Hold On To the Wins We Create for Queers Everywhere
#163
Welcome to Third Cultured, a newsletter about Queer people in diplomacy, politics, and war from the perspective of Kyle Borland (he/they). My goal is to highlight all the ways today is different (and not so) from yesterday.
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This edition:
Opinion Essay
A List of LGBTQ+ Wins
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate, Laws & Violence Around the World
Opinion Essay
I can’t believe that it’s already March.
February flew by for me between an increased amount work, conferences (I still owe y’all a review of Creating Change), exercise routines, shows (go see SIX and Matteo Lane if/when you get a chance), social events, organizing, and class (I dropped one of the two I was taking). I crammed so much into the month that I forgot to make time for writing. I had pushed so much off that I didn’t go to the library all month until this past Saturday when they emailed saying they were gonna charge me $50 if I didn’t bring the books back that were 30+ days overdue. Easy to say, the month got away from me.
I was still tracking Queer related news and the sheer onslaught of shit LGBTQIA+ people faced the past month did not help me get a grasp on publishing anything worthwhile. Early in February was the news about Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old trans girl stabbed to death by two other teenagers in the UK. The British media proceeded to show its entire ass by deadnaming her, intentionally using the wrong pronouns, and seemingly reveling in the violence their nonstop denigration of trans people at large had wrought.
Stateside, we finally saw some pushback against the trans hysteria whipped up by The New York Times in the form of two separate letters:
One from GLAAD called on the New York Times to improve their coverage of transgender people, and;
The second was from 1,200+ New York Times contributors and over 34,000 media workers, Times readers, and subscribers condemning the Times’ coverage of trans people while directly connecting it to the anti-LGBTQIA+ bills we’re seeing across the country.
In the meantime, on February 21st, the Mississippi Senate passed a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. When its governor signs the bill into law, as he has sworn to do, Mississippi will join six other states in enacting similar restrictions. Over the last two weeks, legislation limiting access to gender-affirming care has moved forward in at least seven other state legislatures. One such bill, introduced in Texas, would eliminate nearly all coverage for gender-affirming care, even for adults—making medical transition effectively impossible for anyone unable to pay out of pocket for costly procedures. Eliminating the ability to medically transition is merely one step toward eliminating the existence of trans people entirely—the admitted end goal of the conservative lobbying groups pushing the bans on trans kids’ healthcare access. Nor is access to healthcare the only legislative target. In recent weeks, lawmakers have introduced at least five new anti-trans bills, including two that would prohibit trans people from accessing restroom facilities that correspond to their genders. (Contrary to some claims, bathrooms bills have in no way “died out.”)
The Nation went so far as to say The New York Times is repeating the same mistakes it made during HIV/AIDS and the greater gay rights movement. Unfortunately, the publication continues to do nothing to change its ways and they must see too many dollars to be made in publishing malicious lies than actually informing the public about trans people and their healthcare. The paper published a defense of J.K. Rowling almost immediately after the public criticism, essentially doubling down.
Just this last week, Cashay Henderson, a 31-year-old Black trans woman, was killed in Milwaukee. She was the third Black trans woman killed in the city in just nine months. This violence cannot be separated from the demonization of trans people we’re seeing from the Republican Party and an ignorant media ecosystem. We’re in the thick of a trans panic that is already showing the inevitable signs of spreading to other parts of the community. Most commonly, drag queens but Iowa Republicans let the cat out of the bag this past week that they have every intention of using the momentum they’ve gained against trans people to target gay men and lesbians again.
As anyone with a brain should know if someone screams “Save the kids!” – the accuser is deflecting and projecting. Put another way, any sane person would rather their child be around a drag queen than any member of the clergy. There is no documented evidence of a drag queen harming a child at a drag story hour or a drag brunch but they’re too many incidents to count of clergymen across Christian denominations abusing and molesting hundreds of thousands of children.
All that being said, we are still earning victories even in all this darkness.
Arkansas State Senator Clark Tucker’s (D-Little Rock) impassioned speech stopped a bathroom bill from passing. (Arkansas Public Radio)
Japan, the sole member of the G7 that doesn’t recognize gay marriage, is planning to pass an anti-discrimination law. (The Japan News)
Kenya's Supreme Court Sides With LGBTQ Rights Group in Decade-Long Legal Battle (OkayAfrica)
Michigan’s legislature voted to pass new civil rights legislation that would finally establish statewide protections for LGBTQ+ people. (them)
The Australian prime minister marched in Sydney Mardi Gras for first time as the city hosted World Pride. (Washington Blade)
Virginia’s state senate blocked every bill targeting trans youth. (WashPost)
I had my own personal win this weekend, too. I organize with a group called District 10 Pride here in San Francisco. We represent the Queer community in the City’s southeastern neighborhoods, with a particular focus on Bayview-Hunters Point. One of our anchor events every year is a ball we host in partnership with the Bayview Opera House, the neighborhood’s historic music venue, and Oakland to All, the Bay Area’s ballroom collective. It’s important to us as a predominantly white organization to create spaces where the historical Black and brown communities of BVHP can see there are many forms of queerness, and it’s not just cis, gay whiteness of the Castro.
This year, it was the “Love is Mighty Real Ball” and we stepped up our game, inviting Dashaun Wesley from HBO Max’s Legendary – a true ballroom icon – to be our MC. The children come from all over the country to participate but it was our own kids here in the neighborhood who made my heart swell today.
We invited Feline Finesse Dance Company, a neighborhood group, to perform as part of the pre-show. They marched with us in the Pride parade last June and were the stars of our contingent, so it was a natural fit to bring them on for the ball. It was the best decision we could’ve ever made.
