Queer Liberation Across Space and Time: Exploring Power, Identity, and Justice through Zines

Hi all! Tiffany and I are creating a unit on Queer Liberation. This month is the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which many people mark as the catalyst for the gay rights and/or queer liberation movement in the U.S. Across the globe, many queer people continue to live precarious lives even as some queer communities are flourishing. Queer art forms like drag and other types of performance art have become more normalized, and a number of countries have passed legislation that supports things like marriage equality and gender affirmations on birth certificates and drivers licenses. However, high rates of homelessness, negative mental health issues, job insecurity, pay gaps, incarceration, and violence against queer people persist. It is important that students develop an understanding of the local and global nature of these problems, many of which are simultaneously rooted in xenophobia, racism, classism, and ableism. Solutions to the injustices that face queer people are complex and contextual -- problematically, many global solutions are rooted in white saviorism and a poor understanding of cultural norms/beliefs in certain parts of the world, which ends up reifying homophobia/transphobia etc. as opposed to eliminating it. People in the West think of themselves as enlightened when it comes to queer issues, even as queer people in the U.S. and Europe face alarming rates of persecution, violence, and discrimination (particularly when queer people are multiply-marginalized on the basis of citizenship, race, class, religion, and/or ability). Our unit will challenge students to consider:

1. How gender, sex, and sexuality are constructed and controlled in different places/times
2. How queer people have fought back against oppression and violence at various times, in various parts of the world, and in various eras
3. How and why queer people celebrate their identities // what queer people have contributed to artistic, activist, political, scientific, and social life (among other things)
4. What indigenous sexualities and genders can teach us about current scientific beliefs and practices regarding gender/sexuality
5. How queer communities form and what "community" means for marginalized peoples in different places and times
6. How to develop a queer consciousness that is rooted in challenging binary thinking, celebrating anti-normativity, questioning the status quo, and resisting injustice
7. How to consider the limits and problems associated with placing an "American" or "Western" perspective on the lives of queer people across the globe.
8. Given, these complexities, how to support queer people at home and abroad.
9. What zines are and how they operate as counter-cultural art pieces that advance messages of justice and equity for marginalized peoples.

No less important, our unit will also introduce key terms associated with LGBTQ+ communities so that students can feel confident talking about and describing their own experiences and those of others. Students will understand that language changes over time and that it is also often geographically situated (i.e., words that are OK in one context or era may not be in another // words that describe similar things may not be the same throughout the world).

We are not yet certain what the art piece is going to be -- we are thinking either poetry or zines. Zines are brief, self-published mini-magazines that combine information on a particular topic with original artwork (collage, drawing, poetry etc.). Zines are usually then photocopied and widely disseminated. Each day of the unit, students will explore a few zines that are relevant to the specific topic at hand in order to get a better sense of the genre (style and content).

So far, we are considering doing the following:

1. Monday: Introduce gender/sex/sexuality, key terms, and personal experiences -- we are going to bring in symbols associated with particular identities (pride flags from around the world, pink triangle) and discuss what it means to reclaim words/symbols that have been used to oppress queer people in the past. We'll ask them to reflect on when/what they have learned about queer identities/people in school, church, at home etc. We'll develop a working list of key concepts/essential understandings & begin developing our zine.

2. Tuesday: Queer Communities and Oppression -- we're going to look at the various ways in which queer people have been and continue to be oppressed throughout the world. Our current idea is to explore interviews with young queer activists and artists who talk about their experiences and what it means to be queer in their community/country. We'll identify similarities and differences between experiences and try to come up with some general understandings of the realities facing queer people on local and global scales. We'll continue to develop our zine.

3. Wednesday: Legislation -- we will explore specific pieces of legislation throughout the world, from marriage equality bills to death penalties for homosexual behaviors. Students will interact with news articles, photographs, and original historical documents. It will be critical for students to know and understand how U.S. policies have constrained its own citizens as well as citizens of other countries, including when the U.S. purports to celebrate and advocate for queer lives. Zine Day #3

4. Thursday: Resistance and Celebration -- On this day, we will explore different activist and artistic movements that oppose injustice and revel in queer love/lives. We will probably bring in photographs, videos, images, manifestos, and excerpts of writings, including but not limited to ACT UP, Stonewall, transnational activisms in the Global South, and prison abolition. Zine Day #4

5. Friday: Putting It All Together -- We'll reflect on major themes and discuss what we can do to support queer liberation, including coming up with a list of recommendations for allies (small picture, big picture). We'll finish our zine!

Any thoughts/comments/resources are appreciated! Thanks for reading!