Only one direction, trans and queer insurrection: A reportback from the Bash Back! anti-RNC/DNC convergence.
The Convergence:
The weekend of April 4th-6th, radical transfolk, queers, anarcha-feminists, from all over the country converged in Chicago for the Bash Back! anti-DNC/RNC convergence. In attendance were folks from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, Tennessee, New York, Georgia, Missouri, Colorado, California and elsewhere. Groups including Bash Back!, Queer Action Network, the Revolting Queers, Unconventional Denver, The RNC Welcoming Committee, Anarchist People of Color, Roadblock Earth First!, the Pomegranate Health Collective, and Code Pink were represented. The convergence succeeded in creating a safe space for queer, trans, gendervariant and womyn anarchists to meet and articulate our plans to crash the conventions.
Workshops:
Friday night, representatives of Roadblock Earth First! shared information about the current situation in Indiana, where activists are working to stop the construction of the "NAFTA Superhighway", Instersate-69. On Saturday, transgendered activist Midge Potts spoke about her experiences with creative activism and as the first transperson to run for a federal office. Later, Eric Stanley discussed the relationship of queer and trans people to the prison industrial complex followed by a screening of his film 'Homotopia' and the short 'By any means necessary'. Later that day, several people attended a DIY sex toy workshop. On Sunday, representatives of the RNC Welcoming Committee and Unconventional Denver discussed the proposed strategies for the Republican National Convention (Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul) and the Democratic National Convention (Aug. 25-28 in Denver).
Caucuses:
At the convergence, space was created for a people of color caucus, a transgender caucus, and a womyn's caucus. The POC caucus discussed the need for a future anti-gentrification conference to discuss strategies to oppose gentrification. In their reportback, the POC caucus also asked that anyone distributing the zine "Go Light" and three anti-RNC stickers featuring a white hunter and dead elephants, indigenous people, and ninjas stop doing so immediately. During the POC caucus, a white auxiliary caucus met to discuss strategies to confront white privilege and white supremacy. The trans caucus discussed several issues and challenges that needed to be addressed at the strategizing session to ensure the safety of transpeople during the conventions. Simultaneously a cisgendered caucus met to discuss what it meant to be a trans-ally. While the womyn's caucus met, a caucus for male privileged folks and a caucus for those who didn't feel comfortable in either met.
"DNC, We'll fuck you up!":
During the Sunday strategizing session, two proposals were consensed upon for the Democratic National Convention. Unconventional Denver has proposed themes for the actions each day of the convention. It was thus determined that trans and queer action at the DNC should fit within those themes. After the immigrants rights march on "No Borders Day", it was agreed that there should be a "no gender borders" action targeted at assimilationist and transphobic elements of the convention such as the Stonewall Democrats. It was also decided that during the "Free Political Prisoners Day" there will be an action focused on freeing the New Jersey 4.
"Republicans, don't fuck with us!":
The strategizing session then shifted towards addressing proposals for action at the RNC. Bash Back! Chicago proposed a reclaim the streets style dance party blockade to fit within the three-tiered strategy – More specifically, a dance party coupled with hard defenses. The declared intention is to create a situation wherein it is possible to have liberating and festive action; an empowering situation of which we can defend and maintain. This will be an action for the first day strategy of the convention. The Idea was also proposed that the Log Cabin Republicans be targeted by actions.
The session also endorsed an idea proposed by the Revolting Queers of Minneapolis. They described an underwear bike ride action. This will be a more relaxing action to happen later in the convention.
Trans inclusion and solidarity:
Coming out of the trans caucus, it was very clear that transfolk (and womyn and queers) all face increased dangers in participating in direct action. While being arrested is a miserable situation for anyone, it can be especially horrific for trans and gendervariant folks. Thus we are determined to creating safe infrastructure for supporting transfolk at the conventions and within our movement. Firstly, getting transfolk out of jail will be the first priority of jail solidarity. Secondly, in mass arrest situations, we will refuse to be separated by gender and will give gender neutral aliases such as "Jesse Doe" as opposed to John or Jane. It should be noted that this is not only a tactic that will be practiced by those involved with the trans and queer bloc, but should be endorsed by all groups participating in direct action. Bash Back! will work to educate other groups on this tactic leading up to the conventions. Thirdly, we will work very closely with local DNC and RNC organizers to ensure that legal, medical and housing infrastructure all take into account the specific needs of transfolk.
"Wake up, bash back, trans and queer, pink and black!":
Saturday night, over 100 convergence attendees took to the streets of Chicago. The action was a response to the one trans and/or queer person murdered every eight days in this country. We are being systematically murdered; and we set out to show that we are done with the violence and invisibility forced on our bodies. Starting in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, we took the road and marched through all the way through and into Boystown. Along the way, we first stopped to confront the Republican party headquarters of Chicago. There, we broke into a dancing and chanting. "We're here! We're queer! Republicans, don't fuck with us! We're here! We're queer! And we don't fuck republicans!"
The procession then marched to the district police station. Despite the cops' rhetoric about being "LGBT friendly", while the reality is that those very cops are complicit in violence against queer and trans people. Thus, we marched to the police station and confronted the perpetrators of anti-queer and anti-trans violence. After obstructing the movement of traffic (including a hummer limousine), for ten minutes, we marched to the LGBT center. There, we confronted the center for its trans-exclusion, its erasure of sex workers in the queer community, and its involvement with AIDS profiteers and vivisectors. After having marched through the roads for approximately two miles, police forced the march to stop. We then broke out into a dance party near Wrigley field. After continuing right in the face of the police for quite some time, the dance party disbanded and everyone got home without a single arrest.
This action was extremely empowering. It was the largest radical trans and queer action in Chicago since 2004. Beyond that, it was a march that was uncompromisingly confrontational, yet extremely fun. We took our rage and grief to the doorsteps of those responsible -cops, republicans, assimilationists and AIDS profiteers- and we danced in their faces.
Break-out Groups and Moving forward:
After the strategizing session, three break-out groups met; communications, legal and logistics. The people involved with the communications group bottom-lined reportbacks, calls to action, regional call-outs and working on a website and listserv (bashback@lists.riseup.net). Those in the logistics group talked about the specific medical and housing needs of queer and trans folks. The legal group further discussed the jail solidarity tactics, and the need for know your rights workshops and to raise legal funds.
We now have a little less than five months to the conventions, and we have a lot of work to do until that point. In may, we'll be meeting in the twin cities for the pReNC 5.3. In June, during the weekend of Milwaukee's pridefest, Bash Back! Milwaukee will host a gathering to further articulate the strategy for September. Thus, we must put out a call for transfolk and queers on the west coast, in the mountains, and in the sweaty south to host convergences and consultas. We've laid out the strategy; now we all need to find out how to plug in, work out the details, and shut this shit down.
Plug In:
BashBack@lists.riseup.net
unconventionalaction.org
dncdisruption08.org
nornc.org
