For today's comment, please focus on the first article on our list, "Gay Shame." Based on your reading, explain what gay shame is as a form of activism. What kind of resistance do queer folks who participate in gay shame participate in and enact? What are their goals, and how does their work contribute to our evolving sense of queer justice? As always, aim for 250 words and integrate evidence from the reading to support and illustrate your points.
Welcome to our course blog—“Justice, Gender, Sexuality”! In this space, you’ll have the chance to reflect on our course reading, ask questions, interact with each other and build a virtual community to complement our classroom space. For this first post, I’d like to invite you to do two things: First, tell us more about yourself. What do you think we should know about you as we begin this semester together? You might consider these questions: Who are you? How do you identify? Where are you from? To whom do you belong? What communities are you a part of? What values or beliefs do you hold dear? Or, share some other facet about yourself that you think is significant. You might also consider telling us more about why you decided to take this course, and what you hope to learn from it. Then, please reflect on the reading assigned for class. Given what you’ve read, what do you think queer theories can do for us? Or, put another way, what does Donald Hall mean by this word,
The goal of the gay shame movement was to allow for queers to simply be in space without being harassed or persecuted among other things. It was in the wake of the Giuliani term and he enacted all these “quality of life” campaigns which really was just aimed at getting queers out of spaces like the Peir and more so that people didn’t have to be around them. The Gay Shame movement was created to show that this was not okay and queers should not be persecuted simply for being. It was also in somewhat contrast to the Gay Pride parade which had become really commercialized with advertisements and more (which we still see today). The movement wanted to show that this was about demanding rights queers should already have and fighting against compliance. There were several specific moments and protests that were done in quite creative ways to try and get people to really think about what the protesters were saying. Some were successful, others shut down like during the pride parade. The idea is to really get you to think about justice for queer people especially when it has been ignored or become invisible. It is to make you truly think which can be really powerful. If someone joined the movement after being persuaded to think about justice themselves it might even be more powerful than if they were simply shouldered in. I think it is a really powerful idea and tactic to use.
ReplyDeleteGay shame is a way to stand up to the discrimination and harassment that queer people were facing in the 1990s, just because of their sexuality. They advocated for equal rights through different forms: art, speakers, flyers, civil disobedience, and more. One example was that they tried to speak out their agenda at the San Francisco pride parade, which was not as successful as they wanted it to be. However, they did have success in other protests, such as the Hot Pink protest, which the organization was standing up against when an LGBTQIA+ center was taking money from Gavin Newsom, a right-wing politician.
ReplyDeleteThe Gay Shame movement protested on a variety of issues regarding queer rights, and Matilda Bernstein Sycamore writes the following as the goals of the Gay Shame movement: “The goal of Gay Shame was to create a free, all-ages space where queers could make culture and share skills and strategies for resistance, rather than just buy a bunch of crap.” (269).
Overall, their work contributed to our evolving sense of queer justice by not forgetting these issues when it comes to queer isolation. The movement made sure to keep issues that are current to their agenda alive and sparking outrage about the discrimination queer folks face, especially during Giuliani's term as mayor. When he enacted on his “quality of life” agenda, this movement made sure to not become bystanders, and now when we see issues such as trans invisibility during the Trump administration being talked about, we stand up against that transphobic, bigoted agenda.
Sycamore coins the term "Gay Shame" as a "radical alternative to the conformity of gay neighborhoods, bars, and institutions-most clearly symbolized by Gay Pride" (269). It came as a resistance towards, then Mayor of New York, Giuliani's crackdown of taking over and raiding neighborhoods that were historically associated with minorities and outcasts. Participating in gay shame means taking the initiative, courage, and creating the community to queer spaces. Gay shame also is a foundation to evolving queer justice. Such as a similar gay shame in New York, the one in San Fransisco became much of what we see at pride parades today. The space was queered with free food, music, dancing, and what I thought was interesting was the speakers on issues including the issue of gentrification in San Fransisco and the activism for trans, prison, and the youth (271). Most importantly, these events have the goal to dig deeper to the root of a history of injustice. They were fighting proponents that wanted to fundamentally redefine what it means to be queer while also erasing years of the struggle of a normalcy. It gave a voice to the community to define themselves and their own experiences which erases toxic generalizations.
