I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you.
- Audre Lorde, There is no Hierarchy of Oppressions
So many thoughts pulsing through my brain this month. I've seen great moves forward in the journey for dignity and social justice. I've seen horrific moves backward. I'm observing my social network and each of their communities processing all of this on the web and I feel compelled to write this post to help channel our processing into a stronger meta-conversation - the bigger conversation above the smaller ones we are having. This is a moment, for social justice activists, when the individual trees being examined are less important than the forest in which we are walking.
On Friday, June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that Americans have the right to marry regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Many viewed this as a victory for the LGBTQIA+ community. "Love has won!" Some are saying this is only a victory for Capitalism. Others viewed this as the first step on the slippery slope toward normalizing pedophilia and bestiality. And others have vowed the fight is not over.
In my opinion, this particular victory was not about gaining access to the institution of marriage, it was about changing public opinion on normalizing institutions and it was about the State not going the other way to codify discrimination (further) into law. Imagine how Pride weekend would have been if one of the assenting judges changed their mind and dissented? Sure, marriage is legal for all in 2/3 of our country, but States would have another precedent for limiting 14th Amendment rights. I'm super glad that was not the case. Additionally, because 2/3 of our states believe marriage to be between "two consenting adults - regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation," the GOP does not have the support to push for a constitutional amendment on traditional marriage. In fact, this for me is the greater victory: The number of people who 'came out' to their family members, the changing discourses over gender identity and sexual orientation, and the grass-roots, State-led movements that moved us forward dramatically over the last 10 years have been remarkably effective. We've initiated and are engaging topics that were horribly taboo for too long.
In many ways, the discourse on race is shifting in remarkable ways, as well. While the conversations are hardly civil, the conversations are happening at family/local, state, and national levels. Indeed the conversations about trans-identities, intersections of identity markers, and the quest for social justice have gained much momentum. People are beginning to understand the differences of sex, gender, and sexual orientation; how race is socially constructed; and the material effects of intersectionality are being explored. The 'elephant in the room' no longer sits in awkward silence. Instead, it is cowering while people stand around yelling at one another about it. But this is a good step toward achieving a more perfect union: Conflict (in addition to shared activities) is one of the strongest means to achieve intimacy in any relationship. If we understand how conflict resolution works and how we can engage in conflict productively, we can create stronger communities of support. Here's a simplified way to start. Our bonds can be strengthened as a result of this tension and conflict...of course, the same can be said for those who wish to preserve the status quo.
Those who want to preserve white supremacy, traditional gender roles, domination over nature, economic inequality, xenophobia, ableist spaces, and heteronormativity are also gaining support and momentum in these times. More Black churches are burning. Trans-undocumented persons are still suffering. Police are still killing more people in our country than foreign terrorists. Tenure and academic freedom are under attack. Women are still victims of gendered inequity. The Earth and its creatures are being destroyed. And there is a growing number of people in this country who are okay with these things or apathetic, at best. In fact, membership in some hate groups is growing. People are still committed to their "side" on these issues, many lacking empathy, compassion, or capacity for change.
In my opinion, this particular victory was not about gaining access to the institution of marriage, it was about changing public opinion on normalizing institutions and it was about the State not going the other way to codify discrimination (further) into law. Imagine how Pride weekend would have been if one of the assenting judges changed their mind and dissented? Sure, marriage is legal for all in 2/3 of our country, but States would have another precedent for limiting 14th Amendment rights. I'm super glad that was not the case. Additionally, because 2/3 of our states believe marriage to be between "two consenting adults - regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation," the GOP does not have the support to push for a constitutional amendment on traditional marriage. In fact, this for me is the greater victory: The number of people who 'came out' to their family members, the changing discourses over gender identity and sexual orientation, and the grass-roots, State-led movements that moved us forward dramatically over the last 10 years have been remarkably effective. We've initiated and are engaging topics that were horribly taboo for too long.
In many ways, the discourse on race is shifting in remarkable ways, as well. While the conversations are hardly civil, the conversations are happening at family/local, state, and national levels. Indeed the conversations about trans-identities, intersections of identity markers, and the quest for social justice have gained much momentum. People are beginning to understand the differences of sex, gender, and sexual orientation; how race is socially constructed; and the material effects of intersectionality are being explored. The 'elephant in the room' no longer sits in awkward silence. Instead, it is cowering while people stand around yelling at one another about it. But this is a good step toward achieving a more perfect union: Conflict (in addition to shared activities) is one of the strongest means to achieve intimacy in any relationship. If we understand how conflict resolution works and how we can engage in conflict productively, we can create stronger communities of support. Here's a simplified way to start. Our bonds can be strengthened as a result of this tension and conflict...of course, the same can be said for those who wish to preserve the status quo.
