Queer Activism

Queerly needed

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I have been involved with Exposure: Edmonton’s Queer Arts and Culture Festival since it began three years ago; first as secretary, then for the last two years as producer. For me the most rewarding elements of the festival are the conversations that occur as part, and as a result of Exposure.

On the first Sunday of Exposure 2009 the festival hosted a small conversation between old-school Edmonton LGBT activists who worked on issues like Vriend v. Alberta, same-sex marriage and new school activists working on topics like getting gender reassignment surgery (GRS) re-listed and having Bill 44 repealed. For an hour-and-a-half, the gathered minds probed and responded to questions like, “How do I talk to you?” “What purpose does it serve to meet with politicians?” and “How does GRS affect me?” By the end ideas had blossomed, connections were made, inroads were paved, plans were hatched and queer Edmonton activism seemed a little more cohesive, inspired and informed.

A few days later, gathered in the cozy home of the Edmonton Community Foundation, an event was held to raise awareness of the Rainbow Fund—a pot of money created to help brighten Edmonton’s queer community. Edmonton-based filmmaker Trevor Anderson showed one of his latest films The Island to a belly laughing audience including vice-president of philanthropic advisory services at TD Waterhouse Canada, Jo-Anne Ryan. In her brief and impactful speech, Ryan made the case that philanthropy is not just the providence of the rich but a way for people to exercise and express their values through giving. As the night unfolded it became clear to me that in light of Edmonton’s many LGBT and queer communities it makes sense to identify some common interests that have the potential to benefit everyone—like the Rainbow Fund. The more it grows, the more the community can access it. The more it is accessed, the more diversity in voices, programming and events that will happen in Edmonton.

On the last Friday of Exposure, as part of the festival, eight people attended an all-day intensive workshop with international artist and facilitator Valerie Mason-John (a.k.a. Queenie) to explore the multiple identities one can subscribe to/be a part of, at any one moment. By the end of the day each person created a written performative piece that was shared that night as part of Queerly I Am Nothing New at the Jubilee Auditorium Rehearsal Hall. Hosted by deadpan funny Laurie MacFayden and vivacious Teen Jesus Barbie (a.k.a. Joshua Carter), the salon featured singer Althea Cunningham, the workshop participants, spoken word artist Derek Warwick, writer Hiromi Goto and pop artist Vivek Shraya. Full of wisdom, hilarity, poignancy and community the evening erased the myth of the gay monolith, the fallacy that all “sexual minorities” can be caged under the same umbrella. What emerged was the complicated, sexy truth that we are all different, complex, nuanced and ripe for discovery; that if we are going to function as a community it will take work.

Shraya ended the night with a song in Sanskrit. His rich voice amplified by modern technology, singing ancient words, absorbed by contemporary queer bodies in the audience animated the truth that queerly we are nothing new and in the face of ever-evolving, fluid understandings of sex and gender we have work to do. For us to move forward, thanks to the work of those that came before us, make best use of the resources available to us, and ensure that all can access whatever we are working towards, we need times like Exposure; times to gather, talk and listen. V

Queermonton

Queer Activism

Queerly needed

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