AWID RF Activists Manual Private

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

AWID RF Activists Manual Private brutal force rigid coercive abusive violence FOR ACTIVISTS control UNDERSTANDING otherness patriarchy hierarchical anti-abortion RELIGIOUS heteronormative discrimination stifle authoritarian harm intolerance fear moral superiority anti-contraception anti-human rights power unjust anti- LGBTQI rights severe divisive rape FUNDAMENTALISMS narrow harsh racist hatred anti-choice regressive persecution anti-women marginalization absolutist moral superiority social control dehumanizing ii understanding religious fundamentalisms for activists UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISMS FOR ACTIVISTS author: Saira Zuberi editor: Shareen Gokal proofreading: Laila Malik, May Abu Jaber and Rochelle Jones production: Lina Gomez design: Sherna Dastur The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) is an international feminist, membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights. AWID’s mission is to strengthen the voice, impact, and influence of women’s rights advocates, organizations, and movements internationally to effectively advance the rights of women. AWID gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Cordaid, Ford Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society, Hivos, Levi Strauss Foundation, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Wallace Global Fund and two anonymous contributors. 2013 Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) This publication may be redistributed non-commercially in any media, unchanged and in whole, with credit given to AWID and the authors. www.creativecommons.org Published by Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) in Toronto, Mexico City, Cape Town Address: 215 Spadina Ave, Suite 150, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C7 Canada Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 416.594.3773 Fax: +1 416.594.0330 UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISMS FOR ACTIVISTS OTHER AWID PUBLICATIONS Religion, Culture and Tradition: Strengthening Efforts to Eradicate Violence against Women (2013); Not as Simple as ABC: Christian Fundamentalisms and HIV and AIDS Responses in Africa (2012); Feminists on the Frontline: Case Studies of Resisting and Challenging Fundamentalisms (2010); Shared Insights: Women’s Rights Activists Define Religious Fundamentalisms (2008); Religious Fundamentalisms on the Rise: A Case for Action (2008); and Exposed!: Ten Myths about Religious Fundamentalisms (2008). *Note that throughout this publication all data drawn from AWID’s other publications are not cited. Only in cases where information is drawn from sources not authored by AWID or in partnership with AWID are citations included. For any feedback, suggestions or questions relating to this publication, please contact [email protected]. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND RESEARCH SOURCES This resource manual is an initiative of AWID, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development. It is primarily based on the AWID publication, Towards a Future without Fundamentalisms: Analyzing Religious Fundamentalist Strategies and Feminist Responses by Cassandra Balchin, as well as other AWID publications on religious fundamentalisms and women’s rights (see box on the previous page). All of AWID’s research in this publication is based on the insights and experiences of hundreds of women’s rights activists and allies who participated in a detailed global survey conducted by AWID (drawing more than 1,600 responses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish and covering more than 100 countries); over 80 in-depth interviews with individual activists from 2007-2012; 19 case studies on feminist strategies to counter religious fundamentalisms; and numerous in-person consultations both at AWID convenings and in spaces where AWID presented aspects of the research. Parts of this manual also draw on material from Los Fundamentalismos en Movimiento, a manual produced by Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir (CDD, Catholics for the Right to Decide) México in collaboration with CDD Argentina, authored by José Manuel Morán Faúndes and María Angélica Peñas Defago and edited by Juan Marco Vaggione, also based on the AWID publication cited above and adapted in Spanish for use in Latin America. We would like to thank the following for their invaluable contributions: María Consuelo Mejía, Aidé García, Maribel Luna ‎ (CDD Mexico), and the 16 participants from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua who participated in the pilot workshop of Los Fundamentalismos en Movimiento that took place in Antigua, Guatemala in October 2012. Additionally, we would like to thank the following for their substantive inputs: Edna Aquino, Caroline Brac de la Perrière, Farzaneh Davari, María Consuelo Mejía, José Manuel Morán