"All Oppression Is Connected"
by Staceyann Chin
Being queer has no bearing on race
my white publicist said...
true love is never affected by color
I curb the flashes of me crashing across the table
to knock his blond skin from Manhattan to Montego Bay
to bear witness to the bloody beatings of brown boys
accused of the homosexual crime of buggery
amidst the new fangled fads and fallacies
the New Age claims that sexual, racial and economic freedom has finally come for all
these under-informed
self-congratulating
pseudo-intellectual utterances
reflect how apolitical the left has become
It is now commonplace to hear young activists say:
"I can't explain why, but the term lesbian just come across as confrontational
Why can't you just say you date people?"
Tongue and courage tied with fear
I am at once livid ashamed and paralyzed
by the neoconservatism breeding malicious amongst us
Gay
Lesbian
Bisexual
Transgender
Ally
Questioning
Two spirit
Non-gender conforming
every year we add a fucking letter
yet every day I become more and more afraid to say black or lesbian or woman
everyday under the pretense of unity I swallow something I should have said
about the epidemic of AIDS in Africa
or the violence against teenage girls in East New York
or the mortality rate of young boys on the south side of Chicago
even in friendly conversation
I have to reign in that bell hooks-ian urge to kill mother-fuckers
who say stupid shit to me all day,
bitter branches of things I cannot say out loud sprout deviant from my neck
fuck you, you fucking racist-sexist-turd
fuck you for crying about homophobia
while you exploit the desperation of undocumented immigrants
to clean your hallways
bathe your children,
cook your dinner for less than you and I spend on our tax deductible lunch!
I want to scream out loud ALL OPPRESSION IS CONNECTED, YOU DICK
at the heart of every radical action in history
stood the dykes who were feminists the anti-racists who were gay rights activists
the men who believed being vulnerable could only make them stronger
as the violence against us increases
where are the LGBT centers in those neighborhoods where assaults occur most frequently?
as the tide of the Supreme Court changes
where are the marches to support a woman's right to an abortion?
and what are we doing about health insurance for those who cannot afford it?
HIV/AIDS was once a reason for gay white men to ACT UP
now your indifference spells the death of straight Black women and imprisoned Latino boys
apparently if the tragedy does not immediately impact you
you don't give a fuck
a revolution once pregnant with expectation
flounders apathetic and individualistic,
no one knows where to vote or what to vote for anymore
the faces that now represent us have begun to look like the ones who used to burn crosses
and beat bulldaggers
and fuck faggots up the ass with loaded guns
the companies that sponsor our events
do not honor the way we live or love or dance or pray
progressive politicians still dance around the issue of gay parenting
and the term marriage is still reserved for those unions sanctioned by a church- controlled state
for all the landmarks we celebrate
we're still niggers
and faggots
and minstrel references
for jokes created on the funny pages of a white, heterosexual world
the current LGBT manifesto
the current left manifesto
is a corporate agenda
and outside of that agenda
a young boy dressed in drag is sucking an adult dick for his dinner
a woman is beaten every 12 seconds every two minutes a girl is raped somewhere in America
and while we stand here well-dressed and rejoicing
in India
in China
in South America
a small child cuts the cloth to construct you that new shirt,
that new shoe
an old imperialism held upright by the misuse of impoverished lives
gather round ye fags, dykes, trannies and all those who are committed to radical social change
we are not simply at a crossroads
we are buried knee deep in the quagmire of a battle for our very humanity
the powers that have always been have already come
for the Jew
the communist
the trade unionist
and the terrorist
the time to act is now!
Now! while there are still ways that we can fight
Now! because the rights we have left are still so very few
Now! because it is the right thing to do
Now! before we open that door to find that they have finally come for you.
to knock his blond skin from Manhattan to Montego Bay
to bear witness to the bloody beatings of brown boys
accused of the homosexual crime of buggery
amidst the new fangled fads and fallacies
the New Age claims that sexual, racial and economic freedom has finally come for all
these under-informed
self-congratulating
pseudo-intellectual utterances
reflect how apolitical the left has become
It is now commonplace to hear young activists say:
"I can't explain why, but the term lesbian just come across as confrontational
Why can't you just say you date people?"
Tongue and courage tied with fear
I am at once livid ashamed and paralyzed
by the neoconservatism breeding malicious amongst us
Gay
Lesbian
Bisexual
Transgender
Ally
Questioning
Two spirit
Non-gender conforming
every year we add a fucking letter
yet every day I become more and more afraid to say black or lesbian or woman
everyday under the pretense of unity I swallow something I should have said
about the epidemic of AIDS in Africa
or the violence against teenage girls in East New York
or the mortality rate of young boys on the south side of Chicago
even in friendly conversation
I have to reign in that bell hooks-ian urge to kill mother-fuckers
who say stupid shit to me all day,
bitter branches of things I cannot say out loud sprout deviant from my neck
fuck you, you fucking racist-sexist-turd
fuck you for crying about homophobia
while you exploit the desperation of undocumented immigrants
to clean your hallways
bathe your children,
cook your dinner for less than you and I spend on our tax deductible lunch!
I want to scream out loud ALL OPPRESSION IS CONNECTED, YOU DICK
at the heart of every radical action in history
stood the dykes who were feminists the anti-racists who were gay rights activists
the men who believed being vulnerable could only make them stronger
as the violence against us increases
where are the LGBT centers in those neighborhoods where assaults occur most frequently?
as the tide of the Supreme Court changes
where are the marches to support a woman's right to an abortion?
and what are we doing about health insurance for those who cannot afford it?
HIV/AIDS was once a reason for gay white men to ACT UP
now your indifference spells the death of straight Black women and imprisoned Latino boys
apparently if the tragedy does not immediately impact you
you don't give a fuck
a revolution once pregnant with expectation
flounders apathetic and individualistic,
no one knows where to vote or what to vote for anymore
the faces that now represent us have begun to look like the ones who used to burn crosses
and beat bulldaggers
and fuck faggots up the ass with loaded guns
the companies that sponsor our events
do not honor the way we live or love or dance or pray
progressive politicians still dance around the issue of gay parenting
and the term marriage is still reserved for those unions sanctioned by a church- controlled state
for all the landmarks we celebrate
we're still niggers
and faggots
and minstrel references
for jokes created on the funny pages of a white, heterosexual world
the current LGBT manifesto
the current left manifesto
is a corporate agenda
and outside of that agenda
a young boy dressed in drag is sucking an adult dick for his dinner
a woman is beaten every 12 seconds every two minutes a girl is raped somewhere in America
and while we stand here well-dressed and rejoicing
in India
in China
in South America
a small child cuts the cloth to construct you that new shirt,
that new shoe
an old imperialism held upright by the misuse of impoverished lives
gather round ye fags, dykes, trannies and all those who are committed to radical social change
we are not simply at a crossroads
we are buried knee deep in the quagmire of a battle for our very humanity
the powers that have always been have already come
for the Jew
the communist
the trade unionist
and the terrorist
the time to act is now!
Now! while there are still ways that we can fight
Now! because the rights we have left are still so very few
Now! because it is the right thing to do
Now! before we open that door to find that they have finally come for you.
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