We’re constantly being told what to think by the papers, but are we listening?
For the first 400 years after its emergence in English, the word ‘queer’ was used to describe anything oblique or strange. But in the 19th century, several queer people started using the term to describe their sexuality. Around 15 years later, a homophobe used it against Oscar Wilde in a letter: the first written record of the word being used as a slur.
The etymology of ‘queer’ is a pretty good analogy for why queer people seek comfort and community away from the mainstream.
This applies to many aspects of our lives: our community, our styles of protest, our media. I’ve come to understand that mainstream media can be seen as a form of structural oppression against queerness and marginalisation.
Self-documentation and archival preservation are ways we can tell our community’s stories - can we apply this approach to protests and media consumption?
This year, the Scottish Trans+ movement was informed it had ‘lost’ by mainstream news titles, following the Supreme Court ruling. The fight, we were told, was over. We should give up. But what I’ve experienced since that ruling says something very different.
The Scottish Trans+ movement has instead been using a mix of traditional and alternative forms of protest to continue the fight back. The reason you might not have heard about them? They go under the mainstream media’s radar.
Demonstrations outside the Scottish Parliament got widespread media attention, but the dance and cabaret protest organised by Campaign Against Hate received very little in comparison.
Scottish Trans+ allies and activists alike danced to disrupt a “gender-critical” demonstration. Dance sparks hope and joy, much needed by Trans+ communities worldwide. The medium offers us ways we can uplift our community and embrace unconventional forms of protest. Historically, dance united people without words and empowered marginalised bodies. Contemporaneously, street dancing has become a means to oppose the mainstream.
By dancing and moving, the Scottish Trans movement created a protest that was much less likely to receive negative public attention. While combative protest is necessary, non-combative protest like dance offers us energy in difficult times.
It is undeniable that Scottish and UK Trans+ people have witnessed regressions in their rights this year, from the Supreme Court ruling to the EHRC guidelines. But these ‘defeats’, while devastating, do not mean the fight is over.
Instead of turning to national and international headlines, I have started to search elsewhere for my news. The importance of non-profit publishers like QueerAF and other independent media that cater to queer people cannot be overstated.
When the mainstream sways between surface-level representation and outright vilification of Trans+ people, it is empowering and essential to seek the organisations doing otherwise. Just because they’re leading the narrative for now, doesn’t mean we need to let them hold onto that power.
I’ve been filling my timeline with trusted primary sources: with campaigners and causes that the mainstream media refuses to engage with. That is where I found the work of Campaign Against Hate, and it is where we can all find other methods of resistance.
Information is everything, and ensuring we’re getting the nuanced details is critical to how we fight back. And the story of the word queer is the perfect example of that. The prevalent narrative tells us it has always been a slur used against us. But research shows we used it first. Starting with the best information, written from queer perspectives, is the best way we can fight back.
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