Revolution. Revamped and Redesigned.

As I sit in my daily practice, I am clear that I have been pursing my work with gay men as a secular endeavor.  The truth is that this is quite a spiritual pursuit.  Loving gay men isn't simply skin deep.  Its a fire that is stoked by every interaction with gay men in my community.  To me this is a sacred trust; a commitment to do this work for as long as necessary. One of the best things that has come from the insane events of the past few weeks is that I've reclaimed this truth for myself.  It's amazing how alluring comprise can be.  Regretfully, I have come to learn that I've comprised with folk who only have their own interests at heart.  I have entered into false partnership with men who have no real passion for my community.  They say the right words, but their actions scream the truth of their commitments.  Now free from these constraints, I'm ready for the revolution.

When I speak of revolution, I have no militaristic intentions.  In fact, in the past few weeks, I've been asked a number of times why I've not fomented a communal outcry in response to having the intentions of ELEMENT be usurped by organizational greed and personal ambition.  Trust me, I've thought about it.  But the truth is that ELEMENT wasn't built that way.  It was built on the possibility of gay men being in community such that we are inspired to be cause in the matter of our own lives, rather than victims of circumstances and conditions.  This endeavor was asset-based and focused on what we saw as possible rather than a response to things that we saw as wrong with our community.   The mission spoke for itself: ELEMENT is the invitation to engage in a shared experience of being gay men celebrating limitless possibilities.  

Don't get me wrong, this is not to say that I haven't wanted to have a less gentle revolution.  The truth is that as I learned that the powers that be were cowardly having the locks to ELEMENT's studio changed under the cover of darkness, I had a moment of pure reaction.  I posted a call to action on the website and on our Facebook page.  ELEMENT UNDER FIRE! the startling announcement read.  Scott, who had been the convener of our steering committee, reminded me of why this was not the best way to respond.  As the architect of ELEMENT, I had created a standard of how we engage community.  In the studio, I had often reminded those on the crew of how important it was that we be consistent.  Inciting our participants to be angry would have undermined all that we created.  While there are those who have no problem undermining a successful program, I don't want my name on that list.

Yes, there will be a revolution.  But it will not be fueled by anger or fear. Our revolution will be revamped and redesigned.  And it'll be fun.

So, what's the revolution?  Our revolution will be to inspire gay men to stand in possibility for ourselves as individuals and for our community as a whole.  We will continue to claim possibility as our creed while creating spaces for gay men to come together to be in community.  Even now, new space is being created to welcome men who are out to make a difference.  And new futures are being created as perspectives are enlarged as we explore our shared experiences.  Just as we did last summer, we will launch something that will capture the imagination of our community.  Even more, it will be structured such that no organization can claim it or its resources.  I've received the memo on that one.

This is the new revolution.  I invite you to join us.