HOW TO FIGHT THE RIGHT WING

                      c 1995 by Stuart Norman

                         cyrwyn@nr.infi.net





The gay community seems to believe that we cannot offensively fight the right
wing. Our political agenda is to act from a defensive position that in itself
is usually good, however, it's no way to win. Within our defensive posture
there is victim consciousness, especially because we are the majority victims
of AIDS. We solicit sympathy from weakness, seeking help from others stronger
than us. The right wants to make us victims, and we play into their strategy.
They are experts at creating us vs. them strategies. But the right wing has
its inherent weaknesses and is not well liked by the mainstream americans who
do not condone overt discrimination nor want to be told how to live. Are we
afraid to mount a frontal attack? I feel that this concept is beyond the
comprehension, or is it courage, of most of our mainstream gay political
leaders and among the grassroots. Too many of us appear not to care. So we
have allowed the RW to define the field of battle. We're always playing a game
of catch-up after each of their attacks.

The fundamentalists have narrowed their focus towards overturning all gay
rights protections. We are becoming their number one scapegoat. Some of their
tracts say that they do not hate us, but only the homosexual act. There is,
after all, some diversity within fundamentalist ranks. Some of them may not
hate us, but we can be reasonably sure that many of them do hate and fear us.
This issue would not be so important to them without hatred and fear driving
it. It should be very clear to everyone that they cannot handle the debate
over sexuality. They wish to abolish all sex education and censor all
references to homosexuality in the schools and in society at large. Obviously,
they want us to disappear by taking away our right to make our existence a
social issue.

We gays have supported a diversity of lifestyle and opinion in our political
thinking. But there is so much diversity in the nation that there can be
little agreement among groups and divisions within these groups; there is
growing factionalism and a sense of otherness. America has lost a commonality
of perception and purpose, and so has our movment. Fundamentalists oppose this
diversity, see and fear it as a disentegration of society; they are attempting
to create a united purpose.

Along with these fears are worries about the economy and the decline of the
American dream as we approach the end of the century and the millenium, thus
growing fundamentalism is "Millenial Fever" . It could well decrease after the
year 2000.

Gay rights has been tied to feminism, pro-choice, anti-racist and other social
welfare causes. Not all issues within these movements are pertinent to gay
rights, and we have a diversity of opinion within our community concerning
these issues. Gay rights need not be tied to all of the old liberal and
left-wing political thought. But the more we have in common with other groups
the more we strengthen our own cause.

Because the RW has declared war on us, and in war all morality is lost, can't
we use some of their tactics and strategies against them? They do not fight
fairly; we can't afford to, either. Yes, we may be accused of lowering
ourselves to their level, but think what will happen if they win. Not only
will our community suffer, but others as well. Their kind of discrimination
knows no bounds. Once they subdue one scapegoat they will look for another.
There would be justice in causing them to suffer the kind of discrimination
they have demonstrated against us. They think their way is best; but we think
ours is best and we have upheld a morality of fairness, they have not. There
is a fundamental difference, however, because ours allows personal, individual
freedom of thought and action. We support plurality.

We know that the RW operates on the emotions of guilt and fear to gain
influence. After all, this is a Christian influenced nation; its morality
permeates our consciousness. Christian morality is difficult to combat, even
when it isn't moral because Christianity is associated with morality. Any
movement that operates from hatred and uses fear to move people cannot be
healthy or sane. Members of such movements have psychological problems. This
is their weakness. They are hurting and projecting their hurt onto others,
seeking others to blame for their hurts and not taking responsibility for
healing their own hurts.

We should understand that one's emotional makeup, learned in childhood,
influences one's beliefs, political and otherwise. If one grows up in an
authoritarian atmosphere of sexual repression, abusive disciplinary practices,
limited freedom of thought and experience that characterize a fundamentalist
upbringing, then they will believe that the world is a harsh place and will
act out of hate and fear rather than love. This closed mindset cannot tolerate
some differences in others' beliefs and actions which are perceived as a
threat to its existence. It defines a paranoid, fascist mentality.
Authoritarian politics arises out of this psychological fascism. Thus politics
alone cannot solve the problem. However, a politics that takes into account
this psychological knowledge can forge an effective attack against it.

