Still to this day, I miss certain aspects of those [1990s-era queer activist] spaces. It did often feel like we were working together toward a common goal despite our significant differences. And it was amazingly freeing to know that I could get up on stage and perform a spoken word piece wherein I made a confession, or got something off my chest, that challenged my community’s dominant narratives and norms. And it was a relief to know that nobody would publicly call me out for speaking my mind (although they might whisper nasty things about me to their friends after the show). It is easy for me to romanticize those spaces, and that particular time in my life. But then I start to think about the many ways in which those same spaces sometimes failed me. . . . In the last chapter of Whipping Girl, I explain that while the ideals of that particular era of queer/trans culture might be described as “gender anarchy”—with all of the potential freedom and progressive values that invokes—in practice, it sometime resembled “gender libertarianism,” where those who already had some prestige and privilege within the community ultimately prevailed. --Julia Seranos response to Halberstams article about trigger warnings/the t-word/accusations of censorship and modern humorless queer activism etc.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 19:19:32 +0000
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