Saturday, June 4th, 9.30 – 11.15, at Università di Verona, Room 2.2
Abstract:
In 1987 ACT UP and in 1990 Queer Nation were established in New York City. These two organizations of activists, fighting stigmatization of people with AIDS and homophobia in general, shook the scene of gay and lesbian activism in the US and internationally. They were not centralized organizations with clear structures and except lobbing and advocacy, common method for most of LGBT organization of that time, they offered direct actions: demonstrations and street performances. These were the activist that first time started using the term “queer” in their political struggle. In my paper I look how “queer” appeared as a peculiar political concept, the concept that mobilized parody as a tool for political contestation. In their actions parody became a method to combat violence against sexual minorities. Their non-violence politics of parody was based on exaggerated use of aggressive discourses of religious fundamentalists, nationalists or far-right politicians. The parodist use of these discourses marked the new departure for non-violence political direct action.
“Queer” was in many cases a call to redefine the LGBT communities. Many manifestos and leaflets of Queer Nation suggest that “queer” was used as a mark of a new more inclusive and difference sensitive community. It marked some ideal of “the community-to-come.” Interestingly these aims were expressed not through a typical discourse of rights or traditional arguments based on identity politics. “Queer” marked a call to redefine terms of political debates and a call to search for new ways of thinking about minorities and their relation to the society. Queer Nation was publishing leaflets that had language of popular adverts; they were organizing little theatrical performances in public spaces; they used in a parodist way the language that in itself was violent but in non-violent parodist use it was mobilized to reveal paradoxes and contradictions on which contemporary politics is based.
My paper is based on a research I made in Chicano Research Library at UCLA and Gay Centre, NYC and NYC Public Library Archives. I analyse selected materials produced by ACT UP and Queer Nation from the period 1990 – 1993. I also confront them with selected commentators writing from the perspective of queer theory.