Those who want to preserve white supremacy, traditional gender roles, domination over nature, economic inequality, xenophobia, ableist spaces, and heteronormativity are also gaining support and momentum in these times. More Black churches are burning. Trans-undocumented persons are still suffering. Police are still killing more people in our country than foreign terrorists. Tenure and academic freedom are under attack. Women are still victims of gendered inequity. The Earth and its creatures are being destroyed. And there is a growing number of people in this country who are okay with these things or apathetic, at best. In fact, membership in some hate groups is growing. People are still committed to their "side" on these issues, many lacking empathy, compassion, or capacity for change.
For centuries we have been divided and conquered by wealthy persons who seek control over labor and resources. Separated by ability/disability, race, class, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, etc., we were (are) often pitted against one another. What many outstanding social justice activists throughout the ages have been trying to do is to unite these disparate voices. "An Injury to One is an Injury to All." "Solidarity!" Because they knew (and we know today), that our ability to join voices in mutual effort is what allows us to find the power and strength to free ourselves from tyranny. The struggle is trying to get different groups of oppressed situations to see that (1) their struggles are interconnected and (2) that they are more similar than different. The struggle is to help people see that the "I will not cheer for your victory because I have not won yet" mentality is that of the colonizer, who depends on its subjects' competition to ensure division.
We do the work of our oppressor when we compete with oppression hierarchies. We should be able to say "Black Lives Matter" without being 'corrected' that "All Lives Matter" or that we are neglecting other lives mattering. We are affirming Black Life (something truly radical within white supremacy), not saying Black Lives matter more than other lives or that ONLY Black lives matter. It is a challenge to those who have dehumanized Black people to see Black people's humanity. It is also a challenge to those who proclaim that message, while neglecting the voices of disabled, trans, and queer Black Lives. We cannot fight against one another with "whose struggle is more important than other struggles?" But we can challenge one another to learn more and grow in our understanding of differences and inclusion.
We must connect our struggles with others' struggles, while remaining conscious that they are not the same, exact struggle. We must continue to explore how history and our retelling of it shapes our present. For those who do not speak about the importance of queer people of color and their historical and contemporary work on social justice, erase important nuances and identities that are crucial to our movements. We cannot neglect the ways in which our rhetoric and discourse might hurt our efforts. We must stay focused with our goals and values, but open to how we talk about and learn about issues of injustice. We cannot fall victim to straw man fallacies (like focusing on the Confederate Flag (or Battle Flag) while neglecting work to stop Black Lives and Institutions from being attacked). We cannot fall victim to the slippery slope fallacies that have us spending time and effort distinguishing consenting sex between adults to coercive sex with children and animals. We must be able to call them as they are, and encourage people to stay focused on our very real advocacy and issues. We must be able to challenge one another to greater levels of understanding how interconnected our struggles are, while at the same time, not challenge one another with 'who's struggle is worse/more important.' We are all subjugated in racist, sexist, ableist, etc. discourses and societies. We are subjugated differently, true, but we are all subjugated, nonetheless. We can find unity here, while at the same time learning to be conscious of difference and the material impacts of being perceived as different or 'deviant.'
Truth is, social justice activists need those we are "fighting" against - both our clear 'enemies' and our (supposed) allies. We need more people to join our efforts in movement for love, justice, and dignity for them to be sustained and for us to continue to make progress. We cannot coerce them into this stance either - that is the tool of the colonizer and oppressor. We cannot distance ourselves from them and think we can "beat them;" that "us vs. them" is an appropriate position. We can only dismantle white supremacy and racism WITH them. We can only make our society more open and accommodating WITH them. We can only fight for economic justice WITH them. For when we fight against them and create adversarial positions, we defeat ourselves. As I said earlier, the reason we are celebrating is not the Supreme Court's decision, per se, but that our alliance-building, grass-roots efforts are working. We are supporting one another in creating safe space for people to 'come out.' We are learning to listen and adjust our positions to create a new community that can accommodate difference. We are teaching our children to be open and many did not see the 'big deal' in this dramatic court decision. We are learning to love in very powerful ways. We are learning to have empathy and compassion for others. We are opening conversations that reveal dynamic approaches to global issues. We are finding unity through difference and it is powerful. It is cause for celebration and motivation to keep working.
No comments:
Post a Comment