The day after the ball, Feline Finnesse posted this to their Instagram:
Category is….
“Our Love Is Mighty Real”
@district10pride @bvoperahouse @oaklandtoall
*****************
We can’t even begin to describe how PHENOMENAL last night was❗️
I first want to THANK @district10pride @bvoperahouse @oaklandtoall @kgborland @hypekitty_ for giving our young queens an opportunity to perform and for bringing these type of events to Bayview Hunters Point. Particularly for our youth who directly identify within the community, it was truly a magical experience….and THE GAG IS, a lot of youth that live in District 10 identify and associate themselves with LGBTQ+ community. So WE NEED MORE events like this that create safe spaces for our youth and all family alike.
Shout out to all of the LEGENDARY ICONS and CHILDREN that were in the haus…. The ICON @dashaunwesley @hausofbasquiat …. MUVA @gottalovegia @thehausoftisci …just to name a few…❤️🔥❤️🔥
And if you don’t know who they are….do your research hunny❗️
Reading that post reminded me why we do what we do. Not just with D10 Pride, but everything Queer people fight for all over this country and the world every single day.
We’ve fought for every scrap of respect we have, every inch of public space we take up, and we’re not about to let a bunch of zealots and the willfully ignorant take a shred of it away from us. Older generations endured too much and the ones coming behind us deserve so much more. Only we can make that happen, and we can only do it together, as a united community.
Stay vigilant and healthy, beautiful people.
As always, thanks for reading. (And, don’t forget to “like” this post!)
Kyle (@kgborland)
PS – For more information and perspectives on some of the topics referenced above, check out these articles:
Armed Self-Defense Is For Everyone: Rainbow Reload Helps LGBT Members ‘Be Dangerous Back’ (NPR)
How Journalists Can Responsibly Report on Trans Kids (NBCU Academy)
Meet the team facing off against anti-LGBTQ groups at drag queen story hours (ABC News)
A List of LGBTQ+ Wins
Black LGBTQ elected leaders has skyrocketed over the last five years, from just 30 in 2018 to 125 in 2023 (The Advocate)
Queer and Trans Activists Score Major Victory In Wyoming, Defeat Healthcare Ban In A Red State For The First Time In 2023 (Erin in the Morning)
Senate Confirms Virginia's First LGBTQ Federal Judge (Law360)
Serbia's LGBTQ groups rally after spate of attacks on gays (ABC News)
South Korean court recognizes same-sex couple's rights (BBC, France 24)
Statement of Solidarity with the LGBTQI+ Community in Ukraine on the One-Year Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion (OutRight International)
The Onion Does What Other Outlets Won’t: Stand Up for Trans People (them, The Onion)
Trans athlete wins lawsuit to compete in USA Powerlifting events (LGBTQ Nation)
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate, Laws & Violence Around the World
2023 Wave of Bills Is Fueling a Political “War Against LGBTQ+ People,” New Report Shows (them)
A Florida Man Who Asked For The Death Penalty After Murdering Two Gay Men He Lured To His Home Was Sentenced To Death (BuzzFeed News, Pink News)
Alaska Says It’s Now Legal “in Some Instances” to Discriminate Against LGBTQ Individuals (ProPublica)
Bans on LGBTQ Pride flag spark debate about inclusion, civil rights (USA Today)
Chilling cases of men found dead after leaving New York City gay bars ruled homicides (Pink News)
Critics say Tennessee's public drag show ban hurts the entire state's LGBTQ community (NPR)
Florida bills would ban gender studies, limit trans pronouns, erode tenure (WashPost)
Gay Chechen refugee arrested in Moscow, amid fears he’ll be tortured (LGBTQ Nation)
Gay Liberation Failed (The Baffler)
I’ve been trying to get up here all day for your gay brothers and your gay sisters in jail that write me every motherfucking week y’all don’t do a goddamn thing for them! . . . I have been beaten, I have had my nose broken, I have been thrown in jail, I have lost my job, I have lost my apartment, for gay liberation. And you all treat me this way? . . . The people that are trying to do something for all of us and not men and women that belong to the white middle class, white club!
How Queer History Is Buried (Current Affairs)
Judge moves Club Q suspect’s murder, hate-crime case to trial (WashPost)
Middle Eastern LGBT people 'entrapped by security forces on dating apps' (Middle East Eye)
Minority, LGBTQ voices must be centered amid Iran protests, activists say. (Washington Blade)
Missouri’s legislature has set a national mark for proposed restrictions on transgender people. The lone gay member of the Senate decries his Republican colleagues’ priorities. (Politico)
No. 1 AIDS hotspot in the US just suffered a big cut in HIV funding, and results could be devastating (Reckon)
NYC Man Sentenced For Stabbing Two Gay Men With A Screwdriver? (Lavender Magazine)
Report Suggests Life Is Getting Tougher for LGBTQ People in Europe (Bloomberg)
Residents are outraged that their local paper is publishing paid articles calling LGBTQ+ people groomers (LGBTQ Nation)
Rubio, Banks introduce bill that would ban some trans people from military (Windy City Times)
Taliban persecution against LGBTIQ Afghans heightens (Outright International, Washington Blade)
Texas property tax bill excludes divorced, LGBTQ couples from getting relief (The Hill)
Thieves use Grindr dating app to target and rob men (BBC)
Tunisia: Quash prison terms for LGBTI duo sentenced on charges of homosexuality (Amnesty International)
Ugandan lawmaker introduces new anti-LGBTQ legislation (ABC News)
What it’s like to live as a femme man in Nigeria (Xtra)