Number 182 Summer 2020 • $11.95 RACE & FAERIESIssue 183 / Fall 2020 POLITICS Submission Deadline: July 21, 2020 www.rfdmag.org/upload Politics are where you live, the word comes from the Greek word which spoke of the polis, the city. We here at RFD are impressed by our readers and we want to nudge all of us to think of ways of being more in polity with each other, with as large a circle of like-minded folk as possible. We are entering into an ugly election year here in the United States (with likely ripples of other places also) reacting to the constant drum beat of false narratives to make us all give up on politics or to merely look to our immediate polis, our immediate surroundings and friends. Yet we might begin to look at creating ways of networking, building and utilizing the power of the people to shape our futures. In its most simple form, it happens when we elect any government, any system that will govern both for us and over us, we have to make choices. One of the choices we need to seriously reconsider is being “non-political” or apolitical, in essence we are asking you to reclaim your voices with the larger world polity. Within our current system, every vote counts, as long as it is being counted. Democracy demands an alert citizenry, participating in the very mechanism that creates the governmental structures in which we dwell—like it or not! How can we use our effective means of co-creating our own spaces (polis’) to help shape the larger polis around us. As we face oligarchical and tyrannical ideo- logues playing up the fears of the poor, the religious by using anything to distract from what actually happening—our planet is suffer- ing, we mistreat one another, and we’re being more isolated while “globalism” in the form of corporate capitalism continues to tap our labor and our environment of resources, we ask you to consider sharing with our readers ideas, strategies to undo isolation, to re-unite people with shared ideas rather than shared fears. Please consider sharing your ideas about how to reach people, create alliances and shape things regardless of the election results. What future can we co-create within and beyond the governmental structures around us and with which we must interface? RFD 182 Summer 2020 1 Race & Faeries: Discuss Vol 46 No 4 #182 Summer 2020 Sometimes it takes a minute for something beautiful to come together. That maxim can be applied to the QTIPOC (queer/trans/intersex people of color) issue you’re reading now. How long did it take for this issue to see the light? Depends upon who you ask. Recently, someone said five years; someone else said less than that; others can’t remember. But it seems the idea has been there, a seed, patient and full of potential, holding on for the perfect moment. As we write this in late May 2020, we are in a moment in the U.S., though you could argue it’s an imperfect, convulsive moment. As this is- sue has come together, the news has been roiled by heartbreaking events: the death of unarmed jogger Ahmaud Arbery, a black man in Georgia, gunned down by a white man accompanied by his also-armed father; the death of George Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed black man in Minne- apolis, killed by a white police officer who kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for some seven minutes; the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman in Kentucky, killed during a police raid of her home, a raid in which, it’s been reported, officers didn’t knock before entering; and the death of Tony McDade, a black trans man in Florida, who, already a target of anti-trans violence, was killed by a police officer’s bullet. And these are the deaths we know about. If it seems off-topic to bring this up in the nation’s oldest reader- generated gay quarterly, well, this nation has been dealing with race and racism—some could argue not dealing with race and racism—long before RFD put out its first issue in 1974. Here we are, more than 180 issues later, and this is the first issue centered on black and brown voices. Make that black and brown Faerie voices, who offer a range of viewpoints as they explore how race and racism play out in society, in their lives and even in heart circles. Frankly, there was dread among editors that there might not be enough material for this issue, and RFD wonder-workers worried if the issue might have to be scrapped. Can you imagine the existential shit- show that would’ve followed? Thankfully, disaster was averted because the queens showed up, and the queens in these pages serve realness: real pain, real truth, real insight, real humor, real honesty, real love. There’s a feast here, enough to feed your mind, body, heart and soul. You’ll leave so well-fed, you won’t believe how hungry you’ve been for this work. So. Race and Faeries. Don’t be afraid to dive in—and if the idea of div- ing in unnerves you, we still encourage you to dive in. It might have taken us a minute to bring you this legendary issue, but trust us: When you take in what these queens have to say, the minutes will fly by. Enjoy the love and happy summer! —The RFD Collective Between the Lines2 RFD 182 Summer 2020 RFD is a reader-written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative life- styles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, Radical Faerie consciousness, and nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volun- teers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Non-profit tax exempt #62-1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Woodbury, TN 37190. RFD Cover Price: $11.95. A regular subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. First class mailed issues will be forwarded. Others will not. Send address changes to submissions@rfdmag.org or to our Hadley, MA