As an Arizona native and a gay man, my heart is breaking over this hatefilled law. I've seen groups with their own agendas come riding through our state leaving a trail of dirt behind themselves that I swear, that's where haboobs emanate from.
Over the last 25 years, it's gotten worse, and now it's intolerable. The climate has changed greatly over that time. In the 80s, being "out" was more than just brave, it was dangerous. Today, many of us are visable. We're impossible to ignore and are irrepressible charm makes it hard to dehumanize us. But that's what this bill does. In the last gasp of the right wing homophobic agenda, their tasking their last and most despairate swing at us.
You're losing. No you lost. Now, go away. America is done with your hate.
You got that one right. Momentum is on the side of Tucson. Finally! I've spent most of my life here in T-town, and for the last 50 years, the community has been talking about and spending money to revitalize downtown. The old guard is finally dead, and the good ol' boy-one man, one veto way of doing business has died with them. They were controlling scoundrels who were falsely celebrated bullies and they lined their pockets by keeping Tucson shitty. It's amazing how people will vote against their own self interest because change, even change for the better, is uncomfortable.
Jan Brewer is even more corrupt then this article reports. While I did not know about her ties to Corrections Corporation of America, her affiliation to ALEC has been very clear. ALEC, CCA, Koch brothers have her in their pocket.
I share your values. I guess I've seen enough organizational angst in my time that I know that, as a community member who isn't inside the organization, and neither a staff member nor a borad member, there's little I can know about how much notice was given, or how people were actually treated. Every organization has a culture, and not everybody gets on board when it must change. Everyone sees these events through there own lenses, so unless we're on the inside we can't know the whole truth. I've learned to be comfortable in the "not knowing".
I do know many of the good people who have worked at Wingspan over the years and still work there. I also know many of the Members of the Board who have worked hard to keep the organization afloat over the years as well (many at there own expense). I too have served as a volunteer and as so have had the opportunity to interact with staff and board members.
All I can do as a proud member of Tucson's LGBT community, who has a sense of the complex nature of the dynamics at work here, is to provide support to those who need it, remain committed to Wingspan's cause, and keep faith that good people are all working to try to do the best for our community, and to try not to make judgement as I lack a full understanding of what has happened.
Being knee jerk is easy. Practicing patience is hard.
Being in the driver's seat of a non-profit is never as glamorous as it appears. When things are going great, a good leader gives credit to staff and volunteers, when it's not going so well, everyone blames the leader and s/he accepts the responsibility. That's just the way it is.
Wingspan has been leaderless for a number of years. During that time, staff have done a good job of keeping the lights on, and have served the most vulnerable of our community commendably. That's all that could be done on the shoestring budget that this dark economic time allowed. However, the clouds of recession are lifting, a new Executive Director was hired, and a new dawn has broken for Wingspan and with it, a renewed vision of a thriving LGBT community center is once more possible.
Anybody who thought that Wingspan's business model was working well and would always stay the same just wasn't being realistic. A culture change had to occur, because without strong direction and accountability, Wingspan cannot thrive or even survive.
We will all miss staff members who are now gone. The letter referenced above was honest in it's appreciation for their dedication and service, but that's not always enough. It's a very human quality is to resist change, yet change is a constant. Embracing change and working to create a better tomorrow is a choice each individual must make.
Isn't it time for AZ to have a governor that we're not embarrassed about? Do you really want to get hung up on how old his wife is? How about learning about his values, policies, governance? It's no wonder we've had such lousy leadership here in AZ, voters are more worried about stuff that means nothing to their self interests, but are rather focused stuff that simply detracts from focus.
Recent Comments
Over the last 25 years, it's gotten worse, and now it's intolerable. The climate has changed greatly over that time. In the 80s, being "out" was more than just brave, it was dangerous. Today, many of us are visable. We're impossible to ignore and are irrepressible charm makes it hard to dehumanize us. But that's what this bill does. In the last gasp of the right wing homophobic agenda, their tasking their last and most despairate swing at us.
You're losing. No you lost. Now, go away. America is done with your hate.
Peter Bramley
I do know many of the good people who have worked at Wingspan over the years and still work there. I also know many of the Members of the Board who have worked hard to keep the organization afloat over the years as well (many at there own expense). I too have served as a volunteer and as so have had the opportunity to interact with staff and board members.
All I can do as a proud member of Tucson's LGBT community, who has a sense of the complex nature of the dynamics at work here, is to provide support to those who need it, remain committed to Wingspan's cause, and keep faith that good people are all working to try to do the best for our community, and to try not to make judgement as I lack a full understanding of what has happened.
Being knee jerk is easy. Practicing patience is hard.
Wingspan has been leaderless for a number of years. During that time, staff have done a good job of keeping the lights on, and have served the most vulnerable of our community commendably. That's all that could be done on the shoestring budget that this dark economic time allowed. However, the clouds of recession are lifting, a new Executive Director was hired, and a new dawn has broken for Wingspan and with it, a renewed vision of a thriving LGBT community center is once more possible.
Anybody who thought that Wingspan's business model was working well and would always stay the same just wasn't being realistic. A culture change had to occur, because without strong direction and accountability, Wingspan cannot thrive or even survive.
We will all miss staff members who are now gone. The letter referenced above was honest in it's appreciation for their dedication and service, but that's not always enough. It's a very human quality is to resist change, yet change is a constant. Embracing change and working to create a better tomorrow is a choice each individual must make.
Wake up AZ!
Change is hard, but stagnation is un-except-able and that's where Tucson has been for the last 40 years. Change? I say, bring it on!