My Identity Today for Equality Tomorrow

My Identity Today for Equality Tomorrow

by Antoni Manwell

 The word 'trade' has a lot of different meanings, especially in queer culture. We talk about trade as in trading favors either for money, sex, or drugs.  We trade on our name, as in collateral or as a status symbol. The phrase trading up, meaning to come up in the world, like The Jefferson's or The Beverly Hillbillies.  Ever since marriage equality, gay culture has definitely traded on something, but was the trade worth the cost? Ask the lesbians who were assaulted a few weeks ago, they are likely to tell you a different story. 

This is simply one gay non-white man's opinion. We as an LGBTQI culture, especially here in the south, have definitely made a trade, acceptance for queer identity.  It's like playing monopoly.  You have no money left and now you are just trading property for a chance to stay in the game. That certainly feels like the case with the closing of bars, clubs, and adult entertainment venues that cater to the gay community here in Atlanta.

Most recently Tokyo Valentino which has been a staple in Atlanta since the 1980s, although it has reinvented it's self a few times over, is being forced to close because it does not adhere to city ordinances. Apparently after thirty some odd years this is now an issue. It begs the question of why start caring now? The real answer is money and property, of course, the gentrification of the area has made that lot prime real-estate and some developers want to tear down a legal and thriving business so they can build more condos. Guess what ATLANTA WE FULL!

I understand that not all queer experiences are the same, but let's face it where would queer culture and identity be without sex clubs, adult book stores, bathhouse, and gay bars.  There would be no Bette Midler. Our entire identity as a culture would still be trapped in the closet with R. Kelly. Trust me with all the secrets and lies he had going on it would have been suffocating and we very well may have died out.

Fortunately, we created a community for ourselves in which we did not have to hide. Heaven forbid sex was, and still is a large part of who we are as a community. In point of fact, whom we have sex with, and whom we love, is kind of the point of being queer.

It appears to me that ever since we fought the good fight for marriage equality, which I am all for don't get me wrong. We traded on our queer identity in exchange for being just like everyone else. I hate to break to you love; we are not just like everyone else. That is the beauty of our world we can be different and equal. I shouldn't have to give up my identity, my culture, and my past just so everyone else will accept me.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with gays getting married and adopting and doing all the things I think of when I think of straight couples. All of those things are wonderful, I myself am a product of two straight people who love the shit out of me.  However, I was also raised to know my history, to understand why we fight, and to hold on to traditions that make me who I am. Most importantly to remember that no matter how equal we are, we will never be the same.

I challenge my queer community to ask yourselves these questions where would you be without the clubs, bars, and bookstores that we so shun now? Would you still have your best friend, the love of your life, would you have found a community that loves and embraces every part of who you are? My guess is no. So, before we take that away from an up and coming generation, ask yourself, what is that we are truly fighting for?  Do we want to be just like everyone else, or do we want to be uniquely and fabulously us?