Fear of a Queer Nation?
Happy last week of Pride! This past weekend was New York Pride, which I used to go to every year for many years!
For the last nonprofit this month, I want to look at the organization Queer Nation, which was active in the early 1990s. The title of the blog post is based on one of the seminal books of queer theory, Fear of a Queer Planet, edited by Michael Warner (please note, if you would like a copy of this or any other academic article, please let me know. I often have access to them through my library). This book looked at organizations such as ACT Up and Queer Nation and the introduction provides definitions of important queer terms like heteronormativity.
I chose Queer Nation as the last organization to look at because it’s an example of gays fighting back against homophobia. As a social worker, I remember discussions about LGBTQIA+ people where we were viewed as victims and helpless but we are also our own advocates. Organizations like STAR, Queer Nation, and ACT UP show LGBTQIA+ people protecting themselves when the government wouldn’t and not just being victims but taking our future into our own hands.
(Image from Gay Center Records)
History of Queer Nation:
During a period of increased anti-gay violence in the streets in 1990, four members of ACT UP in New York met to discuss fighting homophobia and increase visibility. Starting with the banners reading “Dykes and Fags Bash Back”, Queer Nation ran marches across New York to protest homophobia and protect LGBTQIA+ people when there were homophobic attacks. Always a loose grouping of organizations, chapters started popping up across the country. The San Fransisco chapter did Kiss-Ins across the Bay area. They also coined the phrase “Queers Bash Back” to patrol the city to protect gays from Queer bashers and the cops. Queer Nation chapters expanded to Nebraska (where they had a public access TV show of men kissing in a bathtub and pouring milk over each other), Utah (where they had a ‘zine called Queer Fuckers Magazine and if you don’t know what a ‘zine is, don’t ask because it will just make me feel old!), and Houston (where they protested when LGBTQIA+ people got fired) among other cities. Queer Nation supported the newsletter OutWeek, which was run from 1989-1991 (archives can be found here). Though most Queer Nation chapters were only active for a couple of years (1990-1991), it increased the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people and help create a new generation of queer activists.
Long-Term Implications:
Queer Nation was a short-lived organization, though it still exists in some form. Indeed, it was most active between 1990 and 1991. But this organization, similar to ACT UP, trained a generation of LGBTQIA+ people to fight for their rights. They also worked towards reclaiming the word queer. Though it is still controversial (I have gotten into debates with friends and colleagues about this word), it has moved from an insult to something many LGBTQIA+ people use. Lastly, in the argument of assimilation versus revolution, Queer Nation stood firmly in the revolution camp (organizations like the Human Rights Campaign could be considered more assimilation-focused). While there are arguments that either one of these types of organizations lead to change, my perspective is that both are needed to create change. Queer Nation provided visibility and safety for the queer community.
End of Pride Month:
Over this month, we have looked at four nonprofit organizations, including The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, & STAR. Through this, we have explored activism within the American LGBTQIA+ community. Though this blog cannot do every aspect of queer history in such a small period of time (nor is this the goal of The Queer Friendly Nonprofit), I hope that this month we have been able to celebrate LGBTQIA+ organizations working towards safety, support, and freedom for the community.