ReplyDeleteGay Shame is a radicalization, opposition and critique of established and assimiliated institutions and systems within the queer community. Sycamore argues that established/assimilated institutions and systems are arbitrary, idolizing the same institutions (consumerism, gay marriage) that have oppressed and continue to oppress individuals within the queer community. Assimilation and acceptance within these systems are beneficial to only specific people within the community; those that are affluent and white. Yet, some people even within Gay Shame did not understand this approach. As Sycamore wrote: "Though we started Gay Shame to expose the idea of a queer community as a lie that serves only those with the most privilege, increasingly it seemed that many within Gay Shame were questioning the confrontational stance." (pg. 290). As it is later extended, marriage, another system based off privilege, was argued by many to be the primary struggle of queer justice (pg. 295). Yet to Sycamore this is shallow and contradictory, it disregards the fact that conforming and assimilating to these systems perpetuates further and additional systems of a queer individuals oppression. Now that gay marriage has been achieved, the evolving of queer justice has pinpointed this very problem that Sycamore describes. Various theorists and people within the field have found the need for intersectional acknowledgment and opposition to be at the center of queer justice. They, like Sycamore, have outlined and described intersections of queerness, with class and race; reiterating that race and class are modes of privilege for some and oppression for others. It is in this spirit that Gay Shame has been structured; there is a desire to reject all forms of oppression while embracing the differences of queer folk.
ReplyDeleteGay Shame was anactivist movement that emerged in the late 90s as a response to New York City’s Mayor Giuliani’s “Quality of Life” campaign. During this time New York City was experiencing gentrification, minorities were targeted by police, and homeless people could not find shelter. Sycamore describes it as, “Gay Shame emerged to create a radical alternative to the conformity of gay neighborhoods, bars, and institutions” (269) This group organized events that criticized the conformity to “normal” society that queer people fell into. One event, took place at Gay Pride where Gay Shame activists called out people at Pride for being sold out by Budweiser. They set out barf bags for attendees of Pride that criticized consumerism, blind patriotism, and assimilation. Another time they created stickers that said “Freedom to Bury” which was in response to queer people and politicians that supported and called for support on gay marriage, which they considered to not be an issue. While politicians avoided having to address what was going on in the Iraqi war or what their stance was on the war at all. Overall, Gay Pride three out their criticism of the gay community in order to bring attention to the injustice that other people were facing. It called out the queer community for not being willing to fight for other marginalized community, even though the LGBT community is a marginalized community itself.
ReplyDeleteGay shame was created a response to the “Quality of Life Movement” a reign of terror instilled by Mayor Giuliani, where raids were being sent to minority areas and gathering spaces. Gay shame started mostly as instruction for “stickering, wheat pasting, civil disobedience, and stenciling, as well as samples of propaganda and stories, rants and articles about sweatshops, union organizing, the crackdown on public sex, Megan’s Law, welfare reform, fat activism, AIDS profiteering, and needle exchange” (Sycamore 270). But overall it was about strengthening a community and bringing people together to fight these injustices. The Gay Shame Movement really put itself out there as a very radical movement, unlike its counterpart Gay Pride. One of the main goals, fighting queer isolation, could be argued as the best outcome of Gay Shame. Although many successful events and protests were held, the successfulness of them relied on the queer community coming together as one. Gay Shame was different than past queer movements because this was a group of queer people saying they didn’t want to be a part of heterosexual spaces or to “be included”, they wanted their own spaces and freedom to be different and able to express that. The radicalization against consumerist gay pride and assimilation, is what set Gay Shame apart. An example of this was encouraging participants to “dress to absolutely mesmerizing ragged terrifying glamorous excess, and to create the world you dream of” (Sycamore 271). Although the Gay Shame movement had shortcomings and disruptions, overall it created an anarchy like disobedience and a refusal to assimilate to common culture, and even common queer consumerist culture.