Faúndes, María Angélica Peñas Defago and Sussan Tahmasebi. Finally, we would like to thank the following AWID colleagues for their support in the development of this publication: Hakima Abbas, Lydia Alpízar Durán, Cindy Clark and Sandra Dughman Manzur. Thanks also to Srilatha Batliwala for her inputs on Chapter 5 of this manual. Without their contributions, feedback and support, this manual would not have been possible. Shareen Gokal Manager, Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) This resource manual is dedicated to Cassandra Balchin (1962-2012), who served as Senior Research Consultant for AWID’s Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms program. Her contributions extend to many of the publications and analysis produced by the CF initiative. Cassandra leaves two sons, many family members, and a vast global network of friends, colleagues and activists who miss her sharp insight and tireless commitment, as well as her boundless energy and warmth. preface Getting Started 6 chapter 1 What are Religious Fundamentalisms? 8 chapter 2 What Factors Help Religious Fundamentalisms Grow? 30 chapter 3 Religious Fundamentalist Strategies, Tactics and Messaging 44 chapter 4 Strategies to Counter Religious Fundamentalisms 76 chapter 5 Suggested Activities for Workshop Groups 99 PREFACE GETTING STARTED Who is this manual for? This manual is designed for activists, networks and organizations confronting religious fundamentalist opposition to their rights-based work. Your work may focus on women’s rights, LGBTQI rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, equality in family laws or citizenship rights, violence against women, land rights, sex workers’ rights or other fields of activism, or may include practitioners in the fields of international development or humanitarian aid, among other areas of specialization. Addressing the growth of religious fundamentalisms at regional and global levels requires a deeper understanding of religious fundamentalisms: what they are, what impacts they have, and how fundamentalist movements work and grow. This deeper understanding can help strengthen feminist and other rights-based activism to confront and challenge fundamentalist attacks on human rights. AWID has prepared this manual based on the experiences and analysis of hundreds of women’s rights activists in diverse regions of the world, with the aim of offering an accessible resource to inform and support advocacy, strategies and dialogue on the issue of religious fundamentalisms. The manual is divided into four chapters that build on each other, but these can also be used separately if appropriate. chapter 1 describes the main shared characteristics of religious fundamentalisms as defined by women’s rights activists, and provides a brief historical perspective, as well as reflections and challenges regarding the term. chapter 2 provides an outline of some of the main sociocultural, economic and political factors that may enable the rise of religious fundamentalisms. chapter 3 focuses on some key religious fundamentalist strategies, including their arguments and messaging. chapter 4 identifies some of the strategies that feminist and other rights-based activists and movements are using to resist religious fundamentalisms. chapter 5 suggests a series of group activities for use in workshops, and ends with a selection of web links and video resources relating to religious fundamentalisms and rights-base efforts to challenge them. This manual is intended to be a living document that is adapted and updated. Religious fundamentalisms are a complex and evolving phenomenon. This means that there are always new and diverse issues arising with respect to religious fundamentalisms and rights. There are also many ways in which fundamentalisms work, grow and adapt; these are also the subject of much debate and discussion and cannot be covered completely within this brief manual. Moreover, while AWID’s research shows that religious fundamentalisms have many characteristics and aims in common, the ways that fundamentalist movements work and grow and the ways they are being challenged by rights- based movements also have specifically local characteristics. Throughout this manual, you will find diverse examples of fundamentalist and rights- based strategies, and you will probably think of many more examples from your own experiences and observations as you read through the publication. The hope is that this manual will serve as a useful resource for you to engage in this important issue and further your understandings and strategies. WHAT ARE CHAPTER 1 RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISMS? A Brief History: Where does the term “religious fundamentalism” come from? The term “fundamentalism” has its origins in the early 20th century in the United States, after the publication
Recommended publications
  • I Was Just Named a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow!
