QUEERS READ THIS

A leaflet distributed at pride march in NY

Published anonmousl b Queers
!une" #$$%
Ho& can I tell ou' Ho& can I con(ince ou" brother"
sister that our life is in dan)er* That e(erda ou &a+e
up ali(e" relati(el happ" and a functionin) human bein)"
ou are committin) a rebellious act' You as an ali(e and
functionin) ,ueer are a re(olutionar'
There is nothin) on this planet that (alidates" protects
or encoura)es our e-istence' It is a miracle ou are
standin) here readin) these &ords' You should b all ri)hts
be dead' Don.t be fooled" strai)ht people o&n the &orld and
the onl reason ou ha(e been spared is ou.re smart" luc+
or a fi)hter'
Strai)ht people ha(e a pri(ile)e that allo&s them to do
&hate(er the please and fuc+ &ithout fear' /ut not onl do
the li(e a life free of fear0 the flaunt their freedom in
m face' Their ima)es are on m T1" in the ma)a2ine I
bou)ht" in the restaurant I &ant to eat in" and on the
street &here I li(e' I &ant there to be a moratorium on
strai)ht marria)e" on babies" on public displas of
affection amon) the opposite se- and media ima)es that
promote heterose-ualit' Until I can en3o the same freedom
of mo(ement and se-ualit" as strai)hts" their pri(ile)e
must stop and it must be )i(en o(er to me and m ,ueer
sisters and brothers' Strai)ht people &ill not do this
(oluntaril and so the must be forced into it' Strai)hts
must be fri)htened into it' Terrori2ed into it' 4ear is the
most po&erful moti(ation' No one &ill )i(e us &hat &e
deser(e' Ri)hts are not )i(en the are ta+en" b force if
necessar' It is easier to fi)ht &hen ou +no& &ho our
enem is' Strai)ht people are our enem' The are our
enem &hen the don.t ac+no&led)e our in(isibilit and
continue to li(e in and contribute to a culture that +ills
ou' E(er da one of us is ta+en b the enem' 5hether
it.s an AIDS death due to homophobic )o(ernment inaction or
a lesbian bashin) in an all6ni)ht diner 7in a supposedl
lesbian nei)hborhood8'
AN AR9Y :4 ;:1ERS <ANN:T ;:SE
/ein) ,ueer is not about a ri)ht to pri(ac0 it is about
the freedom to be public" to 3ust be &ho &e are' It means
e(erda fi)htin) oppression0 homophobia" racism" miso)n"
the bi)otr of reli)ious hpocrites and our o&n self6hatred'
75e ha(e been carefull tau)ht to hate oursel(es'8 And no&
of course it means fi)htin) a (irus as &ell" and all those
homo6haters &ho are usin) AIDS to &ipe us off the face of
the earth' /ein) ,ueer means leadin) a different sort of
=
life' It.s not about the mainstream" profit6mar)ins"
patriotism" patriarch or bein) assimilated' It.s not about
e-ecuti(e directors" pri(ile)e and elitism' It.s about
bein) on the mar)ins" definin) oursel(es0 it.s about )ender6
fuc+ and secrets" &hat.s beneath the belt and deep inside
the heart0 it.s about the ni)ht' /ein) ,ueer is >)rass
roots> because &e +no& that e(erone of us" e(er bod"
e(er cunt" e(er heart and ass and dic+ is a &orld of
pleasure &aitin) to be e-plored' E(erone of us is a &orld
of infinite possibilit' 5e are an arm because &e ha(e to
be' 5e are an arm because &e are so po&erful' 75e ha(e so
much to fi)ht for0 &e are the most precious of endan)ered
species'8 And &e are an arm of lo(ers because it is &e &ho
+no& &hat lo(e is' Desire and lust" too' 5e in(ented them'
5e come out of the closet" face the re3ection of societ"
face firin) s,uads" 3ust to lo(e each other? E(er time &e
fuc+" &e &in' 5e must fi)ht for oursel(es 7no one else is
)oin) to do it8 and if in that process &e brin) )reater
freedom to the &orld at lar)e then )reat' 75e.(e )i(en so
much to that &orld* democrac" all the arts" the concepts
of lo(e" philosoph and the soul" to name 3ust a fe& )ifts