ReplyDeleteGay shame first emerged in June 1998 during Mayor Giuliani’s “Quality of Life Campaign” in New York City. It was a” radical alternative to the conformity of gay neighborhoods, bars, and institutions -- most clearly symbolized by Gay Pride” (269). Sycamore points out that New York Pride has become a way for major corporations to target gay consumers. As the result, Gay Shame created a space where queers could come together to “create culture and share skills for resistance, rather than buy a bunch of crap” (269). Gay Shame would hold their own festivals that included performances, dancing, speeches, etc as a way to protest against Gay Pride. Furthermore, Sycamore mentions that the idea queer communities do not exist because it is only serving the most privileged. One of Gay Shame’s biggest critique of Gay Pride was their willingness to turn a blind eye to the social injustices. For example, Sycamore mentions Gavin Newsom who was a city council member of San Francisco. Newsom was viewed as a “gay friendly politician” who would participate in Gay Pride and fought to legalized gay marriage (276). However, Gay Shame calls Newsom a monster because of his policies that attack the most vulnerable groups in San Francisco and his failure to addressed real issues such as the Iraq war. Sycamore calls Newsom followers “blind” because by supporting him allows Newsom to keep displacing people (295). Fighting for queer justice means standing alongside other marginalized groups and to not turn a blind eye to the struggles of other groups.
ReplyDeleteSycamore discusses the lack of intersectionality displayed in the dominant queer movement, focusing on how it is embodied in the gay pride movement. The author criticizes the pride movement for encouraging consumerism and thus excluding marginalized members of the community. She elaborates on the other forms of oppression people of color and low-income communities suffer at the hands of relatively-privileged gay and lesbian individuals, for example through processes like gentrification. Conversely, the gay shame movement is about embracing the tough, difficult, and dark aspects of one’s sexuality and still celebrating in the open in an inclusive manner in autonomous queer spaces. As she expresses, this space helped profoundly in her “Struggle to create a cultural home and to find maybe a little bit of hope in the world of rot. For me, Gay Shame has been an opportunity to help build something transformative, deviant, and dangerous out of alienation and desperation.” (270). Similarly, author Michelle O’Brien speaks about all the immense forms of structural violence that trans individuals are subjected to, but how many have also “Developed an interconnected collection of support groups, where we provide each other with advice and dignity through difficult times,” allowing for the beginnings of political mobility. (305). O’Brien also insists on acknowledging the institutional interconnection of racism and transphobia in order to “Begin to do what mainstream gay movements won’t: build movements committed to justice for all people, movements committed to challenging capitalism and white supremacy, alongside fighting homophobia.” (311). Presenting a similar theme to many other authors in our anthology this semester, O’Brien argues that combatting oppression in all forms and the institutions that enforce them is crucial to gaining liberation for any one group, as our faits are all tied. By striving to queer all spaces, we can support this goal and create cultural homes for all no matter their identity, which allow for political participation and the ability to work as an actor rather than a bystander in shaping mainstream culture.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have read Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore describes Gay shame as a form of activism meant to oppose gay pride. On page 269 she says “By 1998, New York’s gay pride had become a little more than a giant opportunity for multinational corporations to target gay consumers. The goal of Gay Shame was to create a free, all ages space where queers could make culture and share skills and strategies for resistance, rather than just buy a bunch of crap.” Sycamore’s description verifies that the overall goal of Gay Shame was to create equal access to the queer movement. By creating a space that was inclusive of all ages and free they created opportunities for equal access to the queer movement and community, which would be especially beneficial for young queer folks who are just discovering who they are. But the type of exposure to the queer community that they were offering was exposure that would teach one how to access the democratic process and engage in activism. By separating themselves from a space of hyper sexualized consumerism that was typically found at Gay Pride, they created a space where they could steward and cultivate activism that would further the well-being of the queer community.
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