Marchers carrying banners with the word 'queer' displayed on them were forbidden from displaying them at yesterday's Gay Pride event in London
Blundering cops decided that the word was 'offensive', and the lack of any real presence from the anarchist scene meant that any kind of resistance was pointless. Someone wearing a t-shirt which read 'anarchists make better lovers' was also ordered to cover it up as this was also deemed 'offensive' by those arbiters of good taste the London Met.
Politics is not allowed at Pride it seems, which seems to more of an excuse for some corporate back-slapping about how right on companies like Lloyds Bank and British Airways are.
Not even the SWP was able to muster a paper seller, although neo-labour did manage have a stall of course.
Rhythms of Resistance were able to lighten the mood after the parade, playing to a couple of hundred folk in the rain, first on Compton Street and then later in Soho Square ... which was fun.
But for all Ken's platitudes from the stage about the struggle for equality this event was depoliticised and sterile, and clearly the handful of queer anarchists present were not greeted with solidarity by the armies of gay cops dotted around Soho.
As a party, well it was a fun day out, as a political event, if it was ever intended to be one, it was a failure.
Perhaps people think that the struggle is over, the thousands of victims of homophobic or transphobic violence may disagree ... but hey, don't let that stop the party.
Politics is not allowed at Pride it seems, which seems to more of an excuse for some corporate back-slapping about how right on companies like Lloyds Bank and British Airways are.
Not even the SWP was able to muster a paper seller, although neo-labour did manage have a stall of course.
Rhythms of Resistance were able to lighten the mood after the parade, playing to a couple of hundred folk in the rain, first on Compton Street and then later in Soho Square ... which was fun.
But for all Ken's platitudes from the stage about the struggle for equality this event was depoliticised and sterile, and clearly the handful of queer anarchists present were not greeted with solidarity by the armies of gay cops dotted around Soho.
As a party, well it was a fun day out, as a political event, if it was ever intended to be one, it was a failure.
Perhaps people think that the struggle is over, the thousands of victims of homophobic or transphobic violence may disagree ... but hey, don't let that stop the party.
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I was the guy with the T-shirt
03.07.2007 22:29
Just to let everyone know, I'm making a nice big Anarchist flag for Leeds Gay Pride :)
Thrashing Chomsky
"queer" or gay?
11.07.2007 12:58
I mean, i understand the importance of differentiating ourselves from corporate and commerical gay culture - and all the stereotypes and presuppositions that come with it - but i think use of the word "queer" simply *alienates* us from the majority of gay and/or straight people who have come to view the word as offensive and antiquated.
The commodification and commercialisation of sexuality is as aggressive and divisive as the commodification and commercialisation of anything in capitalism today, shouldn't we be organising to make ourselves as accessible and appealing as possible? I'm not suggesting that our message should be diluted or our aims compromised - i'm just asking people to re-evaluate whether they genuinely want to create an alternative scene, or just to create a small, insular "alternative" scene.
Basically, alot of the gay/bi people i know are either disinterested in or disillusioned with the mainstream gay scene (myself included) and some of which might even hold political beliefs not wholly unlike ours - however, I find it pretty unappealing to start walking round under the banner of "queer" resistance to homophobia, injustice and illusion. To someone who is unfamiliar with our stance this could come accross as oxymoronic and contradictory. This essentially blunts the message and makes for pretty ineffective communication.
Whilst i have no doubts in my mind that the queer bloc of pride 2007 was interrupted by the police for purely political reasons (...familiar faces, anyone?), it is still indicative of how ambiguity in language can be exploited by those with a (not-quite-so) hidden agenda.
I personally think that it would be great to have another little demo (mainly cause i missed this one!) in order to showcase our ideas and opinions without being swallowed up by a much larger event. However, if this is going to be pulled off successfully i think we need to review our language in order to better communicate our message.
This isnt about prioritising a literal redifinition over actual redifinition of ourselves and the way we relate to the world. This is about taking advatage of the current climate - which, like ir or not, has seen changes in public consciousness arise that have partly been due to the changes in the "political correctness" of certain terminologies. Whilst i'm aware people probably dont want to use the language of the capitalist/consumer world, surely we are going to be more effective if the rest of the population dont view us as using the language of the bigoted/nationalist/daily mail/murdoch (i could go on, you get the point!) world. Do we really want to limit ourselves to the realms of the misunderstood and the obscure?
Anyway, i hadn't expected this comment to be so long and rambling - obviously i have alot more to say about this than i thought! The original question still stands by the way, i genuinely would like to know why the anarchist community has such an attachment to this word and i'm not trying to be sarcastic or facecious.
Just in case you were wondering, i dont embrace the philosophy that me using the word "queer" means i am "reclaiming" it from prejudice or "making it mine" - in a way, i actually think we should be questioning whether or not it is a form of passive capitulation with prejudice...any thoughts?
I would also like to say, regardless of our differences in how we choose to identify ourselves, much respect to all the people who did go to pride 2007 to represent an anti-capitalist perspective and attempt to represent dissent amongst the gay community and highlight global gay issues.
Word!
Alex x
Alex
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synth_k1d@hotmail.com
Why shouldn't I allowed to call myself queer?
01.08.2007 19:57
Its certainly NOT a hate term - it was reclaimed years ago.
a queer