“Smash the Church, Smash the State” Documents Gays’ Radical PastPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jul. 02‚ 2009For the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, local activist and Beyond Chron writer Tommi Avicolli-Mecca has written Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation. In a collection of 48 essays by 35 writers, Avicolli-Mecca documents the LGBT movement’s radical past – and how it changed in the 60’s from timid requests for basic tolerance, to demanding a full-scale revolution of American society. Although at times repetitive, the book illustrates the vision of this movement’s pioneers – who believed that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people could never achieve full civil rights without upending capitalism, breaking down the walls of religion and challenging the basic gender hierarchy that has dominated Judeo-Christian mores. It is a manifesto of sorts, and Avicolli-Mecca starts in the preface by lamenting the queer community’s current obsession with gays in the military – and gay marriage. But in its strongest moments, Smash the Church, Smash the State provides insight about the early gay movement – where even seasoned activists will learn something new. |