06/25/2023 - NYC Queer Liberation March 3 - People (catching up #10)

I was on the fence as to how to structure the last postings from the Queer Liberation March. I have 40 photos selected. I know it's too many and the decision was to post half or about 1/3  at a time. Putting them all up would save me the hassle of writing one or two more commentaries but after yesterday's wandering off topic for a discussion of the attention spans of people who watch movies, sports and TikTok videos I realized I don't have to write about my photos, I can let them say their thousand words apiece on their own while I blather about whatever I feel like. 

Yesterday I saw an article about Otto Klemperer. If you don't know, he was a German born conductor - musical, not electrical or railroader, though his skills were electric and powerful as a locomotive, though not as fast a speeding bullet, who died 50 years ago this summer. The article was inspired by the release of collections of recording he made across his career. There are many more than I have in my collection but reading the article reminded me I esteem the ones I have, and haven't listened to them in too long.

The article mentioned things about him I did not know. He was born Jewish, converted to Catholicism and late in life returned to Judaism. I did not know this. I know he took refuge in the USA in 1933, a victim of the Nazi regime, but I did not know the reason. I assumed that he was persecuted for his political stance as a supporter of the Weimar regime, and for his strong support for the contemporary music and musicians of that era. I don't know if this assumption was wrong and his exile was forced on him for his Jewish origins. 

Public, violent antisemitism has become too common occurrences rising over the past few years and since the Hamas murderous terror attack on Israel a month ago, and the Israeli military response Hamas, becoming a flood including with physical attacks and verbal abuse by individuals against individuals, by groups with a public presence and by politicians blaming all Jews anything they don't like in contemporary society. The blood libel is back, the counterfeit Protocols revived. It is frightening but as the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller wrote in his confessional piece, First They Came...

You can look it up.

And while you are at it, some thoughts on the definition and origins of both the term antisemitism and "anti-Judaism". The article is called "Jews, Semites, and Antisemitism" by Simeon Chavel. I don't think anything will change the haters' minds but for people who are caught up in the B.S. and need a little explaining, read it. It's from Sightings, Reporting and commenting on the role of religion in public live.

If we stand by and let the mobs rule, when will they come for you? If not first, sooner than you think unless you raise your voice and protest.

Here's the first batch of photos of the people of the Queer Liberation March this year. Many of them posed for me, others were relaxed about my taking their photo. They are diverse, they are happy and angry. Stand with them.

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