from our ancient @ree+ D+es" 4a)s'8 ;et.s ma+e e(er space
a ;esbian and @a space' E(er street a part of our se-ual
)eo)raph' A cit of earnin) and then total satisfaction'
A cit and a countr &here &e can be safe and free and more'
5e must loo+ at our li(es and see &hat.s best in them" see
&hat is ,ueer and &hat is strai)ht and let that strai)ht
chaff fall a&a? Remember there is so" so little time' And
I &ant to be a lo(er of each and e(er one of ou' Ne-t
ear" &e march na+ed'
AN@ER
>The stron) sisters told the brothers that there &ere t&o
important thin)s to remember about the comin) re(olutions"
the first is that &e &ill )et our asses +ic+ed' The second"
is that &e &ill &in'>
I.m an)r' I.m an)r for bein) condemned to death b
stran)ers sain)" >You deser(e to die> and >AIDS is the
cure'> 4ur erupts &hen a Republican &oman &earin) thousands
of dollars of )arments and 3e&elr minces b the police
lines sha+in) her head" chuc+lin) and &a))in) her fin)er at
us li+e &e are recalcitrant children ma+in) absurd demands
and thro&in) temper tantrum &hen the aren.t met' An)r
&hile !oseph a)oni2es o(er AB"%%% a o(er for ACT &hich mi)ht
+eep him ali(e a little lon)er and &hich ma+es him sic+er
than the disease he is dia)nosed &ith' An)r as I listen to
a man tell me that after chan)in) his &ill fi(e times he.s
runnin) out of people to lea(e thin)s to' All of his best
friends are dead' An)r &hen stand in a sea of ,uilt panels"
or )o to a candleli)ht march or attend et another memorial
ser(ice' I &ill not march silentl &ith a fuc+in) candle
and I &ant to ta+e that )oddamned ,uilt and &rap mself in
it and furiousl rend it and m hair and curse e(er )od
D
reli)ion e(er created' I refuse to accept a creation that
cuts people do&n in the third decade of their life'
It is cruel and (ile and meanin)less and e(erthin) I
ha(e in me rails a)ainst the absurdit and I raise m face
to the clouds and a ra))ed lau)h that sounds more demonic
than 3oous erupts from m throat and tears stream do&n m
face and if this disease doesn.t +ill me" I ma 3ust die of
frustration' 9 feet pound the streets and Peter.s hands
are chained to a pharmaceutical compan.s reception des+
&hile the receptionist loo+s on in horror and Eric.s bod
lies rottin) in a /roo+ln cemeter and I.ll ne(er hear his
flute resoundin) off the &alls of the meetin) house a)ain'
And I see the old people in Tomp+ins S,uare Par+ huddled in
their lon) &ool coats in !une to +eep out the cold the
percei(e is there and to clin) to &hate(er little life has
left to offer them' I.m reminded of the people &ho strip and
stand before a mirror each ni)ht before the )o to bed and
search their bodies for an mar+ that mi)ht not ha(e been
there esterda' A mar+ that this scour)e has (isited them'
And I.m an)r &hen the ne&spapers call us >(ictims> and
sound alarms that >it> mi)ht soon spread to the >)eneral
population'> And I &ant to scream >5ho the fuc+ am IE> And I
&ant to scream at Ne& Yor+ Hospital &ith its ello& plastic
ba)s mar+ed >isolation linen>" >ropa infecciosa> and its
orderlies in late- )lo(es and sur)ical mas+s s+irtin) the
bed as if its occupant &ill suddenl leap out and douse them
&ith blood and semen )i(in) them too the pla)ue'
And I.m an)r at strai)ht people &ho sit smu)l &rapped
in their self6protecti(e coat of mono)am and
heterose-ualit confident that this disease has nothin) to
do &ith them because >it> onl happens to >them'> And the
teena)e bos &ho upon spottin) m SilenceFDeath button be)in
chantin) >4a))ot.s )onna die> and I &onder" &ho tau)ht them
thisE En(eloped in fur and fear" I remain silent &hile m
button moc+s me e(er step of the &a' And the an)er I fell
