lunes, septiembre 17, 2007

T-2-T

So Tongue-2-Tongue was weekend before last. I had a really good time: The conference was pretty upfront about it's own shortcomings, about how it couldn't do all it wanted to.

What I liked about it: all the tranzboiz; the conversations about gender identity, genderqueer, and tranz identities it provoked, even among folks who've known each other for years and years; the performances; Laura Aguilar's portrait of Retter from the Latina Lesbian series; seeing Alma Lopez's paintings in person; seeing Persephone after 10 (?) years, all fabulous and in charge: Discussion and mobilization around Victoria Arrellano; the OTHER after-party at Casa YoMo, including screening and discussion of Laura Aguilar's video; the vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Monterey Park; L*'s interjection about Queer Nation as part of our genealogy; seeing L* and Alice Hom together; talks with L* in the car afterward, sharing impressions & ideas.



What I didn't like: the smokers; the women who hijacked workshops and strategy sessions to make it "all about ME!" (whether this was sheer diva-locity or just plain crazy ranting); thinking there was going to be a BdP performance and then finding out no; not getting to hear from more activists in the queer African American communities; running out of time and energy at the last session.

1 comentario:

Raquel Gutierrez dijo...

Hi K, sorry you were disappointed by no BdP performance. We weren't asked so we didn't perform. Simple (yet intriguing) as that.

But man I just couldn't do the workshops and other dialogues--I just don't believe activists to be honest with their limitations and self-righteousness and truly meeting people where they are at and doing so free of judgments. I think all the butt hurtness you experience in queer familia makes it hard to keep going forward in those dialogues.

Oh you know I'll write a little ditty about it on my blog!