Perspectives of Social Justice in the American South: The Gay and Lesbian Movement

As a gay couple, we make an interesting pair: Thirty-four and thirty-five, one the son of a Greek immigrant from rural Pennsylvania and the other a fourth generation, native Floridian from a small Panhandle town. So, when we communicate our perspectives on family, values and our ideas of progress, it is nearly impossible to keep from rooting our discussions in the context of "what" and "how" as often as "where" and "when." Consequently, our ten years of successful activism have taught us that sensitivities to local governments, local communities, and local customs are critical to defining the evolving notions of fairness and equality.

We have spent countless days traveling throughout the Sunshine State. Recently, we lobbied in Tallahassee, reveled at Gators games at the University of Florida in Gainesville, visited family in DeFuniak Springs and hosted a judicial event in Ponte Vedra—places large and small from the Panhandle in the northwest to the First Coast in the northeast and the Treasure Coast in the southeast. We have spent a considerable amount of time immersed in the social fabric of the old Florida, the authentic Florida, and the Florida of what most would classify as the traditional South. These areas embrace a classic southern conservatism found throughout the region, and consequently, pose traditional challenges for social justice movements. While our formal participation in activism and a rights movement has been restricted to our local advocacy in Palm Beach County and the southeast Florida area, parts of which are surprisingly agrarian and rural, we never visit locations without a firm analytical mind about how gays and lesbians thrive and survive in these different areas.

Conventional thought may characterize activism as a series of overt actions, lobbying efforts and events intended to educate and expand minds. However, by simply being genuine about who we are, we have noticed that activism includes a much more passive element that is natural, unforced and a not at all planned or contrived—an element premised upon naturally occurring trust and credibility. For us, activism has been as uncomplicated as checking into a rural hotel and responding that we only require one bed, sitting together on a public beach, attending a family funeral, or providing an authentic response to an inquiry about our family or personal lives. Although a casual observer may not immediately notice we are in a committed relationship, any present person will surmise by our lockstep approach in communicating that we have been partners for quite some time. All signs suggest we are a couple, and the harmony of our interactions with people in various places have pointed us to an interesting dynamic of social activism in the South.

For the record, any attempt to formulate broad, generic rules about activism in the South will most likely lead to overly simplistic or somewhat misleading conclusions. However, we notice one theme among all of the communities we visit: Each has similar yet subtly different social protocols, rules of engagement and standards of behavioral interaction people expect when engaging one another. Bold conversations about fundamental liberties and constitutional protections seem less important than manners, and manners seem to be an integral prerequisite to establishing the trust and believability necessary to expand people's thoughts and ideals.

While most of the communities we visit would not be considered socially progressive in the traditional sense, they are progressive in their own respect. In the "do unto others" mold, those who observe shared manners receive mutual respect and a general deference toward reciprocation based upon what is appropriate in the moment. Our experience is that when we follow generally accepted social protocols, or manners, and interact with people with sensitivity to their respective customs and traditions, a space is created where others genuinely acknowledge our relationship. As a colleague skillfully observed, this is a throwback English notion in an area steeped in traditionally English, yet decidedly American, memes. Together, we respect this notion as the most significant when considering activism in any part of the state or surrounding region.

We also discovered that most...