&hen a tele(ision pro)ram on the ,uilt )i(es profiles of the
dead and the list be)ins &ith a bab" a teena)e )irl &ho )ot
a blood transfusion" an elderl baptist minister and his
&ife and &hen the finall sho& a )a man" he.s described as
someone &ho +no&in)l infected teena)e male prostitutes &ith
the (irus' 5hat else can ou e-pect from a fa))otE
I.m an)r'
QUEER ARTISTS
Since time be)an" the &orld has been inspired b the &or+
of ,ueer artists' In e-chan)e" there has been sufferin)"
there has been pain" there has been (iolence' Throu)hout
histor" societ has struc+ a bar)ain &ith its ,ueer
citi2ens* the ma pursue creati(e careers" if the do it
discreetl' Throu)h the arts ,ueers are producti(e"
lucrati(e" entertainin) and e(en upliftin)' These are the
clear6cut and useful b6products of &hat is other&ise
considered antisocial beha(ior' In cultured circles" ,ueers
G
ma ,uietl coe-ist &ith an other&ise disappro(in) po&er
elite'
At the forefront of the most recent campai)n to bash
,ueer artists is !esse Helms" arbiter of all that is decent"
moral" christian and ameri+an' 4or Helms" ,ueer art is
,uite simpl a threat to the &orld' In his ima)inin)s"
heterose-ual culture is too fra)ile to bear up to the
admission of human or se-ual di(ersit' Quite simpl" the
structure of po&er in the !udeo6<hristian &orld has made
procreation its cornerstone' 4amilies ha(in) children
assures consumers for the nation.s products and a &or+ force
to produce them" as &ell as a built6in famil sstem to care
for its ill" reducin) the e-pense of public healthcare
sstems'
A;; N:N6PR:<REATI1E /EHA1I:R IS <:NSIDERED A THREAT" from
homose-ualit to birth control to abortion as an option' It
is not enou)h" accordin) to the reli)ious ri)ht" to
consistentl ad(ertise procreation and heterose-ualit '''
it is also necessar to destro an alternati(es' It is not
art Helms is after '''' IT IS :UR ;I1ES? Art is the last
safe place for lesbians and )a men to thri(e' Helms +no&s
this" and has de(eloped a pro)ram to pur)e ,ueers from the
one arena the ha(e been permitted to contribute to our
shared culture'
Helms is ad(ocatin) a &orld free from di(ersit or
dissent' It is eas to ima)ine &h that mi)ht feel more
comfortable to those in char)e of such a &orld' It is also
eas to en(ision an ameri+an landscape flattened b such
po&er' Helms should 3ust as+ for &hat he is hintin) at*
State sponsored art" art of totalitarianism" art that spea+s
onl in christian terms" art &hich supports the )oals of
those in po&er" art that matches the sofas in the :(al
:ffice' As+ for &hat ou &ant" !esse" so that men and &omen
of conscience can mobili2e a)ainst it" as &e do a)ainst the
human ri)hts (iolations of other countries" and fi)ht to
free our o&n countr.s dissidents'
I4 Y:U.RE QUEER"
Queers are under sie)e'
Queers are bein) attac+ed on all fronts and I.m afraid
it.s o+ &ith us'
In #$H$" there &ere I% >Queer /ashin)s> in the month of
9a alone' 1iolent attac+s" D"J=% men" &omen and children
died of AIDS in the same month" caused b a more (iolent
attac+ 666 )o(ernment inaction" rooted in societ.s )ro&in)
homophobia' This is institutionali2ed (iolence" perhaps
more dan)erous to the e-istence of ,ueers because the
attac+ers are faceless' 5e allo& these attac+s b our o&n
continued lac+ of action a)ainst them' AIDS has affected
the strai)ht &orld and no& the.re blamin) us for AIDS and
usin) it as a &a to 3ustif their (iolence a)ainst us'
The don.t &ant us anmore' The &ill beat us" rape us and
+ill us before the &ill continue to li(e &ith us' 5hat
I
&ill it ta+e for this not to be o+E 4eel some ra)e' If ra)e
doesn.t empo&er ou" tr fear' If that doesn.t &or+" tr
panic'
SH:UT IT?
