Some Considerations for Taking QWB to the Next Level

On a local level QWB is quite a little phenomenon. We’ve had some startling successes and the character of the organization has remained uniquely positive since before we even took up the banner. As an amateur organizer, one thing I know is that success needs to be capitalized upon, otherwise the point becomes somewhat academic, though certainly not without value. So I have some arguments I’d like to make in favor of some directions for QWB to move in; I apologize in advance for making declarative statements, that’s just how I write oftentimes, and should be read as only my opinion and totally open to criticism.

With that in mind, there are a couple of areas where I feel QWB should consciously seek to grow. We are at a stage in Connecticut and elsewhere when the liberal Gay and Lesbian establishment is in retreat and the grassroots of the right-wing is mobilizing to destroy us and the gains we have won. And the crises of capitalism and imperialism are only escalating as the establishment clings to the band-aid remedies being handed down by the new regime. There is no apparent reason for hope, no sign of change in sight, but we most certainly are the ones we have been waiting for.

Cohering Our Collective

In the Hartford area, QWB should seek to become an organization of dozens of active members as a short-term goal. This will allow for a very wide distribution and contributions to our literature, queer voices in particular. It will also give us some muscle to mobilize around specific issues as we pick them or to respond to emergencies. But most importantly, it will bring in a broad number of people from different backgrounds and experiences, enriching our outlooks and collective identity, and infusing the collective with untold new energies.

Toward this end, meetings and events should be widely publicized through our contacts with GSA’s, F.A.D.G.E. fest, TransAdvocacy, People of Faith, the blog, literature (including specific meeting flyers) our email list and phone banking our contact list. Carpools should continue and be expanded as we become aware of the need from new people. The positions of facilitator and note taker should continue to be rotated, especially to new members, but they should also be provided with some written and spoken tips for effective facilitation. These somewhat exhaustive lengths should be assigned to a rotating “officer” or point-person position such as an organization secretary, and be backed-up by fallback people and assistants in the event of the officer being unable to fulfill these tasks. This kind of collective accountability is necessary to make a sustainable, participatory organization.

On a final note in this section, dues on a sliding-scale should be instituted to ensure a fair distribution of funds to the various areas of our activity. This will also give us the benefit of a treasury to draw from in times of need, such as in an instance where bail is needed, transportation costs need to be covered, or when funds are needed to produce literature, signs and banners in response to some emergency situation, such as a right-wing mobilization of some kind. The treasury should be maintained by a rotating treasurer position, who should report on the organization’s finances at each meeting, or delegate said responsibilities as needed.

Elaborating on Our Politics

QWB has a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from, but we have put a small portion of that onto paper for others to appreciate and be inspired by. queer voices is one part of our effort to change that, which we should continue to do and improve upon. However, a brief statement of who we are, what we want and what we do would be a very useful document. The process of creating it would be a wonderful, creative collaborative effort, and making it available to prospective members would do much to draw in new members; I’m convinced that if everyone we’re trying to reach knew more about us, we would be inundated with new recruits.

Such a statement should cover some of the following areas:

• What we’re in favor of: a free, egalitarian social order where consenting individuals and collectives may determine the content/form and number of their relationships.

• What we oppose: violence and discrimination in our communities by bigots, bosses and the state against anyone regardless of their sexuality, disability, gender, ethnicity, race, beliefs or national origin.

• Who we are: a collective of people with diverse backgrounds/identities and a variety of political outlooks.

• What we do: we seek to build popular power at the grassroots to directly confront injustice/inequality and to create new literatory, inclusive cultures free of domination and ignorance. We fight for concrete improvements in the quality of life for all poor and working people, winning demands from the ruling class without collaborating with them.

Less jargon is always good, but that’s roughly what I think should be covered, and I hope will be expanded upon by everyone else.

Expanding the QWB Model Beyond Hartford

QWB is a fairly unique body, even outside of Connecticut. Most radical queer groups in the US seem to have a specific label or political orientation, generally a mish-mash of anarcha-feminism, post-leftism and radical queer theory. Bash Back! for example has harnessed that tendency into a network that is among the few national radical groupings that is regularly involved in militant activity and can mobilize effectively. However, because of the anti-organizational tendencies, super-militancy and insular counter-culture that one finds there and in related milieus, it is unlikely that BB! will prove sustainable, and will probably disappear within a couple years as a meaningful force. BB! however is emblematic of an overall positive direction for the queer left to be moving in, and we should all welcome opportunities to support and collaborate with their efforts.

QWB, on the other hand, is connected to but separate from the queer anarchist milieu, and we are in a position to offer a constructive program for others’ use. I believe our long-range goal should be to creative a radical queer mass organization out of the QWB model we are developing (by that or some other name) based upon a directly-democratic process and a federation structure.

This can start with the founding of QWB “chapters” around southern New England, through public speaking engagements, continued distribution of our literature, and a commitment to an anti-sectarian, inclusive organizational culture. (The name of such “chapters” in my opinion is a purely aesthetic consideration, and up to anyone who decides to start one.) QWB should develop a list of topics we feel we can speak about or discussions we can lead to give people in different cities a sense of what we can offer, and include them in a brochure to send out to other groups, bookstores, conference organizers, etc.