We celebrate Pride month by sitting down with Sherry Wolf, an organizer of the 2009 National Equality March and author of Sexuality and Socialism: Politics and Theory of LGBT Liberation, to discuss the long strange journey for queer liberation. In the opener, we talk about the sudden emergence of national protests against the horrors of migrant family separation.
Sherry started our conversation talking about the contradictions of queer life in 2018, with a barrage of anti-gay laws initiatives raining down on the state and federal level on one hand and an unprecedented openness to sexual and gender fluidity, especially among people under 30, on the other.
We discussed the continuing violence and oppression facing the queer population, particularly trans women and working class people of color, which threatens to get worse under the most right-wing government in generations. But Sherry also argued why the genie of LGBT freedom can’t be put back in the bottle, and talked about her participation in the struggles to win those gains, from ACT UP to the National Equality March.
In the opening segment, we eat some crow — quite happily — about our conversation last week bemoaning the lack of effective resistance to the White House terror policies against migrant families seeking asylum at the southern border. In just a few short days, protests have spread from the border to ICE offices to any restaurant where a Trump administration official dares to dine. This is a decisive moment, and we urge all our listeners to join in building the national day of action against family separation on June 30 (http://bit.ly/June30protests).
Links for this episode
On LGBT liberation and marriage equality:
“We demand full equality” (http://bit.ly/NEMreport)
“A civil rights victory long in the making” (http://bit.ly/HistoryMarriageEquality)
“The fight continues for the Black Pride 4” (http://bit.ly/BlackPrideFour)
“The Supreme Court says: Let them eat hate” (http://bit.ly/MasterpieceHate)
On the struggle against family separation:
“Let them know: ¡Niños, no están solos!” (http://bit.ly/borderprotests)
“What can stop the Kidnapper-in-Chief?” (http://bit.ly/Kidnapper-in-chief)
June 30 National protests against family separation (http://bit.ly/June30protests)
Music in this episode:
The Boy & Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)
Lance Canales, “Plane Wreck At Los Gatos” (Deportee) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zElJBsU5GKI)
M.I.A., “Paper Planes”
Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
ANOHNI, “Why Did You Separate Me From The Earth?”
4 Non Blondes, “What’s Up?”
