{"id":357683,"date":"2024-04-19T14:23:50","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T13:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.co.uk\/?p=357683"},"modified":"2024-04-24T11:51:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T10:51:43","slug":"interrupting-politicians-is-an-essential-part-of-queer-activism-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/justice\/interrupting-politicians-is-an-essential-part-of-queer-activism-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Interrupting politicians is an essential part of queer activism history"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-wrapper\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">For the G<\/span>AY<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">T<\/span>IMES&#8217; justice<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">co<\/span>lumn<\/span><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\">,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><em>\u201c<\/em><em><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-wrapper\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">L<\/span>et\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">Cr<\/span>eate<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">S<\/span>ome<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">G<\/span>ood<\/span>\u00a0In\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">T<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-boldify\">W<\/span>orld&#8221;:<\/span><\/span><\/em><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-wrapper\"><span class=\"extension-adhd-reader-container\"> learn about <\/span><\/span>activists past and present using this method called \u201cbirdogging.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>WORDS BY <strong>ELIEL CRUZ<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/GITW.png\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1992, ACT UP NY activist Bob Rafsky interrupted then-Presidential candidate Bill Clinton live on cable news at a campaign event in Midtown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We&#8217;re not dying of AIDS as much as we are dying of 11 years of government neglect,\u201d Rafsky shouts. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?si=Rt8iZol0ML92KYsw&amp;v=JGTQZnC-6a4&amp;feature=youtu.be\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A visibly angry Clinton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> scolds him for being discourteous in a heated exchange. Two days later, the Clinton campaign met with ACT UP and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/actupny.org\/campaign96\/rafsky-clinton.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">agreed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cto make a major AIDS policy speech, to have people with HIV speak to the Democratic Convention, and to sign onto the UAA&#8217;s (United for AIDS Action) five-point plan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Was Bob Rafsky wrong for interrupting a Clinton fundraiser while he and all his friends were dying of AIDS <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisDJackson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChrisDJackson<\/a>? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FQi2O4aSx4\">pic.twitter.com\/FQi2O4aSx4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jason Rosenberg (@mynameisjro) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mynameisjro\/status\/1237568348474363904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 11, 2020<\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tactic is known as <\/span><b>\u201cbirddogging\u201d: when a private citizen or activist employs \u201cdogged\u201d methods to disrupt electeds, politicians, or public figures at events, at their homes, or anywhere they might see them in the flesh.<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birddogging creates a moment of friction between an activist and a politician, whether it\u2019s Rafsky, movement icon <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/meredithtalusan\/the-trans-woman-who-heckled-president-obama-last-summer-refu\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jennicet Gutierrez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or my friends, the organizers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/politics\/2019\/6\/28\/trans-activists-disrupt-buttigieg-campaign-stop-press-him-police\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jason Rosenberg and LaLa Zanell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With the influx of birddogging surrounding the climate crisis, the war on Gaza, or other US military spending, there is and always has been a hot debate that follows about whether birddogging is \u201cappropriate\u201d or wrong on principle. Recently, NY mag\u2019s Jonathan Chait called i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/left-wing-authoritarians-shutting-down-the-democratic-party.html?utm_source=tw&amp;utm_medium=s1&amp;utm_campaign=nym\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">illiberal and dangerous<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an outsider or someone not connected to social justice movement work, birddogging might seem rude, tactless, or improper, but this kind of direct action is often meticulously planned weeks in advance, with clear goals in mind, and shouldn\u2019t be written off simply because it goes against perceived social norms.<\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Why do people think this highly effective and storied method of protest is \u201cdangerous\u201d or disrespectful?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disruption is essential to most forms of protest in order to stop or pause the status quo, and has played an integral part of arguably every major civil rights movement in history. Those who seek to problematize it are likely unaware of, or are ignoring this history. They also likely do not want the issue being raised to be heard, and\/or have never organized a day in their life. Birddogging is a time-honored, non-violent protest tactic that cannot and should not be quelled by respectability politics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birddogging creates a story that is picked up by the press, raising the activist\u2019s issue to headlines.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take Jennicet Gutierrez, who famously interrupted <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ER9_M002aQY\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Barack Obama<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during a Pride event in 2015 about his deportation policies, some of the worst of any administration. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/25\/us\/politics\/activist-removed-after-heckling-obama-at-lgbt-event.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following press hits<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> highlighted the ways that Obama\u2019s immigration policies hurt LGBTQ people, including, at the time, some 75 trans detainees. It also highlighted Gutierrez\u2019s organization, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/familiatqlm.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Familia TQLM<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a source of support and advocacy for LGBTQ immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birddogging catches politicians off guard and on the record.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics of birddogging usually frame their arguments in a way that prioritizes the time, decorum, and stature of a politician over the average activist or citizen. But this line of thinking is antithetical to the very value of protest, which is a tool for creating equitable public power. Politicians get to have one-way conversations for most of their careers, working with massive PR machines and meticulously crafted speeches that side-step key issues with strategically vague language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birddogging creates a rare, direct line to elected officials.