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QueerToday.com was featured in this week's issue of Bay Windows Newspaper.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

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It's one thing to protest the gay marriage ban petition....but why petition "pro-Life" Sunday?

Don't paint yourself into a corner by protesting everything and anything that comes along.

Focus your messge....or people will dismiss you as a bunch of malcontents.

$.02

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Mark D. Snyder said...

Part of being queer is caring about all social justice movements. We will continue to protest and stand up for women's reproductive rights.

Women's rights is a queer issue too.

The same people wish to deny comprehensive safer sex education to young people. The same people wish to ban gay marriage. The same people wish to ban every mention of homosexuality in schools.

Single issue organizations and movements get us nowhere.

Anonymous said...

>>Part of being queer is caring about all social justice movements.<<

This assumes that everyone is on the same page with all social justice issues.

There are many differet kids of Republicans...many different kinds of democrats. Not all fall in line with the party platform.

There are many different kinds of Catholics, many different kinds of Jews.....there are (as you know) many different kind of gays.

To assume that they all fall in line with your thinking would be impractical, and work to dilute your causes.

>>The same people wish to.... The same people wish to.... The same people wish to ban every<<

It's never the same people, as I described above. That would be similar to say that gays are only those that parade themselves half-naked in the gay pride parade. (We know thats not true). Or that all the same gay people have HIV... Or the same people who like to dress as women. Some do, some don't. ;-)

Right now you look like a group whose sole "raison d'etre" is to protest churches. Cathedral, Tremont, Pro-life Sunday, etc.

That is how people will see you....as anti-church....but not "pro" anything.

Focus your message on what you are working *FOR* ("pro")....and it will work towards stabilizing your orgnization's message and mission.

Mark D. Snyder said...

Hi Anonymous,

Actually those who identify as politically queer are pretty united on issues of women's rights, racism, etc. We may have disagreements about how to acheive equality - but we all favor equality.

When gay men were dying of HIV at alarming rates in the 80's it was women... our so called "fag-hags" who took care of us.

It's due time that the gay community speak up in favor of women's rights.

But QueerToday does not represent the mainstream gay community. Which is why we identify outselves as queer.

And you are wrong about them not being the same people. They are. In fact the web site for the pro-life march on Sunday has links to information on the anti-gay amendment.

The right-wing has been successful in rallying behind its broad agenda of reducing the rights of all minorities. It is time for the left to fight back on all fronts.

When we segment ourselves and only fight for what is important to us, and us only, its selfish and flat out wrong.

As the top of our web site reads - we will fight against all forms of injustice. But of course the main focus will be on issues concerning the LGBT community.

Women's reproductive rights does affect the LGBT community in a multitutde of ways. For one, the pro-life movement is against comprehensive sexual health information thus contributing to high rates of std's and preventing young LGBT people access to accurate health information.

They are also rallying against stem cell research which could provide life-saving information for the LGBT community.

If we don't stand up for what is right, who will? Who will?

Mark D. Snyder said...

I would also like to add that queertoday.com is standing up against the injust occupation of Iraq. The war machine in this country is terribly sexist, homophobic, and racist.

Anonymous said...

So, basically, this site was set up for you (Mark) and the things you think are right.....and those that agree with you (Mark)....right?

It's an organization solely to edify the beliefs of Mark, right?

Sounds like a narrow focus (on Mark!)

Good luck~

Mark D. Snyder said...

Yes I did found this web site. Yes it is for people who agree with me. So what.

I do not represent all gay people, or all queer people. And there is a difference between the two which you obviously do not understand.

Myself and my friends do not use the word queer in the same fashion as the "queer eye" guys. We use it as a term that encompasses a broad array of identities and social justice agendas.

There are queer reasons to be against the war. There are queer reasons to be in favor of women's rights.

In fact, we have straight women in this group who are very happy we are standing up in solidarity with them.

And the anti-war movement in Boston is very glad we are standing with them, and they are supporting us in return.

That is how you build a movement. You don't build a movement by being single issue focused.

We are not mass equality. We are queer today.

Mark D. Snyder said...

On second thought.... there are sometimes disagreements among queer today supporters and members.

For example, in a few days we will be posting pro and con articles in regards to queertoday members' thoughts on the site knowthyneighbor.org. Some of us love it, some of us hate it.

But we're united against homophobia and all other forms of injustice. That's what counts.

Anonymous said...

>>But we're united against homophobia and all other forms of injustice.<<

And you are the judge...

BTW...Is it "just" to publish people's names on Knowthyneighbor.com?

Not an easy question, is it? As you mentioned, thinking people can have different perspectives.

Reasonable people can reasonably disagree.

>>That is how you build a movement.<<

And that's how John Kerry lost, by trying to cover every issue....instead of focusing on the issues that people are united on.

Mark D. Snyder said...

Oh yeah. That's how Kerry lost. LOL

Mark D. Snyder said...

Actually the names and addresses are already published online at the attorny general's web site. knowthyneighbor just reposts them.

Mark D. Snyder said...

As expected article8, and the voteonmarriae.org people were at the pro-life march in full force. As expected the right-wing bussed people in to go to the Cathedral downtown to hear a pro-life & anti-gay sermon and then to go to the pro-life march.

These two issue are linked, end of story.

Anonymous said...

Mark, mark, mark...the message was pro-life and anti-gay? Please...it was pro life and pro-family, if anything...from reports I heard.

By the way, the discussion over at KTN is quite lively, I'm surprised you haven't chimed in on me?

You mentioned that you are against the occupation of Iraq...I wonder if you've ever considered how hostile the Islam world is towards homosexuality, and how much more tolerant the Christian world is?

Mark D. Snyder said...

I have certainly and do certainly think about the injustices against queer people worldwide. Recently the gay men who have been tortured and improsoned in Iran and Egypt have upset me greatly.

Here at QueerToday we'll be posting a pro and con article relating to knowthyneighbor. Some of us love it, some of us hate it, some of us are divided on it.

There were many people in the pro-life rally with "vote on marriage" t-shirts and signs.

I am not even that excited about the prospects of gay marriage, but that's a conversation that is probably above your level of understanding of the queer community.

Anonymous said...

I may not agree with what the Love Won Out Crowd has to say but they have the right to come to Boston. Actually I'd like to to see what they have to present. Just curious. So you all can picket and I'll enjoy my freedom of association.

Peace,

Shane