Queer Avengers activists Ian Anderson and Rosie Jimson-Healey published an excellent opinion piece today, rebutting Rosemary McLeod's hateful and transphobic Dominion Post rant from a week ago.
Ian and Rosie's article is important for what it says. They rebut McLeod's points one by one, and put transphobic bigotry in context.
But their article proves another important point quite apart from the arguments they present: protest matters.
By organising a picket to protest McLeod's column, The Queer Avengers not only stood up against transphobia; their activism also raises the level of political and intellectual discourse in the city. A column like this one is unthinkable without a movement behind it. Against the cries of the right-wing that their protest was against 'free speech', these kinds of pickets, protests and demonstrations create an atmosphere encouraging speech - speech of the kind that challenges bigotry and oppression.
You can read Ian and Rosie's article at gayNZ.com.
For details of Queer Avengers events, follow this link.
No comments:
Post a Comment