address. Copyright © RFD Press. The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and as- sociated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic material associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 85 N Main St, Ste 200, White River Junction, VT 05001. On the Covers Front: “Rudolphe” by Kwai Lam Back: “Nateur & Rain”by Kerfuffle/mikekear.com Both covers from the Third Global Gathering held at Warmwaterberg Spa in South Africa. Production Guest Editor: Rosette Royale Managing Editor: Bambi Gauthier Art Director: Matt Bucy Submission Deadlines Fall–July 21, 2020 Winter—Oct 21, 2020 See inside covers for themes and specifics. For advertising, subscriptions, back issues and other information visit www.rfdmag.org. To read online visit www.issuu.com/rfmag . Visual Contributors in this Issue Images or pieces not directly associated with an article. Artboydancing .............8,9,30,46,49,55,57,58 Eden ....................................18,20 EL .......................................32-33 Eugene Salandra .........................13,52 Jombi .......................................17 Kerfuffle/mikekear.com .Cover, 2,22,37,38,39,42,43 Kwai Lam ............Cover, 24,34,35,36,40,41,45 Theoklymenos ...............................38 Timothy White Eagle and Adrian Chesser ...11,59 Correction: The painting “Pagan Kiss” on page 28 of RFD 181 was incorrectly attributed. The correct attribution is Tino Rodriguez. Our apologies! “Jacques & Saliva’s Wedding,” at the Gobal Gathering 3, Warmwaterberg Spa, South Africa Photograph by Kerfuffle / mikekear.com Cover photo: Rudolphe at the Third Global Gathering in South Africa makes a power gesture with these words: “Mayibuye!! I Africa!! Amandla!! Awethu!!” RFD 182 Summer 2020 3 CONTENTS Closed Community: Dealing with the Coronavirus ...........Bambi ................................6 One Small Faerie Step .....................White Eagle ..........................10 I want to see the real boys .................Isaac Tommson ......................12 Hot Oil and Gold or, How We Got Here .....Lapis Luxxxury .......................14 Embracing the World .....................Eden ................................19 Fly Me High .............................Gary Edward Allen ...................21 Prancing in the Streets as a Queer POC .....Kwai Lam ............................23 Gryphon Blackswan Speaks ................Rosie Delicious .......................26 ancestor prayer # 5 .......................Lapis Luxxxury .......................28 Someone Who Looks Like Me .............Pioneer ..............................29 undo my bondage ........................Lapis Luxxxury .......................31 Revé at Circus of Books ...................EL ..................................32 Once Upon an African Faerie ..............Mother Nateur .......................34 Recollections from GG 3: Third Global Gathering in South Africa ..............Theoklymenos .......................36 Back to Africa and the Mother City .........Miqhey Miqxtja ......................44 medicine for white witch madness ..........Lapis Luxxxury .......................47 A Letter to My 18 Year Old Self ............Isaac Tommson ......................48 Black Men Who Love White Men ..........Pioneer ..............................50 My Ashes ................................Gary Edward Allen ...................51 Bromancing the Rookie Roofer ............Wes Hartley .........................53 Against Social Distancing: A Call for Social Solidarity in this Time of Physical Distancing .............Seth Holmes .........................56 Finisia Medrano ..........................Seda, Amara, Spider, Sighmoon and Jim ..59 Steve W. Whitlock ........................Sister Soami .........................60 RFD’s Legacy Now Online ......................................................614 RFD 182 Summer 2020 RFD 182 Summer 2020 56 RFD 182 Summer 2020 A s most people reading this will realize, the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has become a global pandemic affecting the lives of millions of people around the world. An aspect of that impact has been the cancellation of many GLBTQ events—film festivals, Pride events, and the closure of many communities and places where many of RFD’s readers gather to create community. As you know we’ve been running a gathering guide in our Spring issue annually for a while now listing gatherings from Oregon to China, from Ontario to New Zealand, from New Mexico to Austria, and the list goes on. So first off, although I assume everyone is checking each community’s websites for details how they are handling the COVID-19 crisis, I hope everyone will consider how to best handle the loss of access to commu- nity in this difficult time. Many folks have organized Zoom events—a vir- tual dance party, a talent show, a heart circle—all done online and involving people from all over. So I commend people’s use of technology to assist in keeping community alive by experimenting how to engage community while “staying in place”. That leads me to the other aspect of closure of many gathering sites, Faerie sanctuaries limiting or closing themselves off from accepting visitors. As an editor at RFD, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with many members of the larger “gather- ing” in community and the spaces that host them, and so I have to say I’ve been very impressed with the internal conversations about “safe space”, queer space and sanctuary in a time like this. Many sanctuaries were founded either early in the Radi- cal Faerie history or as a result of the need for safe spaces in the wake of the AIDS crisis. So it’s easy to draw analogies to providing sanctuary now as we did then during the period of HIV/AIDS. But like many communities faced with this dilemma who