Harry Livesay

It is with great sadness that I received the news of Keith Smith's passing. I was very fortunate to have worked with Keith in our capacity as active and enthusiastic board members of the ACLU of Oklahoma and as co-founders of the Oklahoma Gay (and Lesbian) Political Caucus Keith was one in a million. I have so many special memories and stories about Keith, as do the hundreds of people whose lives Keith touched during his long and respected career as an activist and community leader

One of my favorite stories was the time that the Rev. Jesse Jackson visited the Oklahoma Legislature to mark our state's participation in the First Super Tuesday -Presidential Primary Elections in 1988. Many special guests were to be in attendance to hear Rev. Jackson, including the late Congressman Mike Synar. Keith and I greatly liked and admired Congressman Synar, the only friend that our community had in the Oklahoma Congressional delegation at the time. Keith, who always did things in a big way, arranged for a limo to pick-up Congressman Synar at the airport With great anticipation, we looked forward to spending some quality time Congressman Synar and our chance to discuss with him the growing AIDS epidemic in Oklahoma. Much to our dismay, along with Congressman Synar, we were met at the airport by Congressman Wes Watkins, who also needed a ride. During our trip, as we attempted to discuss issues of importance with Congressman Synar about the impact of AIDS in our state, we had to contend with the nervous ramblings of Congressman Watkins whose uneasiness in being seen with two gay activists manifested itself into gruff interruptions about, "bein' seen gettin' out this limo in front of the State Capitol."

I'll never forget the response of Mike Synar who smiled and said, "Wes, if you're worried about what car you're seen getting out of this late in the game, then you don't have enough to worry about."

I will also never forget Keith's remarks to me later as we processed this unusual and entertaining day, "As nervous as Wes was around us, I doubt if he will be a Democrat too much longer."

Keith's instincts were of course, right on target. These instincts together with his knowledge, his humor and his love of the game of politics made him a force of nature.

When I first met him, I felt that Keith was born too late, that his was the time of the smoke-filled, back rooms of politics where deals were made and relationships were forged. Only after working with him closely, often into the wee hours of the morning, did I come to realize that Keith's ability to turn any place, (from an alcove at the State Capitol to a gay bar at closing time,) into a political planning and power-brokering session was what made him such a phenomenal lobbyist and intuitive social activist.

While we all will miss his presence, his expertise and his energy in our lives, I am personally grateful for my many memories of this magnetic man with the handlebar mustache and cowboy hat who worked to make the world a better place.

Thought That I'd See You Again

Keith Smith, Oklahoma's leading gay rights activist died of pneumonia Monday evening at the age of 51.

It's easy to be homophobic when you've never met a homosexual. It's a lot harder when you've met one, engaged them in respectful dialogue, and worked together with them on issues of common concern.

Keith was an activist for more than just gay rights. He was a tireless advocate for the impoverished, the disabled, the working poor, the dispossessed, and the outcast. When he stands before his maker he will have no difficulty demonstrating that he fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, served the sick, and visited those who were in prison (Matt. 25:31-46).

Most of his religious critics don't come close to measuring up to the standard he set for responding to Christ's command. They act as if grace is cheaper for heterosexuals.     
                                                                                                                                                                Dr. Bruce Prescott

It will take a long time to get used to the fact that Keith is no longer here. We have lost our state's most effective advocate for equality and justice.
He was simply amazing. I've seen him get people (including me) do all kinds of things they never thought they'd do. No one could motivate people like Keith could. Why? Because you always knew that he was doing so much more.
No one has posted any memories of the Wichita city ordinance campaign; I hope someone does. I'll post just a few memories from the late 70s - early 80s in Stillwater. Keith was our housemate at the time -- he'd moved in so that all three of us could save money for the important political fights of the time. (We won't go into coming home on a Saturday night to find the living room transformed into a jungle....)
The ERA fight. He poured his heart and soul into that fight. Keith and a small group of real leaders had organized women from Oklahoma and surrounding states to walk door-to-door in key districts across the state, talking to voters and building support for ERA. I still remember coming home on Thursdays to hear him say things like, "Did I tell you that six women from Wichita will be staying with us this weekend?" I have always believed that, if National NOW had not interfered, Keith would have gotten the Equal Rights Amendment passed in Oklahoma. Keith knew how to win that battle and I think he just about had it won. There's a whole domino theory about what might have happened next.
All by himself, just by being himself, he made it okay for gay people to be gay. I don't think people now remember what it was like before the 90s. (This was well before there were gay characters on TV. Most people didn't even know Rock Hudson was gay.) Very few knew anyone who was totally comfortable with being gay -- until they met Keith. Just by living his life, he was a role model to so many.
Keith started the first gay organization in Stillwater. He got people to come to meetings and then he moved himself out of the leadership so that others would learn to lead. He got a group together to publish a newsletter to build a sense of community. He brought the first Metro Church minister to Stillwater. It's impossible to list all the things he did to build a sense of community and commitment.
He organized fundraisers that were so much fun people couldn't stay away. Best one: He got straight women to do a drag show. Hysterical. People who didn't think politics was important ended up giving a lot of money. Most interesting one: He organized a quiet fundraiser at a private home for deeply closeted people in town -- an amazing number of folks showed up to hear him talk about how he understood that they were afraid, but that they needed to do something, even if it was just a contribution. How did he know all these people? How did he get them to come to a meeting when they were so afraid? He always left you shaking your head, wondering.
Of course, at the same time he was doing a million other things, finding defendants for ACLU cases, working in elections, keeping tabs on the moral majority, finding common ground across various factions, tracking legislation (before you could do that on the web), building support for a woman's right to control her own body.... And just when things started going really well, along came reports of this mysterious illness that was taking gay men on the coasts -- they called it GRID (Gay-Related Immune Disorder). I remember our first friends who got sick -- they all died early deaths in those days.
He lived a couple of lifetimes in his short time on earth. He never spent much time on making money so that he could have a lot of things. Making enough money to live on was a nuisance that had to be attended to, but it got in the way of his real work. His dedication, enthusiasm, and energy were boundless and contagious. I loved him like a brother. I cannot express how much I will miss him.
 

Kathy

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This song came on during my drive home from Keith's funeral.  It was so fitting.
 

Bound For Freedom

In Montgomery and in Selma and the streets of Birmingham
The people sent a message to the leaders of the land
We have fought and we have suffered and we know the wrong from right
We are family. We are neighbors. We are black and we are white.

CHORUS:

 Here I go bound for freedom. May my truth take the lead
Not the preacher, not the congress, not the millionaire, but me
I will organize for justice. I will raise my voice in song
And our children will be free to lead the world and carry on
From a cell in Pennsylvania, from an inmate on death row
A voice who had the courage to expose the evil show
From the courtroom to the boardroom in the television’s glare
How the greedy live off poor and hungry people everywhere

BRIDGE:

Here I go, though I’m standing on my own
I remember those before me and I know I’m not alone
I will organize for justice. I will raise my voice in song
And our children will be free to lead the world and carry on
From the streets of New York City, ‘cross the ocean and beyond
People of all nations create a common bond
With our conscience as our weapon, we are witness to the fall
We are simple, we are brilliant, we are one, and we are all.