/e proud' Do &hate(er ou need to do to tear ourself
a&a from our customar state of acceptance' /e free'
Shout'
In #$H$" Queers fou)ht bac+' In #$$%" Queers sa o+'
Ne-t ear" &ill &e be hereE
I HATE '''
I hate !esse Helms' I hate !esse Helms so much I.d
re3oice if he dropped do&n dead' If someone +illed him I.d
consider it his o&n fault'
I hate Ronald Rea)an" too" because he mass6murdered m
people for ei)ht ears' /ut to be honest" I hate him e(en
more for eulo)i2in) Ran 5hite &ithout first admittin) his
)uilt" &ithout be))in) for)i(eness for Ran.s death and for
the deaths of tens of thousands of other P5A.s 666 most of
them ,ueer' I hate him for ma+in) a moc+er of our )rief'
I hate the fuc+in) Pope" and I hate !ohn fuc+in) <ardinal
fuc+in) :.<onnor" and I hate the &hole fuc+in) <atholic
<hurch' The same )oes for the 9ilitar" and especiall for
Ameri+a.s ;a& Enforcement :fficials 666 the cops 666 state
sanctioned sadists &ho brutali2e street trans(estites"
prostitutes and ,ueer prisoners' I also hate the medical
and mental health establishments" particularl the
pschiatrist &ho con(iced me not to ha(e se- &ith men for
three ears until &e 7meanin) he8 could ma+e me bise-ual
rather than ,ueer' I also hate the education profession"
for its share in dri(in) thousands of ,ueer teens to suicide
e(er ear' I hate the >respectable> art &orld0 and the
entertainment industr" and the mainstream media" especiall
The Ne& Yor+ Times' In fact" I hate e(er sector of the
strai)ht establishment in this countr 666 the &orst of &hom
acti(el &ant all ,ueers dead" the best of &hom ne(er stic+
their nec+s out to +eep us ali(e'
I hate strai)ht people &ho thin+ the ha(e anthin)
intelli)ent to sa about >outin)'> I hate strai)ht people
&ho thin+ stories about themsel(es are >uni(ersal> but
stories about us are onl about homose-ualit' I hate
strai)ht recordin) artists &ho ma+e their careers off of
,ueer people" then attac+ us" then act hurt &hen &e )et
an)r and then den ha(in) &ron)ed us rather than apolo)i2e
for it' I hate strai)ht people &ho sa" >I don.t see &h
ou feel the need to &ear those buttons and t6shirts' I
don.t )o around tellin) the &hole &orld I.m strai)ht'>
I hate that in t&el(e ears of public education I &as
ne(er tau)ht about ,ueer people' I hate that I )re& up
thin+in) I &as the onl ,ueer in the &orld" and I hate e(en
more that most ,ueer +ids still )ro& up the same &a' I
H
hate that I &as tormented b other +ids for bein) a fa))ot"
but more that I &as tau)ht to feel ashamed for bein) the
ob3ect of their cruelt" tau)ht to feel it &as m fault' I
hate that the Supreme <ourt of this countr sas it.s o+a
to criminali2e me because of ho& I ma+e lo(e' I hate that
so man strai)ht people are so concerned about m )oddamned
se- life' I hate that so man t&isted strai)ht people
become parents" &hile I ha(e to fi)ht li+e hell to be
allo&ed to be a father' I hate strai)hts'
5HERE ARE Y:U SISTERSE
I &ear m pin+ trian)le e(er&here' I do not lo&er m
(oice in public &hen tal+in) about lesbian lo(e or se-' I
al&as tell people I.m a lesbian' I don.t &ait to be as+ed
about m >bofriend'> I don.t sa it.s >no one.s
business'>
I don.t do this for strai)ht people' 9ost of them don.t
+no& &hat the pin+ trian)le e(en means' 9ost of them
