Jordan Krueger

Jordan Krueger burst onto the scene locally to help in the fight for equality. We met up with him just as he was looking for ways to help in that endeavor; and now he's right in the middle of it as Webmaster and board member of Little Rock Capital Pride. We asked Jordan where he grew up and how he got to this part of Arkansas. "I grew up all over. I was born in Miami, but also lived in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Western New York (near Buffalo). I did a year at Loyola U. of Chicago, and lived/worked at Walt Disney World twice. One of my parents moved here after my folks divorced, and that's how I got here! Right now I live in England, Ark. Jordan told us that he's in the insurance business as a career." Talk about some of the work you have done for the GLBT community. “I started in High School, where I was the chairperson for two years for the “Diversity Club.” We dealt with a lot of issues having to do with racial/sexual orientation problems, although we weren't very successful. “In November of one year, we wanted to hang posters of historical gay and lesbian figures to (somewhat) coincide with Coming Out Day. Of course, we were a few weeks too late once we got them all finished, and the school administration told us we couldn't hang them because “they weren't relevant for what they were created for due to the late timing.” It was an odd and frustrating experience. We did, however, carry off two very successful Days of Silence. “At Loyola University, I was the educational chair for GLABA, that University's gay/straight alliance. Generally, it was my job to work on projects that would help the school learn more about GLBT people. My biggest project was carrying out a Day of Silence on a grander scale, based on what I had learned in high school. “After leaving Loyola, I went to Hendrix College here in Arkansas for three years, and graduated with a BA. While there, I was the chairperson for “UNITY,” that school's GLBT organization in my junior year. We did a whole week of education projects, including the “Hate Closet,” a box we built in which we enclosed objects and words of oppression. “Since Hendrix, I've been somewhat out of the community organizing scene until very recently, when I took a role as a board member of, and Webmaster for, Little Rock Capital Pride.” What are your thoughts on coming out, advice to others, etc.? “Mahatma Gahndi said ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.' If we want change, we have to make it. Be audacious, and be bold. Come out of the closet because it is your right. The very foundation of this country, our Declaration of Independence, says that it is our right to pursue our own liberty. We must exercise that right every day, in every way. Don't ever let anyone stand in the way of becoming your true self.” What do you see in the near future and long-range for gay rights/equality? “Our progress is unstoppable. Every setback makes us stronger and smarter. This isn't about rights, it's about equality, decency, life, and liberty. Neocons will try to tell you that our struggle has no connection to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. That's bullshit. It has everything to do with that Civil Rights movement, and every movement before it to remove crippling bigotry, short-sightedness, and conservativism. “Winston Churchill said this: ‘Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.' “We should go to sleep every night reciting these words like a prayer. Our work will never be done, just as women and African-Americans still struggle against glass ceilings in every aspect of our job market and political stage. But that doesn't mean we give up. It means that we march forward with no regard to those would stand in our path. The future is an ever widening understanding that equality for GLBT is necessary for civil society. Our goal is total and uncompromising equality in every aspect of life. Anything short of that is failure.” Profiles in Pride Questions: Date and place of birth? May 30, 1981, Miami, Fla. What is your favorite food? Steak and/or lobster. What food will you not eat? Peas What is the best job you've ever had? Senior Counselor at a peer education and leadership camp for high school students. What is your dream job? Entrepreneur! If you didn't have to work, what would you do with all of your time? Start a peer education program to help kids in Arkansas learn and teach about HIV/AIDS in their communities. It's a pandemic that too few people are taking seriously. Who do you admire most (living or dead)? Winston Churchill and Douglas Adams. The former helped carry the British people through the most horrific experience of the 20 th century and was optimistic and inspiring all the way. The latter was an uncompromising atheist who had a killer sense of humor. Who would you lunch with if you could have anyone (living or dead)? Bill Clinton Who has had the greatest influence on your life? No answer What one thing would you not have done if you could go back in time? No regrets! What one thing would you have done if you could go back in time? Recognize my strengths and seek a more fruitful path to my ultimate goals. What is your favorite word? Irked Least favorite word? Conservativism Favorite curse word? Sh*t-ton. As in “That's a sh*t-ton of bullsh*t.” What turns you on? Anyone that makes me laugh until my sides hurt. What turns you off? Willful ignorance to the facts. What word would others use to describe you? Bullheaded. What word sums you up? Inquisitive