    2018 Guggenheim Fellow, Filmmaker and Author Parvez Sharma “I am a storyteller and change-maker and if I stumble on what I think is truth, while telling that story or making that change, it is my job to share it with you, if I still have your attention” *Contact Main-man à Manager, Milos Foreman at [email protected] Film Agent, The Film Sales Company at [email protected] Literary Agent, Sterling Lord Literistic at [email protected] Publicist at [email protected] Our websites parvezsharma.com -> ❤ <- mothership asinnerinmecca.com ajihadforlove.org I was just named a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow! Two words = gratitude -> ❤ <- humility A SINNER IN MECCA -> ❤ <- asinnerinmecca.com *click link not working?! -> ❤ <- https://youtu.be/bzshP2k5FMk The New York Times Critics’ Pick: “Mr. Sharma has created a swirling, fascinating travelogue and a stirring celebration of devotion…. we emerge from his film more enlightened” The Hollywood Reporter: “Wrenching… gritty… surreal and transcendent; Visceral and Abstract… an undeniable act of courage and hope” The Los Angeles Times: “Challenging his own faith in the face of adversity” The Washington Post: “Complex… Revelatory…” The Village Voice: “Next time you hear politicians or right-wing broadcasters asking why “moderate” Muslims don't denounce terrorism, show them this movie” Thompson on Hollywood: “Combines the political, personal and spiritual in a remarkable way” The Guardian: “With poetic simplicity… a delicately personal story and a call to action” NBC News: “The talk of the
    [Show full text]
  • European Book Suggestions from Joanneke Elliott, African Studies and West European Studies Librarian, UNC-CH, with Additions from Various Sources
    European Book Suggestions from Joanneke Elliott, African Studies and West European Studies Librarian, UNC-CH, with additions from various sources Albania Three Elegies for Kosovo by Ismail Kadare Summary: This slim volume tells the tale of a band of singers on the infamous Field of Blackbirds as the medieval Serbian state is defeated by the Ottoman army. Belgium Het moois dat we delen (not yet translated) by Ish Ait Hamou. Summary: Soumia and Luc live in the same neighborhood, but they don't know each other. She is desperately trying to leave the past behind. He lives in and with the past. When they get to know each other by chance, they are faced with difficult decisions. Mevrouw Verona daalt de heuvel af/Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst. Summary: Years ago, Madame Verona and her husband built a home for themselves on a hill in a forest above a small village. There they lived in isolation, practicing their music, and chopping wood to see them through the cold winters. When Mr. Verona died, the locals might have expected that the legendary beauty would return to the village, but Madame Verona had enough wood to keep her warm during the years it would take to make a cello—the instrument her husband loved—and in the meantime she had her dogs for company. And then one cold February morning, when the last log has burned, Madame Verona sets off down the village path, with her cello and her memories, knowing that she will have no strength to climb the hill again.
    [Show full text]
  • MINO-VIEW Voice of Minorities & Oppressed People in South Asian Societies
    Vol: 04 Issue: 04 Quarterly Oct-Dec. 2016 MINO-VIEW Voice of Minorities & Oppressed people in South Asian Societies 9th International Seminar on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar p. 1 India ban on foreign funds shuts down Dalit charity p. 14 A review: US State Department Report on human rights in India p. 6 CEDAW review of Bangladesh p. 7 More than half of undertrials are Dalits, Muslims and tribals p. 4 Sir Ganga Ram Heritage Foundation www.sgrhf.org.pk Editor Syed Shaheen Hassan Contents Editorial i 9th International Seminar on Dr. Ambedkar Pakistan 1 India: More than half of undertrials are Dalits Muslims and tribals India 4 US State Department Report on human rights in India International 6 CEDAW review of Bangladesh Bangladesh 7 Fire of Una Ignites Saffron Udupi By Anand Teltumbde India 8 The SR on Minority issues completed her visit to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 11 British Indians divided over anti-caste law International 12 A photo exhibition Dalit A Quest for Dignity reflects Nepal 13 Nepali Dalits' history and life India ban on foreign funds shuts down Dalit charity India 14 Sir Ganga Ram Heritage Foundation, Lahore 2-Court Street, Lower Mall, Lahore. Ph: +92 42 37115810 Email: [email protected] Web: www.sgrhf.org.pk MINO-VIEW Oct - Dec. 2016 i PAKISTAN 9th International Seminar on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar The 9th International Seminar on Dr. B. R. Ambedkar DR. ANAND TELTUMBDE on topic “Ambedkar Philosophy: Path to Social Justice Dr Anand thanked SGRHF in South Asia” was held on December 15th, 2016 at Al- for organizing the program Razi Hall, New Campus, University of the Punjab, on Dr BR Ambedkar and Lahore.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Policing in Dakshina Kannada