A fundamentalist political group, the Christian Coalition, uses these
strategies and tactics for an eventual takeover of America: They believe that
both the Democratic and Republican parties are either bankrupt and will fade
away or must be made to do so or else taken over. Their strategy is to find an
issue that a voter will agree with and put him/her on their mailing/support
list, and then can direct their influence toward that voter's beliefs. Thus
they create ad hoc coalitions out of disparate minority opinions. This creates
a huge voting block for their issues. Could we not do the same? Also,
christian lawyers are taking their agenda into the courtrooms. We must be
ready to fight their arguments with informed discourse.

We need to hit the RW on issues not previously in the limelight and define
them for ourselves. The following list offers many considerations for fighting
the fundamentalists, not all of them are compatible or applicable in every
instance.


* Many fundamentalist churches and organizations fit the definition of cults.
They have powerful leaders to whom the followers must look for guidance and to
whom most of the money flows. This organization is in opposition to mainstream
organized religion, in that they build monolithic, isolationist power bases
rather than broad charities open to everyone.

* Right wing fundamentalism represent the resurgence of fascism. This
authoritarian mindset represents a psyco-social problem dangerous to the
health of society. It needs a social therapeutics. Thus we redefine
fundamentalism and fascism as dysfunctional and pathologically dangerous.

* Tell the media and the people that once fundies have their way with us, then
next will be Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, many other minorities.  Liken the right
wing and fundies to Nazis, KKK, etc. Use the holocaust, Hitler and WWII
themes. If we have to use fear tactics, then exploit the possibility of a
right wing, religious dictatorship. Fundies must have some group to blame and
hate. No one is safe. There would be witch-hunts. And storm troopers marching
in the streets.

* Fundies will first attempt to censor sex on TV, especially MTV and similar
videos which depict soft porn or rock music that is suggestive of sex. The
they will make any private communication subject to draconian obscenity laws.

* Charge fundies as being unchristian; perhaps false christians doing evil by
pretending to be good. Their own theology supports this doctrine. Evil must
pretend to be good. The more strident and self-righteous they are is a
barometer of their being under the influence of evil or emotionally unstable.
How many of them lie for their cause? Create situations to expose their raw
hatred.

* Fundamentalists are often humorless. Use humor to defuse their anger. Satire
of fundamentalist beliefs will work better than direct attacks.

* Call the fundamentalist and right wing actions subversive, deceptive. "Thou
shalt not bear false witness."

* Fundamentalists are openly preaching intolerance and the duty to hate. What
do these people know of love? This cannot be Christianity.

* Attack the seamy side of how fundamentalist groups proselytise their
followers by creating videos such as "The Gay Agenda" and publishing and
selling sensationalistic photos and hate tracts against us. These are
calculated to appeal to prurient interests with the imprimis of promoting
morality. They are trying to have their sex and eat it, too.

* We may be able to get more media attention by using sensationalistic
rhetoric against the fundamentalists. Already the fundies are using falsehoods
that many of Hitler's Nazis were homosexual and evil. But the Nazis purged
their ranks of homosexuals and sent many to the concentration camps. Turn the
tables on the fundies. Accuse them of rabid evil.

* The fundies are also fighting the disentegration of the Judaeo-Christian
culture, which no longer fits our lifestyles and knowledge. Another religion
may be in gestation, and they are fighting against it.

* We need to oppose the RW contention that "Back to the Bible" will solve all
our problems. It is precisely some of the biblical injunctions that are
philosophically problematical and are the source of modern problems. For
example, Judaeo-Christianity hasn't been able to philosophically resolve
sexuality issues. And America is the most sexually immature society.

* Address the issue that Fundamentalists wish to change the Constitution to
admit prayer in schools and institutionalize Christian "laws". Their beliefs
and ideology that the U. S. was a founded as a christian nation is false. They
wish to rewrite history.

* Fundies do not support the ideals of the American Founding Fathers. The
founders were well aware of the dangers from the fundamentalists types - that
is why this country was instituted with a Bill of Rights. We can accuse the
fundies of being un-American. We support religious freedom. They do not.

* Not all fundamentalists are against us, however they may not totally agree
with us, either.  Many are concerned, loving, but misinformed people. We are
opposed to the ones filled with hate or political opportunists. We need to
expose the raw hatred beneath the rhetoric of apparent concern and theological
justifications. Therefore we must be able to argue against their belief system
to expose the reality beneath, and to push the buttons that trigger the
irrational hatred, then we can demonstrate what the fundies really stand for.

* Fundamentalists lack of compassion and judgemental position concerning AIDS
is a cause for its spread throughout the population. Their restrictions on the
dissemination of sexual information and condoms represent a threat to the
social health. They are the sick ones.