couldn.t care less that m )irlfriend and I are totall in
lo(e or ha(in) a fi)ht on the street' 9ost of them don.t
notice us no matter &hat &e do' I do &hat I do to reach
other lesbians' I do &hat I do because I don.t &ant
lesbians to assume I.m a strai)ht )irl' I am out all the
time" e(er&here" because I 5ANT T: REA<H Y:U' 9abe
ou.ll notice me" mabe &e.ll start tal+in)" mabe &e.ll
e-chan)e numbers" mabe &e.ll become friends' 9abe &e
&on.t sa a &ord but our ees &ill meet and I &ill ima)ine
ou na+ed" s&eatin)" openmouthed" our bac+ arched as I am
fuc+in) ou' And &e.ll be happ to +no& &e aren.t the onl
ones in the &orld' 5e.ll be happ because &e found each
other" &ithout sain) a &ord" mabe 3ust for a moment' /ut
no'
You &on.t &ear a pin+ trian)le on that linen lapel' You
&on.t meet m ees if I flirt &ith ou on the street' You
a(oid me on the 3ob because I.m >too> out' You chastise me
in bars because I.m >too political'> You i)nore me in
public because I brin) >too much> attention to >m>
lesbianism' /ut then ou &ant me to be our lo(er" ou
&ant me to be our friend" ou &ant me to lo(e ou"
support" ou" fi)ht for >:UR> ri)ht to e-ist'
5HERE ARE Y:UE
You tal+" tal+" tal+ about in(isibilit and then retreat
to our homes to nest &ith our lo(ers or carouse in a bar
&ith pals and stumble home in a cab or sit silentl and
politel b &hile our famil" our boss" our nei)hbors"
our public ser(ants distort and disfi)ure us" deride us
and punish us' Then home a)ain and ou feel li+e
screamin)' Then ou pad our an)er &ith a relationship or
a career or a part &ith other d+es li+e ou and still ou
&onder &h &e can.t find each other" &h ou feel lonel"
an)r" alienated'
@ET UP" 5AKE UP SISTERS??
J
Your life is in our hands'
5hen I ris+ it all to be out" I ris+ it for both of us'
5hen I ris+ it all and it &or+s 7&hich it often does if ou
&ould tr it8" I benefit and so do ou' 5hen it doesn.t
&or+" I suffer and ou do not'
/ut )irl ou can.t &ait for other d+es to ma+e the &orld
safe for ou' ST:P &aitin) for a better more lesbian
future? The re(olution could be here if &e started it'
5here are ou sistersE I.m trin) to find ou" I.m trin)
to find ou' Ho& come I onl see ou on @a Pride DaE
5e.re :UT" 5here the fuc+ are Y:UE
B
5HEN ANY:NE ASSAU;TS Y:U 4:R /EIN@ QUEER" IT IS QUEER
/ASHIN@' RI@HTE
A cro&d of I% people e-it a )a bar as it closes'
Across the street" some strai)ht bos are shoutin) >4a))ots>
and thro&in) beer bottles at the )atherin)" &hich outnumbers
them b #% to #' Three ,ueers ma+e a mo(e to respond"
)ettin) no support from the )roup' 5h did a )roup this
si2e allo& themsel(es to be sittin) duc+sE
Tomp+ins S,uare Par+" ;abor Da' At an annual outdoor
concertLdra) sho&" a )roup of )a men &ere harassed b teens
carrin) stic+s' In the midst of thousands of )a men and
lesbians" these strai)ht bos beat t&o )a men to the
)round" then stood around triumphantl lau)hin) amon)st
themsel(es' The emcee &as alerted and &arned the cro&d from
the sta)e" >You )irls be careful' 5hen ou dress up it
dri(es the bos cra2"> as if it &ere a practical 3o+e
inspired b &hat the (ictims &ere &earin) rather than a
pointed attac+ on anone and e(erone at that e(ent'
5hat &ould it ha(e ta+en for that cro&d to stand up to
its attac+ersE
After !ames Cappalorti" an openl )a man" &as murdered
