a Public Post of Immense Gravitas
Please spread the word about this.
foc_u is another reaction to the latest outbreak in RaceFail (this iteration also called MammothFail).
As RaceFail 09 continues, it has become clear that there are those who are hellbent on marginalizing and silencing people of color. In the past few months, minorities have been denigrated by bigoted authors and publishers who have also asserted that Fen of Color are rare and pratically non-existent. Despite numerous discussions and attempts to enlighten on the fact that POCs are fans, writers, artists and just as integral to this genre as our white counterparts, we are continuously dismissed.
On Monday May 18, 2009, we are asking anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white to post this banner, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their favorite fandom on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible. The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.
The comm in question is also meant to be a safe space to discuss RaceFail and address the issues that continue to sprout out of it.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to stop by FOC_U.
I'm supposed to go to Malaysia on Monday, but I'll probably be able to find time to write something out.
Guys, it's like IPSTP Day but on a different date and it is awesome.
EDIT: new development -- the guy behind this project, however, has shown himself to be intolerant of other issues. I still think the idea to hold a widespread writing spree is a good thing, but if anyone chooses not to participate because of this, I wouldn't blame them.
Pink Dot: the blurring colour between the once severe regulations of red and white. Or something.
For those just catching up, this was a show of support for the LGBT community in Singapore, the first of its kind. The objective was to get into a giant pink circle and get an aerial photograph taken. Why the pink dot? Firstly, pink is the internationally recognised colour of the LGBT movement. Secondly, the Singapore flag is white and red; mixing the two colours gets pink (yes, yes, technically it's a colour and a shade). Thirdly, Singapore is known as 'the little red dot', largely because that's the only thing one sees of it on a world map. There were dance and song and dance items too, and a donation drive.
One of the criticisms I do have about the event is that there was very little by way of directions or a map to the location. I don't usually go to China Square on my own; my dad drives my family out for dinner or such. So I had to look up Speaker's Corner on a map, and when I was stupid and deviated from my plan, I got a wee bit turned around. I'd like to see a map/directions bit next time around, or, if it was there and I didn't see it, could it be linked to more prominently?
The raffia strung along the ground to mark out the aerial formation was potentially hazardous?? I tripped over it twice (with appropriate flaily arm movements), and I saw others who were doing the same. So that's another problem. But these are logistical things that can be easily improved upon.
Oh, and a lot of taller people were standing in front of me during the performances, which was annoying. Hi, 1.56m short girl behind you, please move. But again, minor.
I got there around 4:45, walking in by myself. I did stand about on my own awkwardly, but there were performances so everyone's attention was on those. I really enjoyed arriving arrived in the middle of a traditional Malay item, and hanging around to watch a traditional Indian dance, the lion dance (♥!!), and the interspersed dance items throughout. Sometimes when I was at school, it felt like Malay and Indian items at concerts and performances were included to be PC. I liked that this was an event free of government racial harmony pressures that kept multi-ethnicity in mind.
What really got to me was seeing all the people there wearing pink stuff. I wore a pink shirt too, even though I felt kind of stupid because I hate wearing pink, and I bought a very cheap one yesterday with an extremely cartoonish cat on it. Candy pink. Very flattering. (My mother was on the phone as I was attempting to sneak out as quickly as possible, and she still managed to say, "Pink?" at my back before I could get out a "Goodbye, Mum.") There were Malays and Indians and Chinese and I spotted a number of Western faces too. And there we all were, cheering and laughing and clapping at the performers, all of whom I applaud most for being able to bear the awful humidity out there today. Seriously, it had just rained and it was still pretty sticky.
I managed to score free tissue packets, which is awesome, and they are absolutely adorable. I forgot to pick up an umbrella, but I'll probably be donating online.
At the conclusion of the lion dance -- which was made more fantastic by the fact that I haven't seen a lion dance since February '07 and that was in London, also the lions were made of pink batik --they moved out to where the dot was supposed to be formed. Everyone followed them, which was logical to me because we were told it was our cue to form the dot, but there were jokes made at the sheep approach, which is fairly typical. And I found it amusingly ironic in light of the fact that we were pledging a stance opposite to the conventional majority -- and I'm still not convinced entirely that the anti-homosexuality faction is the majority. But here we were.
Personal anecdote: my parents are extremely fundamentalist Christians and have been since I was ten. My father doesn't believe in evolution, and I doubt he would believe me if I told him scientific evidence is proving that homosexuality is biological. My mother tells me that the world may say one thing, but in the 'spirit realm', all things are governed by the supernatural. They are not bad people, but in this, our beliefs differ very fundamentally. They don't know that, though. I grew up around people who think similarly. Even my more secular cousins think homosexuality is something to be shunned.
I don't. I believe that discrimination, even discrimination couched in terms of the highly condescending 'hate the sin, love the sinner', is wrong. I believe that a person shouldn't have to fear being his/herself because biology dealt them a hand that isn't the norm. I believe in the fundamental right to live free of discrimination. Which is probably never going to happen in my lifetime. But just because it can't entirely go away at this moment does not equate to 'it cannot be lessened'. And that is worth fighting for. If one believes that race shouldn't dictate one's chances in life, that one shouldn't be confined to less success because we weren't born with white skin, why should sexuality be any more of an impediment? Why should sexuality be any less a worthy fight? If one wasn't born with a penis and believes that should not be an encumbrance, why should people who weren't born to fit societal expectations of a heteronormative binary be treated as second-class citizens?
We formed a pink dot, clusters of pinks shirts and scarves and hair accessories -- I saw a lady with pink rollers fastened into her hair like a voluminous halo. We brandished pink umbrellas and balloons at the sky. We sang All You Need is Love. And then we took a picture.
I had to run home because we were going to have dinner with my grandparents, though I would have liked to have hung around. But in my chest, something floated like a feather -- some mix of hope and joy and expectation for the future -- and I set Old Familiar Way to play on repeat all the way back.