* In their defense of the family, fundamentalists want to put women back under
the domination of men and keep them at home, abrogating the rights of women.
This is simply a white male, protestant power play, first for control of the
family and, ultimately, society.

* Do parents have a right to control what ideas their children may be exposed
to? We could make this a major issue. For a parent to control a young mind to
the exclusion of ideas the parent does not like is censorship. Fundamentalists
teach that parents have this responsibility. But children are not owned by
parents, however the right-wing would like to make this so. They fear
government education, perhaps rightly so, believing it indoctrination. That is
why they want to control government. They want the priviledge and power to
indoctrinate our society through its children. But there shouldn't be one,
approved method of education. A mind should be exposed to a broad range of
ideas and opinions, judgements and critiques about those ideas. It is a
violation of a human being to indoctrinate and/or censor ideas. Parents should
only be guides. The right wing wants a strong, nuclear family headed by a
dominant male because it is an isolated entity and can be more easily
controled.  The nuclear family can be dysfunctional and a place to hide
indiscretions. It is representative of the closed mind, thus the cornerstone
of right-wing thought. This control leaves us with disadvantaged people who
are less productive and creative than those who have a broad exposure to
ideas. Children would flourish best under many parents in extended families
where they are exposed to many viewpoints, also relieving the burden of
parenting. We should say that we do want to change society and the family and
offer this better, functional model.

* A greater number of child and spouse abusers and dysfunctional families
exist among the right wing. Of course, most child abusers are heterosexual and
in the family of the abused child. Their defense of the family could again
hide untold horrors.

* A philosophical position to take on gay mariage is that no one has the moral
right to deny us or to decide whether we can marry or not. That decision is
wholly our right, particularly of the parties involved. We need to make clear
that any beliefs denying rights to free expression are evil.

* In the fight for the right to marry, gays can attack the tax status of
married couples. Is there a hidden agenda of resistance behind recognizing gay
marriage because gays could file income taxes jointly? Therefore we can attack
the joint filing special recognition for marrieds. The single person, whether
straight or gay, faces the greatest tax discrimination. Marrieds without
children have an advantage in that they share living expenses and get tax
deductions. Talk about special rights!  Marrieds with children should,
however, have tax deductions because they are financially supporting others,
as should anyone with dependents. We could gain the support of a vast number
of singles.

* We need to take a position that marriage is a sacred and religious union and
should not be recognized by the government. This is a violation of the
separation of church and state.

* A strategy and tactics of the right wing has been political attacks against
us, many we have won, but at great monetary and human-hour costs, limiting our
energies needed to fight AIDS. The right is trying to wear us down financially
and morally. Therefore we need to plan political attacks against the right,
whether frivilous or not, that they must fight by using their money and
precious time. We can deflect their strategy against us. A good way to fight
them is to tie them up in litigation.

* When our rights are at stake we need to be able to publicly question those
who would deny us and expose their prejudices, get to their core beliefs so
that nothing is left of the rationalizations that present an anti-gay position.

* Many fundamentalist leaders are afraid to meet with us and engage in
dialogue. Exploit this reticence and force them to see us as real people. We
should challenge the fundies to face and debate with us. If they will not,
then that is useful in a media campaign.

* We need to find an issue to take before the nation that would threaten any
existing special rights of right wingers/fundamentalists. Certainly the
non-profit tax status of some of their religious/political organizations bears
investigation. Can we hit them as they have us? Do they have any "special
rights" that we might threaten?

* We need to set up stronger computer networks for sharing information.
Already, gays dominate the high-tech computer communications industries. We
are ahead of the right wing here. More of us should act as agents by
infiltrating right wing BBSs.

* We should organize a campaign to buy small radio stations in some major
markets to broadcast a specifically gay and human rights agenda. We should
have our own anti-fundy and anti-fascist talk radio programs.

* We need to create mass-mailing organizations and PACs, modeled after right
wing organizations, to solicit for broad-based human rights and issues. How
can we fund these?

* Can we create or ally with a social policy think tank? How could we fund it?
We need input into progressive think tanks.

* We need to learn how to manipulate the media as well as does the right wing.
They are masters at it. It is image that counts in today's world. Our
spokespersons need to fit a middle-of-the-road, mainstream image, whether they
really are or not. Call it protective camouflage, but our representatives need
to appear normal. However, they can speak for a diversity that need not
exclude any of our radical groups.

