Four young Brits on realizing they are gender non-conforming, and what queer liberation looks like.
“I’m currently in final year at university, studying politics, so that’s a lot of work. I also won second place in the NUS Black Students’ Campaign election [The National Union of Students Black Students Campaign represents students of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean descent on issues that affect them].
Growing up, I went to a girls’ grammar school and my year ended up being quite queer and into activism so thankfully I had a friendship group that supported one another. We started the Gay Straight Alliance in our school which was probably my first taste of activism and campaigning and after that I was hooked.
Audre Lorde said: “There's always someone asking you to underline one piece of yourself —whether it's black, woman, mother, dyke, teacher, etc. — because that's the piece that they need to key in to. They want to dismiss everything else.” This rings true for me — my gender and sexuality will always be inherently linked to my blackness.
Queer liberation to is not necessarily about more representation of queer or trans people in government etc. We don’t need more black, brown or queer faces in high places, gate keepers or fame seekers — we need a transformative movement. It’s about dismantling the systems that oppress us. In a workshop I facilitated, I asked the participants what they thought liberation looked like. Someone answered with ‘Being able to get a good night’s sleep.
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