In his Feb. 17 letter to the editor, Max Chaiken '09 expressed his disapproval of a quote of mine from the Feb. 15 Herald article, "Brown Dems, Queer Alliance turn out in support of same-sex marriage," in which I allude to the fact that some members of the LGBTQ community support gay marriage while others do not. To be fair to Max, I concede the hostile tone implied by that the quote, but, as these things sometimes go, what I said had been taken out of context. That quote was lifted from my often-repeated "the LGBTQ community is a big makeup case" spiel, in which I remind people that LGBTQ people exist at all points of the political spectrum. Although it's sometimes difficult for people to reconcile the fact that Queer Alliance sponsors events like Sex Power God and the Drag Show, while at the same time working for same-sex marriage, people need to remember that Queer Alliance is an umbrella organization and, as such, strives to do justice to a multitude of queer identities and expressions.
That notwithstanding, what better an opportunity to talk about the gay marriage issue from a standpoint other than the conservative mainstream gay and lesbian view that seems so pervasive in today's media? Like Chaiken, who only made mention of assimilation in his letter's title without exploring the idea further, I will leave the topic of assimilation alone. Marriage is assimilation. Marriage supporters champion the fact that marriage is assimilation, while marriage opponents use that fact in their condemnation of it; the only thing left open for debate is whether or not assimilation is the right direction to take.
Let me tell you about Marriage Equality RI's Valentine's Day rally. (It's important to note here that the whole reason I have to tell you about the rally is because I was there, Mr. Chaiken, and you were not - not that that in any way should make your argument less valid, nor does it mean that your challenge of the commitment of radical queers to LGBTQ struggle should be labeled as anything short of hypocritical.
At the rally, I met some of the nicest, whitest, most bourgeois gays and lesbians anyone could hope to meet. As is typical of these get-togethers, there was hardly a person of color in sight. Being the masochist that I am, I asked one of the rally's organizers if he had seen any people of color yet that day. Now, you might think that this was a strange question to be asking, but I knew he'd understand. With his wink and quick pat of my bottom, he let me know that he understood my motivations: either I wanted to find a drug dealer, or I was having a craving for a little jungle lovin'. (It's important to note that at this point I was not yet in my usual anti-marriage getup consisting of a leopard print blouse and matching scarf. Had I already been sporting my tranny-hobo-chic garb, he would've read my question differently: I would have been some sex criminal looking for my thug friends so that I could rob these white folks. He would've called security.)
In making my rounds, I came across the sweetest little cherry plucked straight from the Brown Democrats' big supple bush of thoughtful, informed, culturally sensitive fruits; for the purposes of this column, we'll call this prominent little activist "Brown Dem." Oh, she was so ripe! The Brown Dems, kindly supporting the gay agenda, had been on hand at the rally to collect signatures of supporters. Our little Brown Dem, having no idea who I was despite her deep commitment to LGBTQ issues, asked me to sign. When I informed her that I did not wish to sign - well, let's just say that I can't really repeat what she said while in polite company. Sometime after I turned away from her screaming red face, a member of QA's political action committee, the group with which I went to the rally, explained to the little Brown Dem that I am queer. That didn't stop her. I guess straight people really do know what's best for us freaks.
Bottom line of all this: marriage discriminates. The "rights" that marriage gains for gays and lesbians are only for the most traditional of couples; that means trannies, uglies, loners and whores best step aside. Despite the invocation of civil rights language by marriage supporters, there's nothing about marriage that even remotely deals with civil rights. Have HIV/AIDS? Ever been victim of a hate crime? Love getting the shaft at work because of job discrimination? The queer marriage struggle is about a few wealthy white gays and lesbians securing the last bit of privilege they need to be just as well-off as their heterosexual counterparts; for them, this is the end of the gay rights struggle. You tell me, if you could get married today, would that be it for you? Would you be, as Marriage Equality RI suggests, "equal?" While I chose Brown partly because I'd never have to take math again, even my silly fairy brain knows that there's something wrong with that equation.
Josh Teitelbaum '08 and his life-partner are registered at both Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn.