* Keep pushing into the public consciousness that the right-wing's arguments
are not based on reason. They don't have any good ideas. They only want to
stiffle the debate - put it back in the closet - so that people cannot learn
about us and form any independent opinions. This is the rationale behind their
attempts at censorship. We are writing the best, reasonable arguments and
defenses for our rights and for plurality.

* Work toward laws making censorship (for adults) and any form of
discrimination unconstitutional. A government representing the collective of
the people has never had an inherent right and will never have the inherent
right to censor private communication among adults. Legalizing censorship is
far more dangerous than the chance that a child will be exposed to and harmed
by pornography. A campaign equating censorship as the greatest obscenity
should be mounted.

* We want no special rights for anyone nor any institutionalized
discrimination toward anyone for any reason. Play down exclusive gay rights.
We don't need specific gay rights laws as much as we need human rights laws.
It would be better to press for legislation that removes discriminatory laws,
such as sodomy or "Crime against nature," or grants special priviledges to any
group, then we need no laws that grant special protection.

* Push for a constitutional right to privacy, otherwise strengthen state laws
concerning individual privacy. Consensual private practices are not morally
the purview of the government.

* The social restrictions that fundamentalist legislation would impose could
hurt the economy. The more the RW gains in power the worse the economy,
because freedom for all people to act, make choices, buy, sell as they see fit
is restricted. Thus economic opportunities for discriminated minorities are
reduced. The far right influence would make the U. S. a second rate power.
(see the isolationist beliefs of the John Birch Society)

* Because of right wing fundamentalist censorship, our nation's textbooks have
suffered a bowdlerization, especially science textbooks - they are abysmal. No
wonder our nation ranks low in science education. And they are restricting
public access to knowledge by banning books from public libraries. Thus the
fundamentalists are creating an ignorant populace, hurting our ability to lead
and compete in world markets. They want an ignorant, fearful populace that can
be easily ruled. We need to campaign for free thought and exposure to all
ideas in the public secondary schools.

* Attack the credibility of evangelists. It is well-proven than many have been
charlatans and criminals, exploiting their followers in pursuit of political
power and wealth.

* Outing:  There probably are many closeted gays in the conservative ranks
whose fear and loathing of themselves and fear of being exposed and losing
respect of colleagues, job, and positions of influence make them enemies. Any
closeted gay person in a position of political influence against the gay
movement deserves to be outed. It is a fair practice in this war. Such persons
might first be warned to cease and desist their homophobic activities or
withdraw from the position of influence or else their sexual orientation will
be made public. We might expose the hypocrisy of some influential
right-wingers.

* No matter how many times it has been said, more of us must come out of the
closet and live our lives openly and freely, unapologeticly as examples for
our community and everyone else. It is harder for the fundies to hurt those of
us who are out and more difficult for them to use us as scapegoats when our
lives are known. It is harder for the media to ignore us.

* Concerning elected judgeships by whom anti-gay issues might be decided, a
study of their records of past decisions should be published to influence
re-election.

* We must learn to have a respect for religion. It exists, and has a place in
society. Many of our own people are devoutly religious.

* Present the argument that religious groups must not actively promote a
political message as they do now, otherwise they should be classified as PACs
or lobbying organizations, and their current activities proscribed by tax and
other organizational regulations. We could then demand equal time in the media
to disseminate our political message to counter theirs. We need to make this
an issue of separation of church from state.

* Various Christian groups have banded together in common cause to oppose gay
rights, abortion, many freedoms, but their views differ greatly in many other
respects. We can cause them to fight each other over their fundamental
differences.

* Can we institute a class action suit against right-wing fundamentalists for
defamation of our people, or slander?

* Devise ways to reflect fundy hatred back on themselves. They will burn out.

* Create a clandestine "Mission Impossible" team to entrap and expose
fundamentalist criminals.

* Create an organization specifically for fighting the Right Wing.

* Bigot Busters in Washington State is a good example of how to fight
fundamentalist led initiatives by disseminating the truth and causing citizens
to question the reasons for such initiatives.

* Solicit gay-supportive Christians to witness for us. Mel White is a good
example.

* The RW uses recently refuted, false statistics that gays are a financially
advantaged minority. We are not. Their leaders are obviously financially
advantaged.

* They call us a militant minority. They are the militant minority. Every
chance we get we must call attention to these dangerous militants in the media.

* We must grow beyond our political correctness and old leftist ideologies
because they are as doctrinaire and dysfunctional as fundamentalist beliefs.

