What Queer

Bash Back! needs workshops!

2010-03-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, we need workshops for the Bash Back convergence!

BB! Denver is seeking workshop proposals for the 2010 Bash Back! convergence this May 27-30. We hope this weekend is more than just a couple days with our favorite radical queermos–we want to talk about cool things with awesome people, and build new connections between our struggles. Workshops are one way to do that, and are an integral part of the convergence planning this year. Several workshop proposals have already arrived, but lets get some more!

We are seeking workshop proposals for this year’s convergence especially on the following topics: Anti-Oppression, Mental Health, Palestinian Solidarity, Strategies for Physical Well Being, Response to Sexual Assault, DIY Sex Toys, DIY Other Sexy Things, Sex Work, Direct Action (including Bloc Tactics, Mobile Soundsystems, Analysis/Theory), Anarchist and Queer Theory, Prison Abolition, Prisoner Support, Kink, Spirituality, Group Presentations, Films made by Anarchists, Queer Films, and Permaculture. Your workshop idea doesn’t fit into any of those categories? Awesome, submit it anyway! And we want to hear what you queermos are doing in your communities, so send that too!!!

Please include: workshop title, presenter(s), description, ideal time length, and your material and logistical needs. Including blackboard needs–this convergence will probably not be at a school! The deadline for workshop proposals is May 2nd at 10:32 pm EST, and a materials deadline for accepted workshops is May 9th at 8:59 pm PST. Workshop proposals should be sent to: bbworkshops |at| gmail |dot| com. Questions about workshops are welcome as well.

For more info on the convergence, check out the website @ http://www.bashback2010.org/

If you'd like to join &/or get in on the discussion...

2009-07-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/whatqueer

is where you can subscribe to our email list.

HRC IS NOT YOUR FRIEND- CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

2009-07-02T15:59:00.001-07:00

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: anarchoqueer@gmail.com
AND PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

As Radical Queers, we are in a constant war against the HRC. Our frustrations run much deeper than ENDA or any other single issue. However, I have often found myself unable to substantiate my frustrations when talking with more mainstream "LGBT" folks. So, me and a friend are planning to compile and edit a zine on why we hate the HRC. We are looking for more radical perspectives written in a language that would be accessible to more mainstream "LGBT" folks.

Talking points could/should include, but are not limited to:

Racism, Classism, Assimilation, Militarism/Imperialism, Transphobia, The Prison-Industrial Complex, The Non-Profit Industrial Complex, Immigration as a Queer Issue, Public Sex/Sexuality and Pleasure (and how the HRC tries to hide that as a part of our identities), The culture of respectability, Healthcare.

Or maybe, even more fundamentally, why there are no "separate issues."

We would also be interested in writings on things people have done, actions that have been taken against the HRC, and why we don't need the HRC. (We can do this shit ourselves!)

Remember, the intended audience is mainstream "LGBT" folks who aren't already radical-- this is an attempt to radicalize them!-- so please make sure submissions are written in a way that will make sense to these folks. (I.e. don't assume somebody knows what the prison industrial complex is or why we don't like it.)

PLEASE EMAIL SUBMISSIONS, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS TO: anarchoqueer@gmail.com.

AND PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

Thanks!

Solidarity and Sodomy,
~Saffo

what queer in the streets again

2009-02-15T12:30:00.001-08:00

Queers decry a heteronormative consumerist holiday!

last night at a minute to midnight, a ragtag group of queers and allies, trans folks and brass band friends, some decked out in their most scandalous (over thermals, of course), danced through the streets of Providence, Rhode Island, stopping to flirt with and provoke our local gay bars.

We are sick of the majority of queer spaces in our city revolving around consumerism and intoxication. We are sick of "queer" meaning "assimilated white gay men" when there are a whole lot of us who don't fit with that identity. We are sick of monogamous relationships being the accepted norm. We are sick of feeling like we have to prove our love to our partners by showering them with unnecessary mass-produced crap. We are sick of feeling like crap for being single. Instead of sitting around and complaining, we decided to throw our own party!

On Valentine's day at midnight, we took to the street, to create a free, all-ages, festive queer space that for once, didn't revolve around alcohol.

We danced to brass provided by a few members of the what cheer! brigade and had signs with slogans such as, "i have straight friends," "we recruit," and "break up with patriarchy."

