Category Archives: Queer & Trans Struggles
1965 UMAP brigades: What They Were, What They Were Not
Fidel Castro concluded in 1992: “I am absolutely opposed to any form of repression, contempt, scorn or discrimination with regard to homosexuals. It is a natural tendency and human that must simply be respected.”
The following article is by Leslie Feinberg. Leslie is a well known radical trans and queer activist in the United States, and ze has spent many years attempting to build LGBTQ solidarity with the people of Cuba and the Cuban Revolution. In this ze has actively fought against the all too common belief among both queers and non-queers in North America that Cuba is not a friend. Many believe that in Cuba homosexuality is condemned and queers, especially men, are sent to labor camps. In this article Leslie refutes this as propaganda and tells about the true history of this part of the Cuban Revolution.
Also be sure to check out hir book Rainbow Solidarity: In Defence of Cuba. It is a compilation of 25 articles about how the Cuban Revolution has worked to overturn prejudice against same-sex love from the colonial and imperial eras. This never-before-compiled information offers a factual vista on the trajectory of progress of the Cuban Revolution. It’s a must-read to understand the revolutionary process required to uproot anti-queer & trans oppression. Read the rest of this entry
Two-Spirit People: Gender Variance & Resistance in Mamāceqtaw Culture
First written two years ago, I do not consider this a perfect article by any stretch, but I have decided to re-post it (with some touch ups) as a reply to the inherently Eurocentric and colonial discourse within the White women’s movement around gender.
Introduction: Gender Variance Within the Oppressor Nation
Unlike much of the rest of the world the White nation has long defined itself through adherence to patriarchal social and cultural traditions, not the least of which is the Judeo-Christian religion. As such, in the culture of the White nation gender expression has historically been viewed as a simple binary divided into polar opposites: male and female, masculine and feminine.
However, even within the White oppressor nation, below the surface mainstream of the mainstream culture, there has always been gender variable people and cross-dressers. This has historically especially been so within the gay and lesbian community where the archetypes of the drag queen and stone butch have been present for some time. Read the rest of this entry
Huey Newton on the Women’s and Queer Liberation Movements
Huey & the Panthers knew the correct way to approach this issue back in 1970, while the crackers in the "RC"P-USA only claim to have had a change of heart a couple of years ago
While I certainly don’t agree with everything that Huey says here, or even most of his political theory (in particular his theory of intercommunalism), he was an important leader of the Black Revolution of the 1960s and 70s, leading one of the most important African revolutionary organizations in history. He also was a precursor to today’s modern African liberation movement, as well as a martyr for the people.
I am posting this on the women’s and queer liberation movements in light of ongoing discussions about the vicious past queerphobia of the settlerist “Revolutionary Communist” Party, USA, in particular because Avakian and other current and former leaders and members of the “RC”P-USA claim to uphold the legacy and contributions of Huey and the Panthers. Read the rest of this entry
