Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge." "A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers no harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair." "God is of no importance unless He is of utmost importance." "Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy." "Self-respect is the fruit of discipline, the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." "Life without commitment is not worth living." Do you believe this? Can you think of examples in your own or other people�s lives where words have manifested into actions? Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907, Warsaw, Poland � December 23, 1972) was considered by many to be one of the most significant Jewish theologians of the 20th century. Quotations "All it takes is one person� and another� and another� and another� to start a movement" "Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge." "A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers no harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair." "God is of no importance unless He is of utmost importance." "Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy." "Self-respect is the fruit of discipline, the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." "Life without commitment is not worth living."

4. Example 1 �Just as the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 by the Empire of Japan served to energize and mobilize the armed forces of America, it would appear that the vicious assault on marriage and the church in recent months has begun to re-invigorate people of faith. I see indications that the church is mobilizing its forces to meet the challenge. Evil has a way of overreaching, and that appears to have happened regarding the blatant, lawless attack on marriage and biblical morality.� (from Focus on the Family) On July 1, 1999, Gary Matson and his partner of 16 years, Winfield Mowder, were found shot dead in their bed in their home. Police arrested Matthew Williams and his brother James Tyler Williams. The Williams brothers, rightwing fundamental radicals, believed that God ordered them to commit these murders, based on hate rhetoric from Christian fundamentalists.� Example 2 The murders of Matthew Sheppard and of Nicholas Ray West were considered by many religious fundamentalists as a just reward for the sin of homosexuality.Example 1 �Just as the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 by the Empire of Japan served to energize and mobilize the armed forces of America, it would appear that the vicious assault on marriage and the church in recent months has begun to re-invigorate people of faith. I see indications that the church is mobilizing its forces to meet the challenge. Evil has a way of overreaching, and that appears to have happened regarding the blatant, lawless attack on marriage and biblical morality.� (from Focus on the Family) On July 1, 1999, Gary Matson and his partner of 16 years, Winfield Mowder, were found shot dead in their bed in their home. Police arrested Matthew Williams and his brother James Tyler Williams. The Williams brothers, rightwing fundamental radicals, believed that God ordered them to commit these murders, based on hate rhetoric from Christian fundamentalists.� Example 2 The murders of Matthew Sheppard and of Nicholas Ray West were considered by many religious fundamentalists as a just reward for the sin of homosexuality.

8. Think about your own reaction to hateful language. What is your first response, for example, when you hear �God hates fags,� or that homosexuals must no be allowed to marry?Think about your own reaction to hateful language. What is your first response, for example, when you hear �God hates fags,� or that homosexuals must no be allowed to marry?

10. This is a challenging concept. But it is vital. You can�t communicate with your �adversary� until you recognize he or she is NOT the adversary! People who preach hate are themselves victims of a hateful belief system.This is a challenging concept. But it is vital. You can�t communicate with your �adversary� until you recognize he or she is NOT the adversary! People who preach hate are themselves victims of a hateful belief system.

12. If we expect immediate or visible change � with precious few exceptions � we are setting ourselves up for failure. Get ready� because change almost always takes time. We�ll explore �why� now. If we expect immediate or visible change � with precious few exceptions � we are setting ourselves up for failure. Get ready� because change almost always takes time. We�ll explore �why� now.

17. This is what the work of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Martin Luther King are all about. Understanding that a peaceful response to hate requires patience and persistence.This is what the work of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Martin Luther King are all about. Understanding that a peaceful response to hate requires patience and persistence.

19. Keeping the faith� This photo, and the ones that follow, are for illustrative purposes only. They are not photos of my foster son.This photo, and the ones that follow, are for illustrative purposes only. They are not photos of my foster son.

20. The teacher learns from the student.

21. Growing a belief system

22. Growing a belief system

23. In fact, you will notice that the more force you use to try to �make them� see your point of view� the less successful you will be. Can you think of an example where you may have ruined an opportunity to get your way by �trying too hard?�In fact, you will notice that the more force you use to try to �make them� see your point of view� the less successful you will be. Can you think of an example where you may have ruined an opportunity to get your way by �trying too hard?�

24. Do you think you can do it? Can you respond to hate with love and not expect to see any �return� on your �investment?�Do you think you can do it? Can you respond to hate with love and not expect to see any �return� on your �investment?�

25. Levels of Activism Our relationship with our friends and family means that they already know, love, and respect us. This makes �communicating through love� much easier� and therefore your activism is naturally more likely to bear fruit.Our relationship with our friends and family means that they already know, love, and respect us. This makes �communicating through love� much easier� and therefore your activism is naturally more likely to bear fruit.

26. Levels of Activism

27. Levels of Activism

28. Politics and Religion The harder you push � The more they will resist.The harder you push � The more they will resist.

29. Politics and Religion � and even then, there�s no guarantee it will take root!� and even then, there�s no guarantee it will take root!

30. Politics and Religion The reason �escalated� activism is less effective is that it�s harder to communicate your message respectfully and through love when you are holding a picket sign (for example). I don�t mean to discount the media or protests, however, because they can be somewhat effective, especially in a �collateral� sense. If our mission is to affect the �messenger,� however, there is no more effective strategy than a friendly personal meeting � which should (almost) always be your first course of action. In other words � always try to bring all your activism to the �friends and family� level � treating each issue with that kind of love and respect. The reason �escalated� activism is less effective is that it�s harder to communicate your message respectfully and through love when you are holding a picket sign (for example). I don�t mean to discount the media or protests, however, because they can be somewhat effective, especially in a �collateral� sense. If our mission is to affect the �messenger,� however, there is no more effective strategy than a friendly personal meeting � which should (almost) always be your first course of action. In other words � always try to bring all your activism to the �friends and family� level � treating each issue with that kind of love and respect.

31. Politics and Religion You should participate in any opportunity to personally visit with political leaders. Even if you only talk about the weather, any such contact can help to demonstrate our humanity by putting a face on the GLBT community. Of course the catch is that you must be �out.� If you�re talking about the weather, make sure you say or wear something that identifies you as a member of our community! Online Activism resources include the HRC, Equality Texas, MoveOn.org, PFLAG, Soulforce.org, congress.org and Lambda Legal.You should participate in any opportunity to personally visit with political leaders. Even if you only talk about the weather, any such contact can help to demonstrate our humanity by putting a face on the GLBT community. Of course the catch is that you must be �out.� If you�re talking about the weather, make sure you say or wear something that identifies you as a member of our community! Online Activism resources include the HRC, Equality Texas, MoveOn.org, PFLAG, Soulforce.org, congress.org and Lambda Legal.

32. Personal Activism Do you agree? Does anyone disagree? � (discussion)Do you agree? Does anyone disagree? � (discussion)

33. Personal Activism If I�m talking about the weather, they�ll see that gay people are �normal.� If I�m making a purchase, they know that they�re part of the �gay� economy!If I�m talking about the weather, they�ll see that gay people are �normal.� If I�m making a purchase, they know that they�re part of the �gay� economy!