Our reception was varied - at some gay bars, they were all about it, and in some places there was quite a bit of tension. As we snaked through Providence, our numbers grew, as spectators became active participants.

Despite some aggressive invitations to suck dicks from drunk bargoers, some beer thrown by the queers in the club at the queers who can't afford the 7 dollar cover charge, and being called dummies and threatened with teargas by some pitifully incompetent providence police, (and learning firsthand that they "don't care about killing people" after threatening to teargas a crowd of kids in a packed staircase), a great time was had by all. there were no arrests.

to get in touch with what queer?!, email whatqueer@gmail.com

what valentines day?!

2009-02-08T14:34:00.001-08:00

VALENTINES DAY

2009-02-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

What Queer?! says "Valentine's Day? WHAT VALENTINE'S DAY?!"
Street Dance Party!
FEBRUARY 14! 11:59 PM empire street, providence RI
OUT OF THE BARS AND INTO THE STREETS!
WALK OUTSIDE OF THE "HIDDEN" GAY BAR AND DEMAND VISIBILITY!
REJECT THE HETERONORMATIVE AND CAPITALISTIC MESSAGE OF VALENTINE'S DAY!
CREATE AND DEMAND QUEER SPACES THAT DON'T REVOLVE AROUND CONSUMERISM AND GETTING INTOXICATED!
REMIND THE CITY OF PROVIDENCE THAT QUEER LIBERATION MEANS MORE THAN HAVING A GAY MAYOR!
MAKE OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
MAKE A SCENE!
MAKE NOISE!
WEAR COSTUMES!
BRING YOUR FRIENDS!
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!
MAKE YOUR PRESENCE KNOWN!
(TYPE IN CAPSLOCK ALWAYS AND FOREVER!)

also, check out the queer zine archive project!
http://www.qzap.org

Funeral Procession in Solidarity with Athens, Gaza

2009-01-09T17:32:00.001-08:00

http://shiftshapers.gnn.tv/blogs/30720/Providence_Rhode_Island_Funeral_Procession_in_Solidarity_with_Athens_and_Gaza

Today 30 or so people gathered, in response to a call put out by What Queer?!, Providence’s radical queer organizing collective, and marched, funeral-procession style, between locations of state violence. We delivered speeches and memorials, paying tribute to those effected by state violence. We reminded Bank of America, TEXTRON, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Providence Police Department, and the Army National Guard Recruiting Center of their roles as perpetrators of this violence. Today we mourned Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Today we mourned Oscar Grant III. Today we mourned the 800 dead in Gaza. Today we mourned all of our fellow Rhode Islanders who are incarcerated and awaiting deportation for the crime of working the state’s least appealing jobs.

Today we mourned the American teenagers who are coerced into joining the military, whether it be out of economic necessity or sparkly false advertising. Today we mourned every person who has ever been raped, murdered, and beaten by the police. Today we mourned the environmental devastation perpetuated by Bank of America. However, we won’t just mourn – we will continue to struggle towards a better world, fighting the fight all these people were taken away from all too soon. Our collective grief was witnessed by many passersby, who were given funeral-style fliers explaining our presence. A coffin was carried, and a brass band played. “Shrines” were left at the buildings of each purveyor of state violence, piles of flowers and framed statements calling out their atrocious acts. This procession was called for by What Queer?!, and was coordinated with the help of Providence Students for a Democratic Society, Brown SDS, Northeast Anarchist Network, individuals from the Industrial Workers of the World, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, Olneyville Neighborhood Association, the What Cheer! Brigade, International Socialist Organization, and other autonomous individuals. We hope this will be the first of more frequent coordinated actions between many groups in Providence. As queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people, we recognize that the violence that is ever-present in our lives is also perpetuated around the world. There are no single issues. Collective liberation = collaborative triumph over our common oppressors.

FUNERAL PROCESSION, SOLIDARITY MARCH MOVED TO FRIDAY

2009-01-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

FUNERAL PROCESSION AND SOLIDARITY RALLY for Athens, Gaza, and against all state violence.
Wear funeral garb. Bring coffins, flowers, or just your beautiful selves. (Or possibly stuffed animals that you may be willing to part from.)

