Why You Should Volunteer for GLN @ Market Days!

Originally published July 31, 2015

From its start, the Gay Liberation Network has promoted justice issues long before they became popular.

** Opposing the invasion of Afghanistan in September 2001, when few others would, publicly or privately. Now a solid majority of Americans agree that the U.S. should withdraw from there (yes, despite many declared “ends” of the wars, we’re still there as well as in Iraq).

** Beginning in 2000, opposing police violence against LGBTQs, and others. Today we happily join in and support the #blacklivesmatters organizers who lead the movement against police violence.

** Supporting equal marriage rights for LGBTs on the streets of Chicago long before the national organizations began mining the issue for donations.

** Promoting “intersectionality” between LGBTQ and “other” issues long before anyone was talking about it — whether for racial or economic justice, supporting whistle-blowers like Chelsea Manning, and protesting the many wars and military attacks that the United States launches on a regular basis.

On the weekend of August 8 & 9, we will be participating in one of our most important outreach activities of the year — Northalsted Market Days — and we need your help!

You don’t need any experience or special skills — just the desire to help out!

We will be in booth #196, somewhere between Roscoe and Addison on Halsted Street. If you can help out, even for just an hour or two, please email Roger Fraser of GLN at rfraser4584@gmail.com with your name and telephone number. He’ll call you with all the info. you need.

GLN booth

Each year at Market Days we choose a theme to promote, and this year we are focusing on immigrant, asylee and refugee rights — for LGBTQs and others.

Both political parties have miserably fumbled on the issue:

— the Democrats under President Obama by deporting a record number of immigrants and supporting oligarchies, such as the 2009 Honduran coup, which force so many to flee violence and poverty in their homelands

— the Republicans who appeal to their reactionary Tea Party base by flagrant appeals to racism and nationalism, refusing to consider even the most milquetoast reforms.

We will also be promoting the newly proposed “STOP Act,”a measure initiated by #blacklivesmatters activists in Chicago. The STOP Act is designed to track and diminish the racist “stop and frisk” activities of the the Chicago Police.

A recent ACLU report found that Chicago Police use “stop and frisk” on a far higher level than even the notorious levels recorded by the New York City Police Department.  

So please join us Saturday, August 8 and / or Sunday, August 9 as we promote an intelligent, anti-racist response to these issues. Email Roger at rfraser4584@gmail.com and choose a time to volunteer with GLN at Market Days.

More info about #blacklivesmatters activities during the month of August can be found here.

Thanks!!

Market Days

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