Activists for gay and women's reproductive rights have found three occasions to toss sparkle-sparkle-shiny at three Republican presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachman and Tim Pawlenty at public events, adding some verbal confetti to get their points across. Mike Huckabee didn't see the humor, saying the glitterbugs should be jailed for assault. Huckabee, by the way, embraces Ted Nugent, who, in concert, said Obama could ”suck on my machine gun,” which sounds more threatening to me than a little pixie dust. Gingrich, at least, reacted with “nice to live in a free country.”
I like the glitter campaign because I take these issues so seriously — and frankly am disgusted that a lot of them are issues instead of givens, like gay marriage and protected reproductive rights — and I sometimes think my seriousness does them a disservice.
A little levity can go ten times farther than a lot of angst — look at what Dan Savage did to Rick Santorum. After the ex-Senator from Pennsylvania made some (sorry) savagely stupid remarks essentially comparing homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality, Savage held a contest to redefine Santorum's last name and in doing so he redefined the politician’s career. The winning definition was — cripes; even I blush to write it — the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. Now you cannot Google Santorum's name without the first hit you get being... that. The Google Bomb seriously demonstrated the effectiveness of “Don't get mad... get even.”
The Google Bomb and the Glitter Bomb certainly are not the first to thrust a little brain-stimulating color and lightness into political statements. The Yippies - Youth International Party, had a satirical — but thoughtful — platform which, according to this Time article from 1968, included “an end to war and pay toilets, legalization of psychedelic drugs, free food, and a heart transplant for L.B.J.” Their demonstrations included dropping hundreds of dollar bills onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange causing the brokers to fight over the money and shutting the whole thing down. (Shameless plug: check out my interview with Paul Krassner, the charmingly funny co-founder of the Yippies, right here on SexIs).
PETA has done some grim theatrics but their sexier — and stunning — I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign sends an effective message with a feather-light touch (are feathers okay?).
And then there's Key West.
In 1981 the city of Key West protested a US Border Patrol blockade set up at U.S. Highway one, the only connector between the U.S. mainland to the island by seceding from the U.S. If they were going to have to show their passports to get into America, essentially, they might as well be a foreign country. Key West seceded from the U.S., declared themselves The Conch Republic, began a civil rebellion with a symbolic gesture, promptly surrendered and asked for $1 billion in reparations. The blockade was removed.
But it’s not just the fact that such cool wit in the face of enraging events does much to win people to your cause. There was another little fact that made me really appreciate the Glitter Bomb campaign: one person tossed her sparkly wad in the name of both gay rights and women's reproductive rights.
I thought, at first, that meant the Glitter Bomb campaign was a joint effort of gay and women’s activists, but it seems to have been this lone wolf who was glittering for both. Still, it made me take heart: these are two camps I’ve long thought should join forces. Both are forever fighting the same regressive, repressive outlook that either dismisses them as lower class citizens by barring them from their civil right to marry or would be almost willing to shut down the federal government to undermine access to Planned Parenthood. How much stronger could be we together?
It could only benefit both groups to join forces more often. Down under (appropriately enough) there's an Australian Sex Party, which seems to have a blanket platform covering many, many issues of sexuality and civil liberties under one banner (issues like same-sex marriage reproductive rights, censorship and the rights of sex workers). Maybe abortion is too divisive on an issue, maybe Americans are too prissy for a title like “Sex Party,” (the Adult Party?) but the spirit is important and strength and of having each other’s backs seems like a good plan.
I might never have given this a thought except that I read it about the Glitter Bombs just before writing a tiny little Sex Feed story about Indiana Planned Parenthood clinics temporarily closing because a Republican governor signed a bill to cut their funding (as of this writing [a judge granted a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the ban). I've done a lot of gross stories in my career, but I never felt like I might yack on my Mac until I read about locked clinic doors and realized how sinister and serious things have gotten.
See? Sinister. Serious. That’s why I appreciate the Glitter Bombs, that’s why I so hope to learn from people like Dan Savage who fight untenable ignorance with unbearable lightness...and win. And that’s why I hope there will be lots of crossover support for one another on so many issues we shouldn’t even have to be fighting about.
In the meantime, do I really have to say something hateful about gays or step on my own rights to get Glitter Bombed? It seems to me like a reward. After a 15 hour day of looking at the news I could use Rip Taylor, a vodka-cranberry and a sequin monsoon right....nnnnow.
