Keith Olberman on Prop 8

The term "ally" is thrown around in the queer community more than I think is warranted. An ally is someone who actively engages in the process of forwarding particular causes favorable to the LGBTQ movement (I'll use the word "queer" in most blog posts). It's not just someone who doesn't mind queer people, or who says s/he agrees with our goals. I think that a true ally is someone who will openly advocate for queer progress in their daily lives. It doesn't have to be often, it doesn't even have to be particularly visionary, but it has to be something more than, say, voting for a Democrat every four years or having gay friends. 

That being said, Keith Olberman showed on Countdown the other day exactly why he should be seen by the queer community as an ally. I don't agree with Keith all the time, but his special comment in the wake of Proposition 8's passage deserves particular praise. Watch it below: 

For some people, Keith's comments come too little, too late. For still others, Keith's vocal support of equal marriage rights will cause them to turn off MSNBC when his show starts. For me, Keith's speech here shows us exactly what the GRM (Gay Rights Movement, or the popular pro-queer organizations around the country) should take away from Proposition 8...

Honestly, most of us didn't think this would pass. We weren't catalyzed into a movement in the ways we have elsewhere, and though most of us gave a little money or donated a little time, we didn't work our asses off because, "Hey, it's California." Well maybe our loss here will make us take a little less for granted next time. Even those of us who don't agree with marriage rights being an end-goal of the movement should be able to see that winning fights like Prop 8 are crucial to long-term movement viability.