Hello hello! I like to pride myself on interpersonal communication, but lately a lot has been falling into the cracks… could it be that I’m affected by the global pandemic, social isolation, and the world being on fire?? No way 🔥🔥🔥
Let’s recap though ::::::
The last Queer Agenda Zoom gathering was in October! I even told my boss (a gay white cis man) about QA’s existence. And then I promptly ghosted for a few months (though October feels like ages ago). Spent the holidays and rang in 2021 at home. Survived the implosion of the United States’ fragile democracy.
And here we are now in February 2021! I hope you’ll continue reading despite the long break. The Queer Agenda lives on. Some notable milestones, news, and reminders about queerness + architecture + planning + the built environment are below.
And a warm welcome to NEW SUBSCRIBERS!! If you’re new here, don’t worry, you can catch up on past newsletters here. More importantly, introduce yourself in the comments on the first post!
What have y’all been up to? As always, leave a comment, especially if you’d like to hang out over Zoom sometime ✨✨✨✨✨
Black History Month Includes Black Queer History, Too
“As we head into another 28 days of celebrating historical Black excellence, it’s important to center the legacies of Black LGBTQ+ people. It’s the least we can do to present a full, nuanced idea of America’s Black experience. Black queer futures depend on it.”
Queer Perspectives in Transit
Love the reasons why public transit = queer space. Definitely resonates with me 🚈
This is me internalizing how long development timelines can be ⏳
Gays & Lesbians Living In A Transgender Society (G.L.I.T.S.) in New York City creates holistic solutions to the health and housing crises faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing systemic discrimination at intersecting oppressions impacted by racism and criminalization, through a lens of harm reduction, human rights principles, social justice and community empowerment, imbued with a commitment to empowerment and pride in finding solutions in our own community.
New York repeals state’s antiquated ‘walking while trans’ ban
Honestly, shocked that such a law still existed. I thought those types of laws had (mostly?) been repealed in the 90’s 🙇🏻♂️
“The statute, on the books since 1976…states that loitering for the purposes of engaging in prostitution is a violation, the lowest level of offense, for first-time offenders and a misdemeanor for repeat offenders. But the vaguely worded law allows cops to use seemingly arbitrary observations such as someone’s dress or appearance as grounds for arrest.”
Thank you for reading.
Until next time 🌗,
❄️ with a dusting of snowflakes,
A.L.
🌜Queer Agenda🌛 It's 2021
Hi A.L.! Ben from Philly here. Thanks for this ray of light in the inbox this morning.
seconding Ben. After the past few weeks, I needed this!