Solidarity is When Allies Listen
#TC118
Welcome to Third Cultured, a newsletter covering all things queer and techno-politics from the perspective of Kyle Borland. My goal is to highlight all the ways today is different (and not so) from yesterday.
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This edition:
Essay/Opinion
Links, Quotes & Things
Essay/Opinion
A quick lesson in allyship to kick off the year.
While I was in Alabama for the holidays, the Springhill Suites in downtown Montgomery showed its entire ass by harassing The Knights & Orchids Society (TKO), a Selma-based organization that “strives to obtain justice and equality through group economics, education, leadership development, and organizing cultural work that will build the power of the African American TLGB community throughout rural Alabama and across the South.” Trigger warning transphobia:
However, this took a turn when we went to Springhill Suites Downtown Montgomery, where one of our employees was assailed with transphobic slurs and her life was threatened by a guest at the hotel. When she approached the hotel staff to ask for help, not only did they fail to report the incident but she was also told that she would be arrested along with the perpetrator. The man who was harassing her, was visibly drunk with open containers, publicly humiliated her by misgendering her and threatening her anytime he saw her. SpringHill Suites front desk staff told our Executive Director and also the victim of the assault that they would have to leave the hotel. The guest who was harassing our fellow employee and was acting disorderly was detained by the police temporarily, but the front desk staff allowed him to stay. TKO’s youth ambassadors were also present to witness this unfolding, and one of them let us know that they have been considering transitioning but they feel it's far too dangerous to be Black and openly trans. Our trans youth can't envision a future where they will be safe because instances like this happen far too often and can lead to even worse outcomes. The staff at Springhill Suites, this guest, and local law enforcement not only caused harm to our employee, but they have, in just one day, added more fear into the hearts of trans youth that we work so hard to support in living freely as they are.
Immediately, TKO took to social media to let the greater Queer community and media know what had occurred in the Gump. Unsurprisingly, Marriott went into crisis mode amidst the backlash and reached out to TKO to schedule a meeting in January to discuss the incident. As someone who went to high school in the River Region and who’s parents still live there, it was comforting to see such a quick response from the corporation (even if the local workers left much to be desired).
Unfortunately, days after TKO announced its success in scheduling a meeting, a local group of self-proclaimed allies organized a protest to “boycott” the Springhill Suites. There was no effort to communicate with TKO or to involve them in the planning of this action in their name. Allyship and solidarity of any kind must come from a place of humility. More often than not, allies are meant to follow, to support, and the people impacted should always be at the forefront.
It is unfortunate that we have to come off our break to address this, but family…this isn’t us nor did we plan this. We are on break, and we have a meeting set up with the hotel for next month.
This is not us. Any events or plans around this- we would inform our community. This isn’t okay. This is why we urge “allies” to take cues from the folks impacted.
When we return from our break, we will be more than happy to talk more. Until then, you all stay safe. See you in the new year.
#tkosociety #wekeepussafe #blacktranslivesmatter
I’ll make sure to update y’all after TKO has their meeting.
As always, thanks for reading, and go get boosted, beautiful people!
Roll Tide,
Kyle (@kgborland)
Links, Quotes & Things
“Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are [those] who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.”
– Frederick Douglass in a powerful speech in 1857.
5 trailblazing LGBTQ politicians are running to make history in 2022 (LGBTQ Nation)
7 moments of trans brilliance from 2021 (Xtra)
10 best albums from queer artists in 2021 (Queerty)
12 LGBTQ+ Organizations to Donate to This Holiday Season (them.)
30 New And Returning LGBTQ+ TV Shows That Are Coming In 2022 (BuzzFeed)
43 Thoughts I Had Watching Single All the Way (Vogue)
61 brave and brilliant role models who spoke their truths and came out as LGBT+ in 2021 (Pink News)
2021 Taught Me The Importance of Intentional Queer Spaces (Mic)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu opposed barbaric anti-LGBT+ laws with ‘same passion as apartheid’ (Pink News, VOA)
As a 12-year-old queer kid, I was enthralled by Anne Rice's fictional worlds (CNN)
Biden over-delivered on military spending and under-delivered on social spending (Speaking Security)
Black Queer Men In Fashion From Native Son’s 101 List That You Should Know (Essence)
California Police Search and Detain Trans Women at Ridiculously High Rates (them.)
