Queers Without Borders is a local “multi-issue group arguing for a radically different conception of politics—one that does not separate struggles for sexual dignity from struggles against racism, sexism, class exploitation, and the policing of gender conformity.” QWB members have participated in rallies around the issues of immigration, Jena Six, and the war, just to name a few. Recently, they have announced plans to produce a print zine/journal, in addition to their blog (which I sometimes write for).
In Connecticut (as with most places throughout the world) there is a decided lack of queer voices in media. In Hartford, this often seems doubly the case. While editors of mainstream gay and lesbian publications call for a separation between the politics of sexuality and the politics of gender, queer voices call into question basic assumptions about identity (in most cases, even the construction of an essential category called “sexuality”). Thus, to many non-identified and queer identified folks, “sexuality” is seen as a social construction—one that cannot be neatly separated from any number of other socially constructed categories such as race, class, gender, ability, etc.
Queers without Borders […] want[s] to add queer voices to print media (especially in the greater Hartford area) to provide an alternative to the politics-as-usual approach of existing publications geared toward the LGBT community (and beyond!). With this in mind, we need YOUR help!!!
This is a call for submissions for our first print ‘zine/journal. Send us your stories, analyses, and theories of the fantastic and fabulous work and experiences you’ve had being active in struggles for social justice and dignity for all people. We seek a variety of submissions relevant to daily personal struggles as well as workplace, community, and national/international fights for the liberation of us all! We especially seek submissions that take note of the intersections between the politics of sexuality, race, class, gender, nation of origin, ability, age, and any host of subjectivities that have been formed into hierarchies in our often messy world. After all, none of these identities exist independently of the others and to talk of one is to talk of them all (even when ignored, what goes unsaid is often as telling as what is actually articulated)!
Submissions should be emailed to blog@queerswithoutborders.com by August 30th, 2008. Also, don’t forget that Queers without Borders is holding a public meeting at 5pm, August 17th at MCC (155 Wyllis Street located in the Colt Memorial Parish House of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church) if you’d like to come by and chat, observe, or ask questions about the publication or our purpose. Thank you for your time and submissions! Projects like this cannot exist without the active involvement of many! We need YOU! We need each other!