    Cultural Policing in Dakshina Kannada Vigilante Attacks on Women and Minorities, 2008-09 March, 2009 Report by People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka (PUCL-K) Publishing history Edition : March, 2009 Published : English Edition : 500 copies Suggested Contribution : Rs. 50 Published by : PUCL-K Cover Design by : Namita Malhotra Printed by : National Printing Press Any part of this Report may be freely reproduced, copied or transmitted as necessary. PUCL-K only asserts the right to be identified with the reproduced version. Contents Chapter I- Introduction ................................................... 1 1.1 Need and Purpose of the Report 1.2 Background to Dakshina Kannada 1.3 Consolidation of Hindutva Forces in Karnataka 1.4 Methodology Chapter II - Vigilante Attacks in Dakshina Kannada ...... 8 2.1 Amnesia Pub Incident 2.2 Intimidation of Independent Voices 2.3 Valentine’s Day Offensive 2.4 Continuing Attacks with Renewed Impunity Chapter III - Understanding Cultural Policing in Dakhina Kannada ......................................26 3.1 Strategy of Cultural Policing 3.2 Role of Organizations Professing Hindutva 3.3 Role of the Police 3.4 Role of the Media 3.5 Role of the Public 3.6 Impact of Cultural Policing Chapter IV - Cultural Policing leading to Social Apartheid: Violation of the Constitutional Order .......39 Chapter V - Civil Society’s Response to Cultural Policing ...43 5.1 Komu Souharde Vedike (KSV) 5.2 Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) 5.3 Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) 5.4 People’s Movement for Enforcement
    [Show full text]
  • `UZ RZ^D E` Hz ^Z `Czezvd
    C M Y K + - F+ * "! G ! G G ,.'/,012(3 RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008 B34 *#+ /A,,- /C# B 9 ()* $ !%&' !"# !" #!$ #& %7+&% D & @97$;++ D79+'4 ##$ %"$& &$ %99'; E%&&43 &$& $ $& 783+$A87 9 ' 8*$9 &$ '&$#$ ()$'"$$ " ) ()4156 273. +- . + '*+$8* !"#$ $ $ % & able to penetrate through the deceptive poverty eradication slogans and illusion perpetu- ated by the previous regimes. In his second term, he said he would strive to shed the tag of “developing country” associat- ed with India. ! " In a stern warning to # motormouths, Modi advised ! MPs not to be tempted by cam- $ % eras and media and derail the & government’s vision, plan and ' policies. “Rashtra ke naam ( sandesh dene ki jaroorat nahin L$ hain,” he quipped referring to $ %# +, ( - those who love to see their face L on TV screens. He also advised ' ( " ' . them to check the facts before )* $ " %& / % 0 opening their mouths, if it was $ ,1 ! utmost necessary. 9'+93; also rejected the few sugges- !+ / /+2 “Do not give time to tions that favoured his sibling, ! 2 ,3 media, inko 70 saal se aur ahul Gandhi is said to be General Secretary Priyanka / , ,/ , logon ne pala hai,” h e s ai d Rinsistent on resigning as the Gandhi, to take over as the apparently charging past Congress president despite the chief of the grand old party.
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    LGBTQI-IDENTIFYING MEMBERS OF THE MIDDLE EASTERN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY NICHOLAS BAITOO While the contemporary landscape of sociological and psychological literature boasts nuances that account for many cultural identities, there exists a paucity in research pertaining to the lived experiences of Middle Eastern-American (MEA) members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex (LGBTQI) community within the United States. Researchers have investigated the experiences of LGBTQI-identifying individuals and those of MEAs, but the idiosyncrasies that occur at the intersection of these identities is still a largely unexplored terrain. Narrative accounts suggest that this group faces a high risk of adverse quality of life outcomes directly resulting from persecution along axes of race, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Moreover, this persecution is bolstered by post-9/11 American societal views, heteronormative Middle Eastern values, and non-MEA members of the LGBTQI community. Anecdotal evidence also indicates promise in exploring interventions, such as community building to curb psychosocial pathways that could otherwise result in self-injurious behaviors (including suicide) amongst Middle Eastern-American individuals who identify as LGBTQI. Unfortunately, the lack of research on this topic acts as a barrier to both understanding this extremely vulnerable group and providing its members with culturally competent support. This review will synthesize information germane to the experiences of LGBTQI MEAs in order to illuminate gaps in literature and indicate areas which further research could better inform social service practices on behalf of this group. DEFINING “MIDDLE EASTERN-AMERICAN” The term “Middle Eastern” refers to an ethnic and cultural identity that draws from a constellation of nations located in West Asia, Central Asia, and Northern Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • A SONG Film Series Toolkit
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview . 2 The Basics of a Film Series . 3 Recommended Films . .7 Tools/Guides for Film Discussions. 8-17 Appendix: Legal Chart . 18 Meeting Facilitation 101 . 19 OVERVIEW For over 20 years, SONG’s work has centered the leadership development of LGBTQ people of color, working class, and rural Southerners through political education, relationship-building, cul- tural work and community organizing. Art, music, film and other creative endeavors have been key to building SONG’s kinship network and it is in that spirit that we offer this Film Series Toolkit as a way to pave the road for building community and dialogue amongst our regional membership and with other LGBTQ people in the South. For many years, SONG co-founder Mandy Carter traveled the South, screening films and having discussions with other LGBTQ, rural, immigrant, and people of color. Many LGBTQ Southerners still call the office and say Mandy Carter was the first ‘out Black lesbian I ever saw.’ This brilliant and simple strategy built base (our numbers, people in relationship to SONG), kinship and conversation - using film as an entry point to reflect on our individual and collective experiences. In honor of her work, her legacy, and the deep desire and hunger for us to be together, in commu- nity, we offer a simple tool for How To plan your own Film Screening (or Series) and Discussion in your town. We see this as an important opportunity to begin planting seeds of resistance through cultural organizing work that builds beloved community and legacy among LGBTQ Southern people.
