Category: Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

“Beyond Gay Marriage”: A roundtable discussion in In These Times

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date July 24, 2012

“The people who are going to benefit the most from gay marriage will be the ones who already have the resources.”

I was part of a roundtable discussion on what it means to get “Beyond Gay Marriage” in In These Times. Many thanks to Rebecca Burns for initiating this.

An excerpt:

It is probably true that hate crimes legislation and anti-bullying laws in Washington are connected to gay marriage—but that is exactly the problem. Marriage solidifies the idea that the “inclusion” of LGBT people is the solution, and it has been accompanied by a push for inclusion in the military and in hate crimes and anti-bullying legislation. But this ignores the fundamental inequality perpetuated by these institutions—marriage, the military, the criminal justice system. Hate crimes and anti-bullying legislation are punitive measures that will drive the prison-industrial complex and the school-to-prison pipeline.

You can read the rest here. Contact me if you need a pdf.

Chicago Chronicles Feminism Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

The Politics of Storytelling

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date June 18, 2012

Extract: We are not connected by the truth or universality of our experiences because our experiences are not universal. Instead, we are connected by the systemic links between the oppressions that grind us down.

Capitalism, Class, Inequality Gay Marriage Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Gay Marriage Hurts My Breasts

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date May 2, 2012

Excerpt: You want health care but not marriage or commitment? Tough titties. Get married or die.

On Books and Publishing Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Bayard Rustin: A complex legacy

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date March 28, 2012

The gay civil-rights activist Bayard Rustin was born a hundred years ago, on March 17, 1912. Considered the key organizer of the historical 1963 March on Washington, Rustin was involved in movements for racial and economic justice till his death in 1987. Yet, he is relatively unknown today and often deliberately stayed in the background, in large part because public knowledge about his identity as a gay man added to his vulnerability as an outspoken civil-rights activist.

Film, Art, Television, and Media Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

‘Brother Outsider’ filmmaker Bennett Singer talks Bayard Rustin

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date March 21, 2012

Out filmmaker Bennett Singer is the co-director and co-producer, with Nancy D. Kates, of the critically acclaimed 2003 film, Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, about the gay, African-American civil-rights activist whom many consider the main organizer behind the historic 1963 March on Washington.

Feminism Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

In Defense of Sluts

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date March 3, 2012

What, pray tell, if Fluke is indeed a slut?

Chicago Chronicles Film, Art, Television, and Media Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

CHM celebrates Rustin at 100

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date February 15, 2012

The Chicago History Museum hosted a presentation on Bayard Rustin, the late African-American and gay activist who organized the famed 1963 March on Washington D.C. The event, “Bayard Rustin at 100,” was part of the museum’s “Out at CHM” series.

Film, Art, Television, and Media Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

The New Yorker Sheds More Light on the Clementi-Ravi Story

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date February 7, 2012

Can we grapple with the complexity of the truth instead of being seduced by the more palatable tale of good and evil?

Feminism Gay Marriage Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Cynthia Nixon Is Not My Choice for A Hero

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date January 23, 2012

Cynthia Nixon was far more interesting as a straight woman than she is as a lesbian.

Politics Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Newt Gingrich: Polyamorist?

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date January 19, 2012

Caught between people who wanted me to be part of their polyamorous relationship, my response has usually been to flee. Really, people, can we just fuck and let it be?