Art Of Politics
Hey, This Is Fun!By Judy OsborneWhen Seattle t-people were out collecting signatures for the Hands- Off-Washington Pledge Against Discrimination two years ago, I always went looking like a guy. I figured that otherwise -- if passers-by thought I might have been wrapped in a blue blanket at birth -- I might just as well be working for the enemy. Everybody working on the campaign still called me Judy, though. This year we're out again, this time looking for 220,000 signatures for the real thing -- a statewide ballot initiative to outlaw job discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and t-people. I underestimated Seattle's soul two years ago, and I'm not about to repeat that error. It's the true me out there signing people up this time, and I'm having a ball. One delightful occasion was the Women's Law Center annual dinner at the Sheraton, where my partner Billie and I made a sizable dent in capturing the signatures of the 800 or so Northwest lawyers present. We worked the crowd before and after the event, which featured an address by Pat Schroeder, the retired 24-year congresswoman from Colorado and erstwhile presidential candidate. Billie and I compared notes and discovered we both were rabid fans of Ms. Schroeder, so we began laying plans to sneak into the banquet hall to listen to her speech. All our elaborate plans went for to nothing, though, when the conference organizers invited us to sit at a table down front, enjoy the food and wine, and hear the entire program. We thought we were in heaven. Pat Schroeder was, as expected, magnificent! Tom Flint and I did the Seattle Center House one day. Tom is the Associate Editor of Seattle Gay News and was one of the presenters in a seminar at our IFGE Convention in Portland several years ago. The occasion was the Women In Trades Festival, plus something was attracting hordes of tourists from Montana at the same time. We had no problem identifying the Festival women -- almost all of them wore tool belts. We just couldn't tell the Montana tourists from the local folks. Somebody once told me that Montana license plates carry the caption The Redneck State. I don't know if that's true, but I was a little scared. With my confidence buoyed by lots of fun exchanges with the women in trades, I waded into the crowd of civilians densely mined with Montana residents. It turned out that most were sorry they couldn't sign my petitions, and not one of them was even rude to me. Nancy, by luck of the draw, has become my theater partner. She's new in town from the east coast and hasn't decided whether she'll stay here or go on to San Francisco. Our first collaboration was at an On the Boards production in a dilapidated theater on the cusp between Seattle's Central and International Districts. The theater reeked with character, as did the crowd. The production was popular, we soon discovered. People lined up for tickets all the way down a flight of stairs and out the door. Talk about a captive audience -- we worked the line and everybody signed. Even the bartender and the coffee lady were helping us get signatures. Our next venture together took us to The Repertory Theater at the same time the Sonics were losing a playoff game at an adjacent site. Parking was impossible, so one of the Hands Off Washington people gave us the key to the garage in her nearby apartment building (HOW's teamwork is spectacular!). The theater staff signed our petitions, which was good because the parking nightmare diminished our ability to delay hurried theater-goers long enough to sign and fill out the necessary information. They were a different crowd. Many people signed enthusiastically, but others avoided us. We began trying to predict reactions. Maybe it's prejudice on my part, but it seems to me that uptight people have a different way of walking. Anyway, we soon were able to predict those who would refuse to sign with uncanny accuracy and even more fun. Emerald City President Suzanne Adams had a rare day off recently and graciously dedicated it to the petition drive. The two of us headed out to the beach at Alki on a sunny but breezy day, where our other partner for the day, Carol, joined us. The wind whipping off the 40-degree water was frigid, and the crew we relieved were on the verge of hypothermia. On their recommendation we moved everything to the center of West Seattle instead. We set up shop in front of an Easy Streets with the owner's permission (and yes, he signed Suzanne's petition). A variety of other t-people have been out there working the crowds, including Emily Thomas, Stephanie Noel and Donah Lange from the Emerald City and Kaz Susat, Ellie Erickson and Kori from other parts of our diverse community. Even Jane Fee from Minneapolis helped get signatures in front the new downtown Act Theater after she sailed in from Honolulu. Jane was one of the people most responsible for Minnesota's first-in-the-nation statewide legislation protecting t- people against discrimination. One of the nice things about collecting signatures is the number of people who not only sign our petitions but who thank us for being out there. I've also been volunteering in the Hands Off Washington office, a special experience because of the people. The large interactive space contains a free and easy synergy where everybody helps everybody else and nobody is too good to do any job. Gay culture has bubbled underground for years, with its own conventions, dynamics and humor. Now it's bursting into society's mainstream with incredible energy and creativity. The staff in the office are a microcosm of that energy and creativity, and it's stimulating just to let it flow around you. I'm having so much fun, I can't understand why everybody isn't out there helping with something.
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