A few weeks ago in this space I rewrote Pastor Martin Neimoeller’s “First they came for….” in an effort to sound the alarm about the increasingly strident hate campaign(s) being waged against transgender kids…and, by extension, all LBGTQ individuals and, eventually, everyone who dares to be even slightly different. The pastor was warning about the rise of Naziism in Germany before World War II. That’s what’s happening here, now.
The hate and hysteria are spreading, and the attacks are growing more vicious: The Republican-controlled legislatures of Montana and Kansas, the Governor of Oklahoma, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and that state’s legislature…this list goes on and on.
It’s time to fight back. It’s time to organize. I’m starting a national organization of straight people (and anyone else who is concerned) who are willing to stand up to these power-hungry men and women. I’m calling it “FRIENDS OF GAYS, UNITED.”
The acronym is “FOG-U”@
(Alternatively, the group could be named “Friends of Queers, United,” or FOQ-U. Your decision.)
(My hope is that members of FOG–U will show up in significant numbers at rallies of people like DeSantis and shout out, “We are Friends of Gays, United. Governor DeSantis, FOG-U”
Or, “Hey, Montana Republicans, FOG-U”
Or, “Speaker McCarthy, FOG-U”
But a warning is in order. Please pronounce FOG-U very, very carefully, or else it might sound like a socially unacceptable slur which my own sense of propriety prevents me from writing. We would not want our intentions to be misunderstood.
Please join FOG-U…..or start your own local chapter. T-shirts and ball caps are being designed as we speak.
Seriously, do not remain silent……
The Merrow Report 
John,
A good one that will be hard to gain traction but the sentiment is shared by thousands. Colleagues of mine had a series this past year, called WTF. What’s the Future? We cannot let the demagogues gain any more ground as they represent a threat not only to democracy but also appeal to some of the worst of human behaviors. Thanks for weighing in.
G/
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Thanks, Gary
Yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but please share it with your friends and colleagues. These fascists and power-hungry people are dangerous
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They forget that Martin Niemoller spent 8 years in a German concentration camp and that Dietrich Bonhoeffer, another German pastor protestor died in prison. What Elie Wiesel, the survivor of one of those camps said is, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.”
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