It’s nice to have allies. A new grassroots network of straight allies, Atticus Circle, is expanding their fight for LGBT rights beyond their home state of Texas. The organization hopes to have national impact on education, policy development and legal advocacy to achieve equality for all parents and partners, regardless of sexual orientation. Its founder, Anne Wynne, is a lawyer and sometime appointee of former Texas Governor Ann Richards. She is also the mother of three. A few years ago, she was shocked when she realized the extent of discrimination against LGBT people and families. She founded Atticus Circle, named after equality-minded lawyer Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird, to help change that.
Marti Bier, Atticus Circle’s Field Director, says they have been working with other LGBT organizations in Texas to develop a strategy for the state’s next legislative session in spring 2007, and have met with national LGBT groups to discuss plans for other regions.
When I first heard about Atticus Circle, I admit I wondered whether we needed another LGBT-rights organization on the national scene. Can’t straight allies simply become members of HRC, Lambda Legal, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, PFLAG, or the like? I’m beginning to think, though, that it might in fact be a good idea to have an organization that is the visible face of our straight allies. The three groups above have many straight members, true, but are perceived as “gay” organizations. As such, the work that they do for LGBT rights can be seen as having a clear self-interest. A group that is primarily composed of straight allies, however, can’t be seen as working just for themselves. It becomes clearer to those on the outside that maybe there is a basic matter of fairmindedness here, not simply a “homosexual agenda.”
I can also see that some straight people, even allies, may feel more comfortable joining an “allies” organization than one primarily composed of LGBT folks. Just as I sometimes feel awkward when I’m the only lesbian in a room full of gay men, allies may feel strange when they’re a minority in a room full of LGBT activists, even if they fully support them. (I’m aware there’s such a thing as latent homophobia, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s just that it can be tiring when everyone else in the room knows the same in-jokes and cultural references, and you don’t.)
Will Atticus Circle have a national impact on the fight for equality? Time will tell, but I wish them luck. They may be just the bridge we need to create a steady national majority in favor of LGBT rights. If you’re interested, you can visit their Web site for more information, to sign up for their e-mail list, or to make a donation.
