According to studies, an enlarged amygdala of the brain is the probable source for altruistic behavior. The amygdala, it seems, (aside from being a great drag name: Amy G. Dala) is responsible for processing emotions. Apparently, psychopaths have smallish amygdalae and altruists have big ones. Those studies recounted tales of selfless sacrifice from kidney donations to risky Good Samaritan acts of unconditional kindness and otherwise prosocial behaviors.
I suspect gay people have big ones. It seems the inclination to volunteer and generously dedicate one’s time, sometimes money and always emotion, for a greater cause is intrinsic to many LGBT people. Milwaukee’s most successful LGBT organizations are staffed and directed solely by volunteers. Over the years, dozens of these groups have formed to address the community’s diverse needs from arts and athletics to health and social welfare. The harnessed energy and commitment of those many unsung heroes are really responsible for all our LGBT community has achieved.
By far the most successful is PrideFest. PrideFest is nationally recognized as one of the best and most inclusive LGBT Pride celebrations. Interestingly, a local editorial about this year’s African World Festival’s cancellation cited PrideFest’s volunteers for its comparative success. The annual LGBT extravaganza at the Summerfest grounds engages hundreds of them. Its dedicated board of directors and production crew spend most of the year in preparation for the three-day weekend event. Some take their precious vacation time in the days before and after helping set up and break down the festival as well as working the entire weekend running it (one friend takes his other vacation week for the Wisconsin AIDS Ride). Then there are the hundreds of volunteers who provide the cadres of security and grounds staff. Dozens of volunteers from other organizations make up the extensive Health & Wellness Area that promotes LGBT arts, sports and health. Other groups, like the Castaways Motorcycle Club and the Washington Heights Rainbow Association, provide bartenders and managers for the beer and wine concessions.
The Saturday Softball Beer League (SSBL) is another glowing example of the power of volunteers. Over several seasons its almost maniacal corps of volunteers worked a large concession stand at Miller Park during dozens of Brewers’ games. They cumulatively clocked thousands upon thousands of hours working to raise the funds that allowed SSBL to produce not only its annual Dairyland Classic softball tournament but also the 2009 gay softball world series. That event brought more than 50 national and international teams with hundreds of players to Milwaukee.
Then there are the major fundraising events put on by Cream City Foundation and the LGBT Community Center as well as the Thanksgiving dinner served for LGBT seniors and youth—all rely on the kindness of volunteer friends and strangers. And the litany could go on.
Of course, there are some perks along the way. There’s that intrinsic satisfaction in serving the community and, scientifically speaking, the rush of oxytocin, a hormone with a big effect on that amazingly huge amygdala.