in cold blood on Staten Island this &inter" a sin)le
demonstration &as held in protest' :nl one hundred people
came' 5hen Yuseuf Ha&+ins" a blac+ outh" &as shot to death
for bein) on >&hite turf> in /ensonhurst" African Americans
marched throu)h that nei)hborhood in lar)e numbers a)ain and
a)ain' A blac+ person &as +illed /E<AUSE HE 5AS /;A<K" and
people of color throu)hout the cit reco)ni2ed it and acted
on it' The bullet that hit Ha&+ins &as meant for a blac+
man" ANY blac+ man' Do most )as and lesbians thin+ that
the +nife that punctured Cappalorti.s heart &as meant onl
for himE
The strai)ht &orld has us so con(inced that &e are
helpless and deser(in) (ictims of the (iolence a)ainst us"
that ,ueers are immobili2ed &hen faced &ith a threat' /E
:UTRA@ED? These attac+s must not be tolerated' D:
S:9ETHIN@' Reco)ni2e that an act of a))ression a)ainst an
member of our communit is an attac+ on e(er member of the
communit' The more &e allo& homophobes to inflict
(iolence" terror and fear on our li(es" the more fre,uentl
and ferociousl &e &ill be the ob3ect of their hatred' Your
immeasurabl (aluable" because unless ou start belie(in)
that" it can easil be ta+en from ou' If ou +no& ho& to
)entl and efficientl immobili2e our attac+er" then b all
means" do it' If ou lac+ those s+ills" then thin+ about
)ou)in) out his fuc+in) ees" slammin) his nose bac+ into
his brain" slashin) his throat &ith a bro+en bottle 666 do
&hate(er ou can" &hate(er ou ha(e to" to sa(e our life?
$
reeuQ h5
Queer?
Ah" do &e reall ha(e to use that &ordE It.s trouble'
E(er )a person has his or her o&n ta+e on it' 4or some it
means stran)e and eccentric and +ind of msterious' That.s
o+a" &e li+e that' /ut some )a )irls and bos don.t'
The thin+ the.re more normal than stran)e' And for others
>,ueer> con3ures up those a&ful memories of adolescent
sufferin)' Queer' It.s forcibl bitters&eet and ,uaint at
best 666 &ea+enin) and painful at &orst' <ouldn.t &e 3ust
use >)a> insteadE It.s a much bri)hter &ord and isn.t it
snonmous &ith >happE> 5hen &ill ou militants )ro& up and
)et o(er the no(elt of bein) differentE
5HY QUEER
5ell" es" >)a > is )reat' It has its place' /ut &hen
a lot of lesbians and )a men &a+e up in the mornin) &e feel
an)r and dis)usted" not )a' So &e.(e chosen to call
oursel(es ,ueer' Usin) >,ueer> is a &a of remindin) us ho&
&e are percei(ed b the rest of the &orld' It.s a &a of
tellin) oursel(es &e don.t ha(e to be &itt and charmin)
people &ho +eep our li(es discreet and mar)inali2ed in the
strai)ht &orld' 5e use ,ueer as )a men lo(in) lesbians and
lesbians lo(in) bein) ,ueer'
Queer" unli+e @AY" doesn.t mean 9A;E'
And &hen spo+en to other )as and lesbians it.s a &a of
su))estin) &e close ran+s" and for)et 7temporaril8 our
indi(idual differences because &e face a more insidious
common enem' Yeah" QUEER can be a rou)h &ord but it is
also a sl and ironic &eapon &e can steal from the
homophobe.s hands and use a)ainst him'
N: SEM P:;I<E
4or anone to sa that comin) out is not part of the
re(olution is missin) the point' Positi(e se-ual ima)es and
&hat the manifest sa(es li(es because the affirm those
li(es and ma+e it possible for people to attempt to li(e as
self6lo(in) instead of self6loathin)' As the famous >/lac+
is beautiful> slo)an chan)ed man li(es" so does >Read m
