Sep 19, 2008   | COMMENTS     

Hans Johnson, president of Progressive Victory, divides his time between Washington and Los Angeles and thus is an ideal Queery subject for our California issue. Johnson, 38, and his partner, Luis Lopez, have been together four years and maintain homes in Washington’s Logan Circle and Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhoods. Johnson, an ardent Barack Obama supporter, thinks defeating Proposition 8 is possible though he’s prepared that ‘we may have to keep fighting.’

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

Almost 19 years. A friend asked during my first year in college if I was gay and I told her “not yet.” It didn’t take long after that. Those who took effort: my late grandmother, my last girlfriend and my former minister.

Who’s your gay hero?

Bayard Rustin, organizer of the ‘63 March on Washington, did his homework. He shared the lessons of nonviolent strategy with Dr. King and wove the labor movement and civil rights movements together. He survived red baiting and gay baiting. He wanted protest movements to have an impact on elections.

What is Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?

Trumpets, at 17th and Q into the late ’90s, was a reliable melting pot and reunion point. Then Club Chaos, in the same location, which lived up to its name.

If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot?

Yes. My partner Luis and I have vowed that after we beat Prop 8 in California to preserve the freedom to marry, we’ll get hitched next year.

What non-gay issue are you most passionate about?

Unions and workers’ rights. From Rustin to Billie Jean King to Leslie Feinberg, labor has been a springboard for LGBT activism. Union contracts were a basis for civil-rights laws. Labor helped create recognition and health coverage for domestic partners. As Jesse Jackson would say, through education, agitation and litigation, we have leveraged that into civil unions and marriage equality.

What historical outcome would you change?

The 2000 presidential election.

What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

I remember the streaker at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. My parents should have known something was up with me, because that guy fascinated me. Then there was Magic Johnson’s announcement in 1991 that he had HIV. That was huge.

On what reality TV show would you fare best?

So I guess you’re ruling out “Jeopardy.” Reality TV rubs me the wrong way. I mean, I love the back stabbing on “Desperate Housewives.” But in real life, desperate competition and faction are ugly. Is it too much to ask for a show about reciprocity and collaboration?

What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school?

The white polo shirt I was wearing to go see the Sally Jessy Raphael show in 1986. The episode happened to be about gay people. I remember all kinds of snickering, but I think I was mesmerized. I actually have a sister named Gretel, who has always been a good friend. She drove us to the show that day and we laugh about it now all the time.

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“Making America Whole: How a Generation of Local Battles Over Gay People Transformed Families and the Nation”

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

I would dare all elected officials who oppose marriage equality and nondiscrimination and hate crimes laws covering gender identity and sexual orientation to switch and try to live under the absence of such basic protections.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

The unity of life. The dignity of all souls. Solidarity.

What would you order for your last meal?

I spent time in Spain in the very early ’90s and fell in love with a spicy seafood and rice dish: Paella Valenciana. That, with fresh steamed spinach, a California chardonnay and mint chip ice cream.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

Detroit Tigers World Series tickets. I come from Kalamazoo and you can take the boy out of Michigan, but you can’t take Michigan out of the boy.

What gay stereotype annoys you most?

That we don’t or won’t fight back. When I got active in unions and ran for office in the UAW, I wanted to show that labor could be a force for conscience and that it was one forum through which gay people could fight back, especially against the Bush administration.

What is the best gay film ever made?

“My Beautiful Laundrette” hit ...