The End of an Era...or the Beginning?

Post #25

Yesterday, our wonderful local public radio station, WAMU, aired a segment on the closing of Lambda Rising.  Self-described as Washington's “bookstore that celebrates the gay and lesbian experience,” it has been a landmark in Dupont Circle for the past 35 years. 

It was through the store that the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community gained visibility, support, a safe haven… and ultimately greater acceptance in the mainstream.  In addition to selling books, the store was a gathering place and organizer.  For 5 years, Lambda Rising organized the precursor to DC Pride Day until it outgrew the neighborhood’s capacity.

Rather than a reflection of the failing economy or the decline of independent bookstore, founder and co-owner Deacon Maccubbin attributes the closing to the success of the gay and lesbian movement.  For him, it’s a better use of the phrase “Mission Accomplished” than former President George W. Bush’s infamous proclamation regarding his perceived end of America’s major military efforts in Iraq.

It’s amazing how quickly our society has changed when it comes to the LGBT community.  I recall when the popular television show “L.A. Law” aired an episode (could it really have been as recently as 1991?!) with two women kissing and the kerfuffle that that created.  This was before Clinton’s policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which disappointed all sides of the issue.  (Rather than moving backwards on the issues of gays in the military, there are now congressional cosponsors being gathered to allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military.)

And although we still see unfortunate instances of anti-gay hate crimes, it seems the era of hateful condemnation of gays as “deserving” of AIDS is (mostly) behind us.  Instead, the dialogue is focused on marriage equality, adoption, access to a partner’s health benefits, tax and inheritance laws.

Lambda Rising, once the gathering place and source of support for the DC-area gay and lesbian community, believes its mission has been accomplished.  We have openly gay legislators, athletes, artists, and religious leaders.  With rare exceptions (like Iran’s President Ahmadinejad whom we ridicule), most people acknowledge the presence and the contributions of the LGBT community as parents, as colleagues, as leaders, and as valuable members of our diverse society.

Indeed, it has been quite an impressive—and recent-- history of progress.  Maccubbin and his partner deserve to enjoy their retirement and celebrate their accomplishments.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Have your views evolved regarding the LGBT community over the years?  Which existing barriers do you believe the most troubling?  You may send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#25) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.