decided to limit or close them- selves off to gatherings or visitors, I think we have a clear distinction to contend with—HIV was spread in a very narrow and specific way— through unprotected sexual contact, through needle use or via blood transfusion before the blood supple was tested. COVID-19 is a respira- tory illness which is easily spread in confined spaces. So people had to make a moral decision about how to maintain a safe space while also be- ing aware of the limits of what a community could realistically provide. I’ve seen a number of communities draft very useful letters detailing the reasons for limit- ing access to a property and the reasons events, gatherings and visitation were either limited or cancelled. I’ve seen online a number of people raise the issue of people facing oppression, people needing safe space in this difficult time and rais- ing the issue of privilege versus those who are at the margins and are without. Painting these spac- es as cis white male enclaves of privilege while the reality is that most of the spaces we inhabit, use to come together in are often not rich, not wealthy financially but also were never designed to provide services to a large number of people in a pandemic. People can harken back to the days of HIV but the reality is that Faerie sanctuaries especially were then very small microcosms of community they didn’t intend to serve the entire or whole community. By that I mean not words of self-limitation (saying white gay male) but in terms of the audience, the people in the “know”, people who understood what a place was, what it offered and I think most importantly who they knew there. Not ways of winnowing out women, people of color or others. That we leap ahead forty odd years later those communities have grown, expanded involve- ment and thus began to include people. So then COVID-19 happens. And poof, they are places of exclusion. Yet I’d like to ask people to honestly ask ourselves about the honest ability of people in small communal settings handling a pandemic we’ve not seen since the 1918 flu pandemic? So personally, I can fully understand each community making a judgement call about their ability to assist and provide for people in the larger community. I think it’s discerning of our ability as community and it also speaks to the larger conversations about how to deal with this virus—to limit contact, to “stay in place” and to limit exposure to others to both protect yourself Closed Community: Dealing with the Coronavirus by Bambi RFD 182 Summer 2020 7 but also others as this virus is often asymptomatic in people who may have it. But it points to the issue of community providing for others. I ’d like to think that the ethos of many of us is that we come together to learn about ourselves, build affinity with others, create common ground, make friends and find ways to heal, survive, thrive in this world. I understand that may not be easy for everyone in our com- munity and so we have to consider ways of finding empathy, options and manifesting ideas to solve community problems. I think the sad real- ization for many of us in the Faerie sanctuary movement is that by its nature it’s limited—we don’t have a lot of money, our resources are more cultural than physical and the mainstream GLBTQ community and our rag- tag communities often do not engage about com- munity needs or services, so when a crisis like this occurs who do we tell people to call? It’s a difficult challenge but I think it’s one we should seek to address as we move to shape com- munity and finding ways to care for the people in our lives. But I hope we’ll also be mindful and gentle with ourselves that this process is differ- ent from when communities were started—they were small, more homogenous and the cohort of people were known entities in a way which is not so easy to say now with the expansion of numbers and the diversity within those numbers. I pray we all continue to be playful, honest and mindful of what we can take on. But it’s worth discussing how we respond to a crisis, who do we “serve” or as I like to say, who am I beholden to since we’re not set up to provide services to people but rather we use the play- ful words “of being in service to the Circle”. But I think if we delve deeply that “circle” is actu- ally those who we share immediate affinity with, people we actually “know”. It’s hard for some of us progressives to think we’re somehow limited in our power to serve but I also think it’s human, it’s honest and frankly wise. How quickly would a community or sanctu- ary fail if it gave in an unlimited way? I want to believe in the idea of bounty but I also have to speak to finding creative ways to find it. So let’s us engage in ways of speak- ing about the response to COVID-19 in a variety of ways to maintain our culture, keep some form of GLBTQ space available and dialog about how “sanctuary” works when systemically it wasn’t designed to provide for everyone except to act as a gathering space on occasion and provide liv- ing space for a delimited number of people. Meanwhile, I appreciate the online dance ses- sions, people sharing their personal stories on social media and engaging without the outside world as deeply and lovingly as possible while also staying safe, mindful of others and as ever reaching to listen as often we share ideas, dreams and goals but we have to put those into practice first. Stay safe everyone and see you at the next fire circle. It’s hard for some of us progressives to think we’re somehow limited in our power to serve but I also think it’s human, it’s honest and frankly wise. How quickly would a community or sanctuary fail if it gave in an unlimited way? I want to believe in the idea of bounty but I also have to speak to finding creative ways to find it.Next >