Chile breathes sigh of relief as pro-LGBT+ president elected over far-right bigot (Pink News)
European Court of Human Rights finds Georgia complicit in violence against LGBT demonstrators (Jurist)
First LGBT+ cryptocurrency bets on 'changing the world' (CoinTelegraph, Openly, Reuters)
From Bhutan to Botswana, LGBTQ rights advanced in unexpected places in 2021 (Taiwan News)
From Strictly to It’s A Sin and Sex Education: How 2021 became a landmark year for LGBT TV – and long may it continue (Metro)
How Does a Person Prove LGBT Status for Purpose of Certification? (National Law Review)
Hungary anti-LGBTQ blitz meets backlash as election looms (France24)
Iconic actress & longtime LGBTQ+ Ally Betty White has died at 99 (LA Blade)
Indigenous feminism flows through the fight for water rights on the Rio Grande (High Country News)
In 2021, Our Fight for LGBTQ Rights Moved to the States (ACLU)
In memoriam: Remembering queer lives lost in 2021 (Washington Blade)
It’s official: Washington Blade gets designated seat in WH briefing room, a first for LGBTQ+ publication (Washington Blade)
LGBTO People Would Get Anti-Bias Shield Under Health Insurer Rule (Bloomberg Law)
LGBTQ youth in the South had 9 percent greater odds of a past-year suicide attempt compared to those in other regions of the US (Clarion Ledger, The Hill)
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia for U.S. Congress; Would Be First LGBTQ Immigrant Ever Elected to Congress (Victory Fund)
Love That Queer Book? Read This Queer Comic! (Book Riot)
Missing LGBTQ+ persons page raises awareness for unsolved cases (The Hill)
New LGBTQ CA laws take effect (Bay Area Reporter)
Under Assembly Bill 1084, authored by gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), retailers with 500 or more employees must remove signs that say "boys" and "girls" in toy and child care sections or provide a gender-neutral retail section for the items.
Under AB 746, authored by lesbian Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), same-sex couples should find it easier to complete stepparent adoptions as the law streamlines the process across the state.
AB 245, titled "Affirming Transgender and Nonbinary Student's Names in College," requires California's community colleges and public universities to use current transgender and nonbinary students' lived names even if they have not legally changed their names.
Due to AB 439 authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), there will now be a nonbinary option on death certificates.
In a related matter, under AB 1094, the state public health department is to launch a three-year pilot program with coroners and medical examiners in up to six counties to identify and collect the sexual orientation and gender identity of victims in violent death cases.
Because of Senate Bill 258 by gay state Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), older people with HIV will now be part of the population of "greatest social need" when it comes to programs and services administered by the California Department of Aging.
As of July 1, health care providers will be barred from disclosing services a patient receives under an insurance policy held by another person, such as a parent or spouse. Thus, a youth receiving transgender health care under their parent's policy can request their health provider not inform them their child is receiving such care if they are not out about their gender identity.
The new policy is due to AB 1184, which Chiu also authored. In addition to gender-affirming care, behavioral health care and substance use care are also covered under the law. A patient whose information is disclosed against their wishes could sue their health insurer for compensatory damages, punitive damages not to exceed $3,000, attorney's fees not to exceed $1,000, and the costs of litigation.
Comment: It is a historic blessing to be a Queer person living in California.
Prominent Mormon billionaire leaves church over LGBT rights, other social issues (The Hill)
Queer Activist Shines Spotlight on Missing LGBTQ+ People (The Advocate)
Queer people and the U.S. Communist movement, 1950-1969 (Workers World)
Realtor ethics case involving gay rights, Montana pastor garnering national attention (KTVH)
Recalling Jan. 6: A national day of infamy, half-remembered (AP)
Russia is using a dirty trick to kick LGBTQ websites off of the internet (LGBTQ Nation)
Secession might seem like the lesser of two evils. It’s also the less likely. (Washington Post)
Comment: The key question to answer – who gets the nukes?
Senegal Rejects Bid to Toughen Strict Anti-LGBT Law (US News)
The End of Mass Politics (Foreign Exchanges)
Despite our many interactions with the Democratic Party; despite our taking to the streets to protest war or police violence; despite our manifold op-eds decrying the present state of affairs; and despite our innumerable posts on Twitter or Facebook, those who wield power have displayed little interest in heeding the advice or the will of the demos. Ours is an individualistic, neoliberal era overlaid with mass institutions and forms that, for all intents and purposes, are atavistic, toothless, and ineffective, unable to force the power elite’s hand in meaningful ways.
The Gleeful Blasphemy and Queer Nun Romance of Benedetta (Hyperallergic)
The most notable LGBTQ films and TV shows of 2021 (NBC News)
The Queer Farmers Reimagining American Agriculture (Modern Farmer)
The Sly Sunniness of Betty White (The Atlantic)
She kept working. She kept creating. She kept teasing. “I don’t know if there’s anyone more loved than you,” Ellen DeGeneres told White in 2010. The object of all that devotion didn’t miss a beat: “Have I got them fooled!” she replied, flashing that inimitable grin.
The Worrying Regression Of LGBT Rights In Eastern Europe (Radio Free Europe)
The Year in Labor Strife (The New Yorker)
Treatment of LGBTQ people across Middle East examined in new report. (Jerusalem Post)
Top LGBTQ Stories of 2021 from Latin America and the Caribbean (Global Americans)
‘Unprecedented’: Vatican official apologizes to LGBTQ Catholics (Washington Blade)
US envoy advances LGBTQ rights in a world of 'mind-boggling' violence, discrimination (USA Today)
Visibility for queer people is more important than ever (DW)
Wheel of Time's Rosamund Pike explains surprise queer twist (Digital Spy)
Why Was Marriage At The Center Of The Fight For LGBT Civil Rights? (NPR)
Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen. (The Guardian)