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are only so many ways a private citizen can contact legislators and those with power. You can send emails or make phone calls, often read or answered by staffers who, while required by law to relay the information to their bosses, drop the message into a bucket of hundreds if not thousands of messages from constituents. Often, thanks to advocacy tools that allow for email campaigns, the messages sent are similar and repetitive in wording, sometimes making it so elected officials dismiss the concerns raised. That is not to say those tools aren\u2019t important or effective. Still, nothing will replace the impact of showing up and having a politician see and hear demands in person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all birddogs have the immediate response you\u2019d like, but it will always surprise your target, who, as most in power do, assume they will live their lives uninterrupted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birddogging corners politicians into making a commitment or choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunrisemovement.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sunrise movement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a group of predominantly young people working to curb the impacts of climate change by advocating for a Green New Deal and other policies that will keep the world from getting hotter and more uninhabitable. In January, they showed up at the Republican Iowa Caucuses, interrupting candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and even Donald Trump to bring attention to their ties and financing by fossil fuel companies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMany politicians in both parties are beholden to Wall Street, oil and gas CEOs, and lobbyists. Birddogging is a way to shine a light on how a politician&#8217;s positions and donors are out of line with what most people want,\u201d a representative from Sunrise Movement said via email. \u201cA strong birddog forces politicians to make a choice: do they answer the question in a way that makes them look bad, or do they physically or metaphorically run away from the question, which also can make them look bad.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few things to consider before birddogging: \u201cGet clear on your goals and then prepare for multiple scenarios, Practice, Make a plan for social media and press, and ask simple and clear questions that don&#8217;t require specific knowledge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birddogging can unveil how politicians really feel about an issue.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Founded in 2002 in response to the US invasion and war in Iraq, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.codepink.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Code Pink<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a feminist, women-led grassroots organization dedicated to supporting peace and ending U.S. warfare and imperialism. Since October, they have been regular fixtures in the halls of the Senate Building, birdogging Republican and Democratic senators alike on their continued financial support of Israel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPart of our mission is to expose the war machine. We use birddogging as a way to hold elected officials accountable and to be visible for peace and justice,\u201d said a representative for Code Pink. \u201cElected officials tend to keep themselves isolated from the rest of the world in order to avoid truth and accountability. It is easy for them to continuously pass horrendous policies while they are allowed to stay \u2018hidden\u2019 from public opinion. Bird-dogging politicians gives the public the opportunity to express dissent in a direct way that a politician cannot hide from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBird-dogging incidents have viral potential, so when the media fails to cover a certain narrative, a good viral bird-dog can interject that narrative into the news,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other things to consider are the optics, and make sure you\u2019re ready to document: \u201cDo you want a man going after a female politician on women\u2019s issues, or does it make more sense to come from a woman? Plan to have multiple people with you, if possible, to film and photograph from different angles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s an opportunity to make a politician\u2019s bad decisions look even worse:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brand new, youth-led group is putting <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/01\/business\/economy\/federal-reserve-climate-protesters.html?fbclid=PAAaYsRdPy3XQw00zUomvhkJ-c1QqXpJj2K9ocHMpj5XkH22S7bDHJx6FI2Kg_aem_AZYAhiYIrNrPTsjpK8uDjI2td2GUHK0PvTn4-ParOeJcv980cYbZog2zTQgAkuCDWas\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">politicians on notice in Washington D.C<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cWE DO NOT DO PETITIONS. WE DO DIRECTION ACTION\u201d says their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatedefiance.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which emphasizes the need for protests in favor of elevating climate action as a top political issue. They have been boldly interrupting CEOs and elected officials for their ties to fossil fuel companies and shutting down their events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, a protester interrupted an event at Harvard University with Joe Manchin, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClimateDefiance\/status\/1763693485696135198\/video\/1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">calling him out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for selling young people\u2019s futures and accepting more money from fossil fuel industry than any else in the Senate. This testy exchange prompted Manchin to stand up to the young person, seemingly ready to put his hands on him, but instead, another person close to Manchin intervenes and pushes the protestor down to the ground. This moment <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2024\/03\/01\/thrown-to-the-ground-after-calling-joe-manchin-a-sick-fk-to-his-face\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">picked up in the news<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but also points to the potential harm that can come from birddogging. While interrupting and birddogging can be effective, it can also put you at risk for violence or arrest. Depending on your issue, like these young people fighting for a liveable planet and future, it still can be worth the risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Birdogging reminds politicians they cannot ignore their voters:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too often, voters are taken for granted and expected to fall in line by Election Day, regardless of any concerns they may have about how their representatives are handling issues like abortion, climate change, the attacks on gender-affirming care, or war mongering. Jewish Voices for Peace is one organization reminding the Biden administration that they cannot simply ignore how voters feel about the United States\u2019 unflinching and unrestricted military support of Israel. At a recent fundraising event, JVP and a coalition of organizations worked to get protestors inside to disrupt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite 45 of them being flagged and denied entry before the event, at least 10 protestors were able to make their way in and remind Biden that they were not going away or stopping.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey had tried so hard to not let us in,\u201d Sandra Tamari, executive director of the Adalah Justice Project, a Palestinian advocacy organization that helped organize the protest, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/politics-features\/biden-gaza-protest-fundraiser-obama-clinton-2024-1235000834\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told Rolling Stone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cIt felt maybe in some ways it was pure luck that we could get some people in \u2014 but also a testament to the power of our moment and the size of our movement. They can\u2019t track everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the GAY\u00a0TIMES&#8217; justice\u00a0column,\u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s\u00a0Create\u00a0Some\u00a0Good\u00a0In\u00a0The\u00a0World&#8221;: learn about activists past and present using this method called \u201cbirdogging.\u201d\u00a0 WORDS BY ELIEL CRUZ In 1992, ACT UP NY activist Bob Rafsky interrupted then-Presidential candidate\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7575,"featured_media":358290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19568,531],"tags":[19731,644],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Interrupting politicians is an essential part of queer activism history<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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