Linda Rondstadt has an Eight-Letter Word for Homophobes

by Michael Jones · 2009-08-27 10:22:00 UTC
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Linda Rondstadt

Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, there's a 1970s-80s musical superstar advocating for equal rights for LGBT people.  And her name is Linda Rondstadt.

Rondstadt, who is currently the Artistic Director for the San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, spoke with PlanetOut about why she works for equal rights for LGBT people, why marriage equality will be a reality across the country very soon, and why LGBT people are a gift for families.  In fact, Rondstadt has an eight-letter word for people who think that LGBT pose a threat to children or families: Bullshit.

Rondstadt also said that at its best, the LGBT population in this country has taught us all a thing or two about community.

"Some of the strongest community that we know in this country is in the gay community, because they’ve had to band together to survive emotionally," Rondstadt says in the interview.  "I’m not so sure this country understands or values that."

Interestingly enough, Rondstadt was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 by the Silicon Vallery Group, Hispanic-Net.  The award honors the work that Rondstadt is doing with a new social venture arts enterprise housed at the Mexican Heritage Corporation.

And speaking of, Rondstadt talks about how to make inroads in Latin@ communities on the issue of same-sex marriage.  Part of that includes making sure that sexual orientation, and issues pertaining to LGBT rights, remain central in her programming Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival.

The interview is well worth the read, if not to catch up on what an historical ally is saying about LGBT rights, but to learn more about how art, multiculturalism, and equality are all coming together to work for change.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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