lips> affirm ,ueerness in the face of hatred and
in(isibilit as displaed in a recent )o(ernmental stud of
suicides that states at least one third of all teen suicides
are Queer +ids' This is further e-emplified b the rise in
HI1 transmission amon) those under =#'
5e are most hated as ,ueers for our se-ualness" that is"
our phsical contact &ith the same se-' :ur se-ualit and
se-ual e-pression are &hat ma+es us most susceptible to
phsical (iolence' :ur difference" our otherness" our
uni,ueness can either paral2e us or politici2e us'
Hopefull" the ma3orit of us &ill not let it +ill us'
#%
QUEER SPA<E
5h in the &orld do &e let heteros into ,ueer clubsE 5ho
)i(es a fuc+ if the li+e us because &e >reall +no& ho& to
partE> 5E HA1E T: IN :RDER T: /;:5 :44 THE STEA9 THEY 9AKE
US 4EE; A;; THE TI9E? The ma+e out &here(er the please"
and ta+e up too much room on the dance floor doin)
ostentatious couples dances' The &ear their heterose-ualit
li+e a >Keep :ut> si)n" or li+e a deed of o&nership'
5h the fuc+ do &e tolerate them &hen the in(ade our
space li+e it.s their ri)htE 5h do &e let them sho(e
heterose-ualit 666 a &eapon their &orld &ields a)ainst us 6
66 ri)ht in our faces in the fe& public spots &here &e can
be se- &ith each other and not fear attac+E
It.s time to stop lettin) the strai)ht people ma+e all
the rules' ;et.s start b postin) this si)n outside e(er
,ueer club and bar*
RU;ES :4 <:NDU<T 4:R STRAI@HT PE:P;E
#' Keep our displa of affection 7+issin)"
handholdin)" embracin)8 to a minimum' Your se-ualit is
un&anted and offensi(e to man here' =' If ou must slo&
dance" be as inconspicuous as possible' D' Do not )a&+ or
stare at lesbians or )a men" especiall bull d+es or dra)
,ueens' 5e are not our entertainment' G' If ou cannot
comfortabl deal &ith someone of the same se- ma+in) a pass
at ou" )et out' I' Do not flaunt our heterose-ualit' /e
Discreet' Ris+ bein) mista+en for a le22ie or a homo' H'
If ou feel these rules are unfair" )o fi)ht homophobia in
strai)ht clubs" or* J' @o 4uc+ Yourself'
I HATE STRAI@HTS
I ha(e friends' Some of them are strai)ht'
Year after ear" I see m strai)ht friends' I &ant to
see them" to see ho& the are doin)" to add ne&ness to our
lon) and complicated histories" to e-perience some
continuit' Year after ear I continue to reali2e that the
facts of m life are irrele(ant to them and that I am onl
half listened to" that I am an appenda)e to the doin)s of a
)reater &orld" a &orld of po&er and pri(ile)e" of the la&s
of installation" a &orld of e-clusion' >That.s not true">
ar)ue m strai)ht friends' There is the one certaint in
the politics of po&er* those left out of it be) for
inclusion" &hile the insiders claim that the alread are'
9en do it to &omen" &hites do it to blac+s" and e(erone
does it to ,ueers' The main di(idin) line" both conscious
and unconscious" is procreation ''' and that ma)ic &ord 666
4amil' 4re,uentl" the ones &e are born into diso&n us
&hen the find out &ho &e reall are" and to ma+e matters
&orse" &e are pre(ented from ha(in) our o&n' 5e are
punished" insulted" cut off" and treated li+e seditionaries
##
in terms of child rearin)" both damned if &e tr and damned
if &e abstain' It.s as if the propa)ation of the species is
such a fra)ile directi(e that &ithout enforcin) it as if it
