Today is the — in my opinion — ill-conceived “Day Without a Gay.” The idea is to show in some concrete way how gay people contribute.
There’s plenty wrong with this. The first thing that irks me is the title, where once again gay people are reduced to an adjective. Man, I hate that.
Next, there’s the idea that people must stop doing what they do in order to be appreciated for it. Here’s the thing: if you work for an inclusive, non-bigoted employer, the fact that you’re gay is no big deal. Why penalize that employer by playing hooky in protest? Or, if you’re working somewhere where you have to hide your sexuality, then taking the day off today could well cost you your job.
Although my job frustrates me no end, I am lucky to be working somewhere accepting and inclusive. We all are trying to make it through an incredibly difficult economic slump (one that affects our customers more than most) and it seems spectacularly selfish of me to take the day off to make a point. I don’t need to punish my employer (a small, independently owned business) to protest the actions of bigots elsewhere. I know for certain that my employer appreciates me and who I am.
Since the original protest plan came about, it has mutated in response to these sorts of concerns. Now, the idea is to take the day off and then go volunteer somewhere in your community. Well, that sounds admirable but not only is it a knee-jerk patch on a bad idea, it’s also not so simple. 90% of the time one doesn’t just walk in off the street for one day and do volunteer work.
And then there’s the added silliness: another movement says to withdraw $80 from your bank account to demonstrate the buying power of gay people. What? What exactly does anyone think this will achieve? There are 1,708,000 ATMs in the world. I have to believe that no matter how many people withdraw $80 today, it will be a statistical drop in the ocean.
All this is completely ridiculous, ineffectual, and just cements the public perception of gay people as drama queens.
