Queer anarchism, oranarcha-queer, is ananarchist school of thought that advocatesanarchism andsocial revolution as a means ofqueer liberation and abolition of systems of oppression such ashomophobia,lesbophobia,transmisogyny,Transmisandry,biphobia,transphobia,aphobia,heteronormativity,patriarchy, and thegender binary.
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The early gay liberation movement shared many theoretical foundations and philosophies with anarchist movements in the mid twentieth century.[1] Chants such as "2-4-6-8, smash the church, smash the state!" were popular around the time of theStonewall riots, setting the tone for a queer rights movement grounded in anarchist thought.[2] The two campaigns both focus on rejecting normative thinking and the state in favor of personal liberty and pleasure.[3]
Anarchism andqueer theory both reject paternalistic state structures that depend oncapitalism and thenuclear family.[4] Instead, both favor forms of self-determination and the reordering of society.[3] An example of anarchism and queerness intersecting can be found in those who engage innon-monogamous relationships, these are inherently anarchical, as they are rejecting traditional power structures that shape the nuclear family. This concept has been coinedRelationship Anarchism.[5]
Queer anarchists have been active inprotesting andactivism, usingdirect action against what is seen as homonormativeconsumerism andpink capitalism. Queer anarchists have set upsquats andautonomous zones as well as urban communities for the queer and LGBT community. Rural communities often rely on social media to grow anarchist movements and networks, due to these communities being geographically isolated from urban centers.[6] Social networking sites facilitate knowledge transmission that provides alternative ideals to people in rural populations that were previously only available to urban dwellers.[6]
Many queer anarchists embrace the notion of radicalindividualism, influenced by individual philosophers likeMax Stirner. Organizations likeACT-Up apunkanti-racist,anti-fascist organization and supported and composed of queer anarchists organization that has supported queer radicals and direct action.[7] Later during theWTO protests queer anarchists played a vital role in organizing the mass protests, the protests would lead to the explosion of theanti-globalization movement.[8]
"Be gay, do crime" is a slogan popular in contemporaryPride parades, LGBT-related protests, andgraffiti. In 2018, it was popularised onTwitter by a meme created by Io Ascarium of theABO Comix collective, which sells comics made by other abled LGBTQ+ prisoners.[9] Ascarium describes the phrase as coming "from the communal grab-bag of anti-assimilationist queer slogans. Like 'ACAB' or 'Stonewall was a Riot' it was pulled from the chaotic ether, originated nowhere and belongs to nobody," thoughGoogle Trends suggests interest has existed since at least 2011.[10][11] The "memeification" of the "be gay do crime" slogan is an example of increased accessibility into anarchist schools of thought.[6]
The slogan "Be gay, do crime" is an anti-capitalistic and anti-authoritarian statement, implying that crime and incivility may be necessary to earn equal rights giventhe criminalization of homosexuality around the world and that theStonewall uprising was a riot. Within the anarchist space, the Mary Nardini Gang reflected on their manifestoToward the Queerest Insurrection with the bookBe Gay Do Crime,[12] where they affirm "the reality and the continuity of a culture and a history of experiencing outlawness, illegality, and lack of citizenship".[13] Mark Bieschke, a curator at theGLBT History Museum, claimed that the slogan is meant to stand against the "polished, corporate narrative of Pride".[10][14]
American cartooning publicationThe Nib compiledBe Gay, Do Comics, an anthology of short comics "featuring queer history, memoir, and satire", launched on the crowdfunding platformKickstarter in November 2019,[15] and later published for mainstream distribution in September 2020.[16] In the book's foreword,Nib co-editorMattie Lubchansky explained the title as an homage to Ascarium's meme, interpreting it as a reminder that "Queerness has always been transgressive, regardless of its legal status."[11]
Media related toQueer anarchism at Wikimedia Commons
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