* Some fundamentalists are accusing all liberals and Democrats of having no
morals. We can make much of this patently ridiculous attitude. Different sets
of moral values are not a total lack of morals. Study philosophy and debating
tactics to learn the art of rational argument to use against them.

* Fundamentalists accuse us and other groups of being elitists. This has
become a Republican ploy against Democrats. But traditionally the Republican
Party has been the party of big business and the wealthy elites, the party of
minimal social responsibility. And the televangelists who control this
movement are very wealthy elites. The fundamentalists usually support a rabid
capitalism which bases God's approval on those He makes wealthy. This causes
them to disapprove of the poor and disadvantaged. They are also defensive,
militaristic and isolationist. They want to be a chosen people. This is
elitism in its most irresponsible form.

* The old liberal Democrats have only been fair-weather friends to our
movement. They still represent a middle-of-the-road cultural belief that
doesn't make waves. The democrats lost their vision of a better way of life
for the people. No longer must we feel an allegiance to them.

* Many of the fundamentalist positions on abortion, gay rights, etc., are a
diversion from the important issues that need to be addressed. They don't want
to face the real issues, such as overpopulation, environmental issues,
militarism, government mismanagement, social problems, racism, the economy,
planning for the future. They wish to quell debate and make invisible any
issues they believe unchristian. Anti-gay and abortion platforms give them a
soapbox to divert the public attention from issues nearer to the core of our
culture. They blame us for problems that we could not possibly cause.

* Whether or not gayness is a choice or biological-genetic, the
fundamentalists will find a rationalization against it. For us, the argument
is: if a choice, it's a human right. If genetic, it is natural or even God's
will. Of course, the fundamentalists will argue that gayness is either an
immoral choice or a genetic defect (they'll have a hard time reconciling this
with their views on abortion). Rational argument will not affect them. It is
not enough that we support our own point of view. Many of us are not
comfortable with the idea that gayness might be a choice. We must destroy the
fundamentalist rationale as a valid philosophy.

* If fundies wish to discriminate against us, then we can do the same against
them. Should we call for discriminatory laws against fundamentalists, limiting
their right to employment, housing, etc.? Probably not, but we can privately
discriminate against them and make it widely known that we will discriminate
against them.

* We must work more at the grassroots level in our local communities and
states rather than expecting to succeed on a federal level. Too many of our
high level activists are relying on the courts and the federal government to
save us. But the fundies wish to infiltrate the judiciary, too, and cause
interpretation of law from their view. There is no final refuge for us without
us challenging their beliefs head-on. Grassroots organizing in cities as well
as small towns, getting involved in common local issues and allowing neighbors
and political officials to know us, is the best way to difuse fear and
loathing.

* Write your Representatives and Senators, whether you voted for them or not.
Remind them that they represent you, too. They need to hear from their
opposing constituients.

* Be able to admit that our movement has made political mistakes. We have been
ill-prepared to face some political fights. Too many times our political
timing has been bad. Hotheads and political incompetents have created too much
negative media attention. We want the public support, therefore we must be
able to work with them, not against them. There are times when only radically
outraged protest will suffice; other times carefully planned and slow
political work, building coalitions and seeking favors is the best way.

* If fundies succeed in passing restrictive laws on us, forcing many of us
back into the closets or into jails and concentrations camps, then we must be
ready to declare real war. Who among us is ready to violently defend ourselves
when they come for us? Or to create and join underground, subversive
organizations dedicated to the overthrow of a fundamentalist government? If
they are ready to kill us, then we must be ready to kill them. But they must
fire the first shot. It is they who are forcing the issue of our survival. Not
we, theirs. This is an issue we must face now.

* In the end, fascism always burns itself out, but at great cost to society.
It must be viewed as a social illness that cannot sustain a civil society. Can
we find a cure?

Whatever we do to fight the restrictive behaviors of fascist fundamentalists
and right-wingers, we only defeat their influence on a body of other people.
We will have not changed the biggots. The only way to change them is to get
them out of their closed world and involved in non-threatening ways with
people they otherwise would not meet. Then their compassion might come through
and break their doctrinaire beliefs and they might truly see the harm they
have done.

From time to time I will update this document as I discover new ideas. I
welcome all input. Send me your ideas. The more ways we can find to fight the
right, the better we can secure our future.


This document may be reproduced and distributed in any media free of charge as
long as it is reproduced in full with author and copyright information intact.


Stuart Norman
cyrwyn@nr.infi.net