Gay Rights - Woke Up This Morning

Gay rights music video chronicling important events in the recent history of the movement. The music is a remixed version of "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3, the theme song for The Sopranos. Although the meaning of the lyrics as it was originally written have nothing to do with this topic, I was touched by how the words expressed so much of how I feel about the struggle for gay rights. "Woke up this morning..." symbolizes both the struggle of gay Americans every day they wake up to face the world as well as representing the experience of the rest of the population in witnessing the evolution of the LGBT community, and "got yourself a gun..." symbolizes both the forces opposing gay rights and the power of gay Americans to fight back.

I've been asked about the meaning behind the final sequences, both the JFK assasination and the WTC collapse. Initially I refused to post that information because I believe people should draw their own conclusions by listening to the lyrics to come to an explanation. But since I've had the question a few times I decided to address it.

Both events, especially the events of 9/11, should be a big red flag to the American people that our government uses such shocking events to manipulate and control the citizens. It should also remind us all that we are vulnerable to the integrity of our government, both in terms of security and in terms of our civil rights.

Both events, in the scope of my lifetime, have had profound ramifications for all Americans. Both events drew us all together and then tore us apart. Both events are shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions. Both events were national tragedies that stunned us all and changed the way we look at things.

I believe the JFK assasination was the first event in my lifetime that was critically instrumental in the development of a lack of trust in American government. JFK being who he was, it was also critical to the nation in realizing that what we perceive as "good" does not in fact win out over "evil". It put a barrier between the American people and our government. It created a controversy that drove many political groups into the consciousness of all Americans.

The tragedy of September 11th also can be defined by all those things, with a major addition, and that is the way the GOP and the government under Republican rule used it to galvanize a nation against a number of things, including a very open and hateful campaign against gay people in America. GW even vowed to revise the constitution so that the "threat" of same sex marriage could be controlled. It allowed our government to instill a strong hate and control over the civil rights of gay Americans. It also, for me, indicates that times are changing drastically, and that we in the gay community better realize that with such propaganda hurled from the highest of offices, it's time we aggressively do whatever we can to disallow it. To have felt such a part of America as we all did right after September 11th, and then to watch as propaganda and fear was wielded against us should be eye opening to millions of people. It's staggering that gay Americans are still marginalized and restricted. It means so much more in 2007 than it did in 1977. Stacked with nothing but rationality, science and American principals on our side, we're still losing. That says a lot about Americans.

And both these events should remind all gay Americans that if we are to gain our equal civil rights in our lifetimes, we have to face the level of corruption and manipulation in our government, who's been invested in propaganda long before the current administration, and specifically the stunning lack of rationality by the American public who elected GW Bush twice and the corruption of the administration itself.

And lastly, both these events should prove to any rational American that things may not be what you think they are. Tradition and sentiment should not be allowed to trump truth or the evolution of America and it's citizens. With all the questions surrounding both these events, and the subsequent effect on the American public, how is it that so many Americans still believe the propaganda that gay people are less than they are, and not worthy of equal rights?

Information links:

Same Sex Marriage Effects On Straight Marriage (Netherlands Study):
http://www.iglss.org/media/files/briefing.pdf

Williams Institute:
http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/home.html

Gays and Pedophilia:
http://rainbowallianceopenfaith.homestead.com/PedoMyth.html

Gays & Child Abuse:
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html

Gays & Mental Health
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• prop8
• gay
• civil
• rights
• queer
• transgender
• same
• sex
• marraige
• fresno
• lgbt
• glbt
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• stonewall
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• matthew
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• chris
• jarvis

[CrocidileGena79]

So you use song from a show that had plot point of people being killed for being gay, after being raped with a broomstick?

[cjarvis]

Are you serious? I use the song for the lyrics, it has nothing to do with the Sopranos. The original song, by Alabama 3, was written before the Sopranos and actually has nothing to do with the mob. Listen to words while you watch the video and you'll understand.

[CrocidileGena79]

Who cares what the song says or what it was about. The swastika was a religious symbol but now when you see a swastika what do you automatically associate it with?

[cjarvis]

Who cares what the song says????? Wow.

[iPubliusx]

No, people who are homosexual do not have the same rights as heterosexuals because homosexuals are unable to marry the ones they love.

Please open your mind.

[JoeyBoya]

1919 was the year when the catholic church opened the doors to blacks and removed the theory that they were designed by god to be slaves! Then 49 years later "1968" they had full equality under the law... A woman cannot be a catholic priest still today and they didnt have the right to vote until 1920! If you dont think a church or the law can be wrong about the treatment of gays take a dive into history and think for yourself...

[queerveganliberal]

So proud of our history

[KoonerProductions]

@uyenst no, it was the parents fault clearly. The parents were already being made fun of in the neighborhood for being gay so they obviously know that if they adopt a child and send him to fucking public school, hes going to get made fun of. But they still did it. It was other kids making fun of him, they don't know any better. They're just kids. And obviously its not proven that being gay is "right" because many countries including parts of the U.S are still against it.

[uyenst]

@KoonerProductions :what? So did the dad want their sons to be bullied?The boy had to fake the beating report because his dads didn't beat him, right? The dads probably did all they could to make him happy, and he would have been happy in the new home had the stupid haters weren't so close-minded. It's as clear as your nose that, in such a story, it's the bulliers' fault, not the child's nor his dads'.How could you say "Gay people ruin lives" instead of "Homophobia ruins lives" is a myth to me!

[DJacqu8351]

LGBT or hetero, we're all the same! Love is love!

[KoonerProductions]

Gay people ruin lives! I have a gay couple living 3 houses down from me and hey decided to adopt a 9 year old child from the orphanage 4 years ago. The kid went to the same school as me and he was bullied to such a point that i started to think he might commit suicide. The kid was so depressed that he called child support and made up a fake report of his dads beating him and insisted that he wanted to go bak to the orphanage. They went to court and the child got sent back to the orphanage.

[saddledsm]

Wow! What a video. Funny, overwhelming and really heart touching.

[spiritmonkeynine]

That was great, best I've seen on here and was thinking of emailing to friends and family for straight allies for Coming Out day next week UNTIL the 9/11 and Kennedy stuff at the end - way off on a tangent. Just too much and not relevant - shows lack of focus. Shame, I liked it up to then.

[Deusarmos]

@CrocidileGena79 I would not agree with you, Gena (the soviet cartoon, Cheburashka, etc:)yes?).

Still swastika is worshiped by millions of people in buddhism and hinduism...and it's their right to worship it. Me, I have Jewish roots, yet I adore swastika, too.

[GoGirlfriendKylie]

I listen to this song practically every morning. Though the story behind the song (read my previous post) differs from this video, the community needs to wake up, which is the real message here. The woman decided to change her life after years of abuse. I am not saying to go shoot a homophobe (remember that hate is hate), but it is time for the community to stand up against the years of abuse that they have endured all these years.