&ere an a)enda" human+ind &ould melt bac+ into the prime(al
oo2e'
I hate ha(in) to con(ice strai)ht people that lesbians
and )as li(e in a &ar 2one" that &e.re surrounded b bomb
blasts onl &e seem to hear" that our bodies and souls are
heaped hi)h" dead from fri)ht or bashed or raped" din) of
)rief or disease" stripped of our personhood'
I hate strai)ht people &ho can.t listen to ,ueer an)er
&ithout sain) >he" all strai)ht people aren.t li+e that'
I.m strai)ht too" ou +no&"> as if their e)os don.t )et
enou)h stro+in) or protection in this arro)ant" heterose-ist
&orld' 5h must &e ta+e care of them" in the midst of our
3ust an)er brou)ht on b their fuc+ed up societE? 5h add
the reassurance of >:f course" I don.t mean ou' You don.t
act that &a'> ;et them fi)ure out for themsel(es &hether
the deser(e to be included in our an)er'
/ut of course that &ould mean listenin) to our an)er"
&hich the almost ne(er do' The deflect it" b sain) >I.m
not li+e that> or >No& loo+ &ho.s )enerali2in)> or >You.ll
catch more flies &ith hone ''' > or >If ou focus on the
ne)ati(e ou 3ust )i(e out more po&er> or >ou.re not the
onl one in the &orld &ho.s sufferin)'> The sa >Don.t
ell at me" I.m on our side> or >I thin+ ou.re
o(erreactin)> or >/:Y" Y:U.RE /ITTER'>
The.(e tau)ht us that )ood ,ueers don.t )et mad'
The.(e tau)ht us so &ell that &e not onl hide our an)er
from them" &e hide it from each other' 5E E1EN HIDE IT 4R:9
:URSE;1ES' 5e hide it &ith substance abuse and suicide and
o(erarhcie(in) in the hope of pro(in) our &orth' The bash
us and stab us and shoot us and bomb us in e(er increasin)
numbers and still &e frea+ out &hen an)r ,ueers carr
banners or si)ns that sa /ASH /A<K' 4or the last decade
the let us die in dro(es and still &e than+ President /ush
for plantin) a fuc+in) tree" applaud him for li+enin) P5As
to car accident (ictims &ho refuse to &ear seatbelts' ;ET
Y:URSE;4 /E AN@RY' ;et ourself be an)r that the price of
our (isibilit is the constant threat of (iolence" anti6
,ueer (iolence to &hich practicall e(er se)ment of this
societ contributes' ;et ourself feel an)r that THERE IS
N: P;A<E IN THIS <:UNTRY 5HERE 5E ARE SA4E" no place &here
&e are not tar)eted for hatred and attac+" the self6hatred"
the suicide 666 of the closet' The ne-t time some strai)ht
person comes do&n on ou for bein) an)r" tell them that
until thin)s chan)e" ou don.t need an more e(idence that
the &orld turns at our e-pense' You don.t need to see onl
hetero couple )rocer shoppin) on our T1 ''' You don.t
&ant an more bab pictures sho(ed in our face until ou
can ha(e or +eep our o&n' No more &eddin)s" sho&ers"
anni(ersaries" please" unless the are our o&n brothers and
sisters celebratin)' And tell them not to dismiss ou b
sain) >You ha(e ri)hts"> >You ha(e pri(ile)es"> >You.re
#=
o(erreactin)"> or >You ha(e a (ictim.s mentalit'> Tell
them >@: A5AY 4R:9 9E" until Y:U can chan)e'> @o a&a and
tr on a &orld &ithout the bra(e" stron) ,ueers that are its
bac+bone" that are its )uts and brains and souls' @o tell
them )o a&a until the ha(e spent a month &al+in) hand in
hand in public &ith someone of the same se-' After the
sur(i(e that" then ou.ll hear &hat the ha(e to sa about
,ueer an)er'
:ther&ise" tell them to shut up and listen'