As the pillars of a U.S.-driven gay liberation movement crumble, we must reclaim our future through unity, an international political body, and economic sovereignty.
Regarding the investor you mentioned "who argued that LGBTQ+ people are not “a people,” that we owe nothing to each other, and that we share little beyond sexual practice and loosely defined identities":
There is so much to unpack here. Is he the kind of person who is only in it for himself, who potentially believes the world is a meritocracy and you need to pull up your bootstraps to make your own way in life. Is he the kind of gay man who only has other wealthy gay friends, attends A-list events, and otherwise ignores history, community, and commonality. Is he the kind of gay who so desperately wants to be appreciated that he distances himself from community and instead only works to create more income?
In any case, we can't make anyone do anything or change their mind unless they are curious enough to understand how such a transformation would be in "their best interest."
I suppose we don't all feel a kinship with our "kind." I do. I want to help and support and remember who we are, where we came from, why that matters, and how all that can serve us, collectively, to make an impact.
I want to say you are striving for a Queer Nation... but I think that name has already been taken! :-)
I fully support your idea and encourage others to help work toward a goal of unity and economic sovereignity. I, like many other of our community who are retired have seen an era slip away that was more unitified. I believed as a group our rights would continually be expanded and equally would march forward. How quickly the brakes were applied. I'll gladly work toward a better future for all.
As always Fabrice, a very pause-worthy and thought-provoking piece. And while there isn't one answer (or a few), you do provide a few avenues to pursue which is so much better than just expressing fear. A few thoughts:
1. It's only going to happen "by us." I think you imply this, but we have to stop looking for one of "the" savior. We have to be the ones who control our destiny, yet it can't just be a subset of us working for own best interests, it needs to be all of us working toward our shared best interests.
2. Community vs Population? You have heard me rail against the description of us as a "community," like other excluded populations are. We are not aligned as one or are we treated by others as a group with true impact. Referring to us as a "population" connotes scale, power and authority. You can "show up" for a community from time to time, but a population grows and must be reckoned with continuously -- with consequences.
3. We must act. All of us. Yes, many of us are posting and commenting -- and that is good. But without full knowledge, a lot of us aren't even that. Some of us seem comfortable waiting this out, while others are on the line every day. There can't be any of us sitting out. And if we don't act with intention, purpose and strength, they will roll over us.
4. This must be an intergenerational LGBTQ+ movement. We can learn so much from many who fought literally for our lives during the HIV/AIDS crisis. We can learn from the fights before/as Stonewall. And we can learn from our younger counterparts who continually amaze me with their smarts and persistence. We can't make this about age, nor where we live. It's as much about Tulsa and Omaha as it is about Provincetown and Fire Island.
It's a starting point, but we seem to be at square one, once again.
Agreed with all of this Howard ! I’d argue it has to be a global movement. 97% of lgbtq+ people live outside of the U.S. and so far the 3% have had a disproportionate say on our strategy,
Regarding the investor you mentioned "who argued that LGBTQ+ people are not “a people,” that we owe nothing to each other, and that we share little beyond sexual practice and loosely defined identities":
There is so much to unpack here. Is he the kind of person who is only in it for himself, who potentially believes the world is a meritocracy and you need to pull up your bootstraps to make your own way in life. Is he the kind of gay man who only has other wealthy gay friends, attends A-list events, and otherwise ignores history, community, and commonality. Is he the kind of gay who so desperately wants to be appreciated that he distances himself from community and instead only works to create more income?
In any case, we can't make anyone do anything or change their mind unless they are curious enough to understand how such a transformation would be in "their best interest."
I suppose we don't all feel a kinship with our "kind." I do. I want to help and support and remember who we are, where we came from, why that matters, and how all that can serve us, collectively, to make an impact.
I want to say you are striving for a Queer Nation... but I think that name has already been taken! :-)
Excellent. I’m stumped as to where to begin but I look fwd to other ideas. We can’t let these demagogues control our fate and future
I fully support your idea and encourage others to help work toward a goal of unity and economic sovereignity. I, like many other of our community who are retired have seen an era slip away that was more unitified. I believed as a group our rights would continually be expanded and equally would march forward. How quickly the brakes were applied. I'll gladly work toward a better future for all.
Wise words!
Hear hear
As always Fabrice, a very pause-worthy and thought-provoking piece. And while there isn't one answer (or a few), you do provide a few avenues to pursue which is so much better than just expressing fear. A few thoughts:
1. It's only going to happen "by us." I think you imply this, but we have to stop looking for one of "the" savior. We have to be the ones who control our destiny, yet it can't just be a subset of us working for own best interests, it needs to be all of us working toward our shared best interests.
2. Community vs Population? You have heard me rail against the description of us as a "community," like other excluded populations are. We are not aligned as one or are we treated by others as a group with true impact. Referring to us as a "population" connotes scale, power and authority. You can "show up" for a community from time to time, but a population grows and must be reckoned with continuously -- with consequences.
3. We must act. All of us. Yes, many of us are posting and commenting -- and that is good. But without full knowledge, a lot of us aren't even that. Some of us seem comfortable waiting this out, while others are on the line every day. There can't be any of us sitting out. And if we don't act with intention, purpose and strength, they will roll over us.
4. This must be an intergenerational LGBTQ+ movement. We can learn so much from many who fought literally for our lives during the HIV/AIDS crisis. We can learn from the fights before/as Stonewall. And we can learn from our younger counterparts who continually amaze me with their smarts and persistence. We can't make this about age, nor where we live. It's as much about Tulsa and Omaha as it is about Provincetown and Fire Island.
It's a starting point, but we seem to be at square one, once again.
Agreed with all of this Howard ! I’d argue it has to be a global movement. 97% of lgbtq+ people live outside of the U.S. and so far the 3% have had a disproportionate say on our strategy,