The Queer Future's Collective
For week one's post, I want to talk about "The Queer Futures Collective," co-founded by ZIa (Krizia) Puig, M.A. (they/them), and Sav Schlauderaff, M.A. (they/them). Puig and Schlauderaff are both queer, trans, and disabled (as well as PhD students), with the former calling themselves a "queer-trans-migrant, writer, artist, and crip futurist." If you are interested in delving more into their work as students and educators, as well as that of the rest of the Collective, click here. The Collective aims to create a communal platform, "centering disabled queer/trans folks, disrupting traditional ways of teaching/learning, and blurring the border between non-academic/academic knowledge." I thought posting about this group would be a perfect start to my website, as I wanted to think about the future in social terms, i.e. what kind of future can we create that equalizes the racist, capitalist cisheteropatriarchy we have currently as our social system? "The Queer Futures Collective" is helping to create a path towards a more equitable future, a future where queer, trans, and disabled folks--no matter the intersections--can feel safe, respected, and every has the rights they deserve.
What really got me about this group was their statement about who they are, which is, "a radically vulnerable and trans-centered multimedia knowledge hub/activist laboratory exploring the intersections of disability studies, feminist technoscience, queer arts, transformative pedagogies, and spiritual activisms in practices of Future Making," (https://www.queerfutures.com/) They are actively trying to create a better future for marginalized groups (as well as for themselves) through education, activism, and the arts. They do a variety of workshops--which you can find here, here, and here-- as well as distribute zines and handouts. If you're feeling generous and are wanting to help build a better future, their donation page can be found here. I really love the ideas of education, art, and activism converging together to create a future worth living alongside more educated people.
I'm a fan of describing ourselves (and social groups generally) as vulnerable. I think Oliver Thorn put it best when he said that the previous paradigm of defining ourselves through shared strengths has led to a lot of the pain and suffering in this world. To define ourselves as strong, we must define the other as weak, and that is something many people find themselves driven to prove. If we define ourselves by our vulnerabilities, our need for connection and shelter, we can work together more effectively than if we define ourselves by our enemies.
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