We will meet FRIDAY, JANUARY 9TH (note, changed from original date posted) at NOON at BURNSIDE PARK. We will march to various different sites of state violence and the military-industrial complex in a show of solidarity and in memory of those whose lives have been lost. From the streets of Athens to the war in Gaza, we stand in solidarity with all victims of state violence— at home and abroad.

Called for by What Queer?! Providence's radical queer collective.

Solidarity,
~ What Queer?!

CALLOUT FOR SOLIDARITY MARCH

2009-01-02T10:36:00.001-08:00

Show your solidarity with the uprisings in Athens, and the people of Gaza.
We are planning a funeral procession in solidarity with all victims of war
and state violence on Saturday, January 10th, through the streets of
Providence. We will speak at various sites of state violence throughout
the city. Anyone interested in planning or speaking please come to a
planning meeting Monday January 5th at 6pm. Email whatqueer@gmail.com for
info, even if you can't make it on the 5th.

Called for by What Queer?! a radical queer collective in Providence.
Please forward widely.

Meeting on Saturday- North Main

2008-10-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

So we're going to be meeting this saturday, noon, at the Whole Foods on North Main.

Email whatqueer@gmail.com if you have any questions.

XO
~s.

Location for Meetup TBA

2008-10-15T13:04:00.001-07:00

We're probably changing the location of our meetup on Saturday. Stay posted for more details.

XO
~S.

Meet Up at White Electric

2008-10-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

So, we are meeting Saturday October 18th (this saturday) NOON at White Electric to discuss the protest, as well as radical queer oragnizing in Providence.

If you can't make it but are still interested, contact me @ Saffo@riseup.net.

STILL NEED HELP FLIERING

2008-10-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

hit me up! HRC protest is in two weeks!

xoxo
~s

2008-10-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Need Help Fliering

2008-10-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm going to need help fliering to organize the Providence contingent for the HRC protest. Even if you can't make it, if you are willing to help out, please contact me: Saffo@riseup.net.

Also, I hoping to have some people meet up to talk about the contingent either wednesday or thursday. If you are interested, again, please contact me.

For more about the protest, read the previous post.

Xoxo
~S.

P.S. Also check out http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/144357/index.php for cool shit from the DC protest. http://www.flickr.com/photos/isisdc/sets/72157607741466482
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/144360/index.php

Calling All Radical Queers!!!

2008-10-01T10:56:00.001-07:00

Saturday, October 25th, the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) the largest, mainstream gay rights lobbying organization in the country, will be having their annual gala dinner in Boston. Join radical queer activists in protesting the HRC's transphobic, right-wing policies. (For more info, check out http://queertoday.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2057108:Event:6242)

The HRC has, time and again, ignored and tokenized transpeople and supported right-wing politicians. It is time to show the HRC and the public that they do NOT represent us!

I am trying to organize a providence contingent for the protest, as part of the What Queer?! collective. If you are interested, please email whatqueer@gmail.com. Straight and cisgender (non-trans) allies are welcome.

Please forward widely,
Much Love,
~fokion

On Hold

2008-09-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

So, What Queer has been put on hold for a while. I'm personally exhausted and burnt out and there has been a leadership vacuum. I really want to make this thing happen, but it's been mostly me doing all the organizing, and I can't do all this alone.

So, if people are still interested, please email whatqueer@gmail.com. In the mean time, it might be worth our effort to try and mobilize providence radical queers for the Boston HRC Gala Protest. I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to build a larger radical queer community in Providence around a larger mobilization.

Anyway, anyone still interested in What Queer, let's stay in touch and maybe in a week or two we can try and organize another meeting.

Much Love,
Fokion

MEETING THIS MONDAY

2008-09-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

We are meeting this Monday, Sept 8 @ 6pm, at Bartertown (139 Wood St.) If you've got any questions, contact fokion@riseup.net

Proposed Next Meeting? Workshop Series

2008-08-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Next meeting, possibly Sunday, Sept 6 at Noon. We are planning a daylong workshop series and benefit show all day Sat, Nov 29th, at AS220. More to come on both.

What Queer?!

2008-08-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

What Queer is a non-profit, consensus-based collective that provides alternative learning through books, workshops, and other activities, as well as a queer alternative to the bar scene. We strive to create a community based on inclusively, dialog, and solidarity between struggles by challenging heterosexism, transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, and other forms of oppression.

For more info, contact whatqueer@gmail.com