Dustin Lance Black

I wanted to post this soon after the Oscars but was a little slow. Here Tis.

My favorite speech during Oscar night was that of Dustin Lance Black, who won the Oscar for best original screenplay for Milk. He was warm and endearing in his promise to America's gay youth that they will soon have equal rights.

He also pointed out that, contrary to what their churches may tell them, God does love them.

I especially appreciate the spiritual aspect of Black's speech. Rarely is there religious or spiritual validation of homosexuality. My own political socialization has caused me to draw a hard line between religion and run of the mill leftist issues that I support, like reproductive justice and gay rights.

But there is not an inherent divide between spirituality and gay rights, or spirituality and reproductive justice. People have created this divide. Divorcing these issues from spirituality only serves to alienate people who face difficult circumstances, when these are the very people that religious communities ought to be reaching out to. This is particularly troublesome for young people who may be living in religious households or communities, where they probably experience a constant message that they are sinful, bad people, and are at risk of committing suicide.

Even more valuable was that Black’s speech had a leftist message, directed at a leftist crowd, at a leftist event, but emphasized spiritual inclusion. (As an aside, contrasting Black's speech with Sean Penn’s speech kind of makes me laugh. Instead of using his celebrity bully pulpit to be inclusive, Penn shamed everyone who voted for Proposition 8, California’s anti gay marriage initiative that was enacted during the November 2008 election. His admonishment just made me chuckle, while Black’s speech actually made me pause.)

Expressions of spirituality within progressive circles are difficult to come by, but gradually these expressions will help progressives build their movements.