    [Show full text]
  • Impact Campaigns, Summarised in Impact Reports Which Are Published on Our Website
    @britdoc britdoc.org 2 The Art of Impact. STORIES CAN CONQUER FEAR, YOU KNOW. THEY CAN MAKE BEN OKRI POET THE HEART LARGER. 04 The Art of Impact. The Impact of Art. 05 OUR ABOUT FUNDS OUR BRITDOC p34 p06 FILMS p40 Helping good films be great Engaging new HELLO partners GOOD PITCH p82 IMPACT Sharing our FIELD GUIDE learning p124 We are a nonprofit, founded in 2005, committed to enabling great Building new documentary films and connecting audiences them to audiences. Doing and measuring Based in London and New York, we work with filmmakers and partners globally, reaching IMPACT DOC audiences all over the world. AWARD ACADEMY p118 p94 In this book you can find out SOMETHING more about what we do and IMPACT REAL how it fits into our five DISTRIBUTION p102 interconnected strategic areas. p106 06 The Art of Impact. The Impact of Art. 07 “For many years, BRITDOC has spotted and supported the most urgent projects – OUR MISSION OUR DRIVING PRINCIPLE nurturing them with love, ensuring they make a difference. But gradually We befriend great filmmakers, Great documentaries enrich BRITDOC became more support great films, broker the lives of individuals. They than a fund. It is, by now, new partnerships, build have a unique ability to the forum for our most important conversations new business models, share engage and connect people, in nonfiction cinema.” knowledge and develop transform communities and Joshua Oppenheimer Director audiences globally. improve societies. “ BRITDOC are experts in We aim to lead by example — That’s why we are dedicated collaboration, innovation and rapid prototyping.” innovate, share and be copied, to the Impact of Art, and the Cara Mertes and innovate again.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pink Chaddi Protest and Feminism: a Dressing Down of the Politics of Development in India
    IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 20, Issue 3, Ver. 1 (Mar. 2015), PP 57-61 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org The Pink Chaddi Protest and Feminism: A Dressing Down of the Politics of Development in India Dr Prantik Banerjee Associate Professor Dept. of English Hislop College, Nagpur (India) _________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: In recent times, India has witnessed a number of protest movements that have interrogated, challenged and changed the practices and processes of its democratic functioning. The Pink Chaddi campaign has been one such popular agitation that has foregrounded the issue of access, equity and rights of women and its complex engagement with the discourse of development and the project of modernity. This essay examines just how ‘radical’ is this movement in creating and appropriating ‘space’ in the political, social and cultural matrix of postcolonial India and what is its relation with Indian feminism. The analysis is based on the premise that hardline majoritarian politics exercises its powerful control over women by fortifying spatial boundaries – the public domain for men and the private for women. The Pink Chaddi campaign may be read as a clearing of spaces to articulate women’s rights, to disarm all forms of gendered power relations, and to raise consciousness about the need for gender parity for a truly equitable and developed society. Keywords: Development, feminism, gender, Pink Chaddi, space This paper examines the politics of development and the project of modernity in post-independent India in relation to a recent protest movement of women, the Pink Chaddi campaign.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2014–2015 Contents
    ANNUAL REPORT 2014–2015 CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE CEO & PRESIDENT 2 HIGHLIGHTS 2014–2015 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 2014 HIGHLIGHTS INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 6 42 2015 HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL STATEMENT 8 43 OUR WORK INVESTORS NEWS MEDIA MILLION DOLLAR LIFETIME CLUB 10 46 ENTERTAINMENT FOUNDATIONS 14 46 TH 25 ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS CORPORATE PARTNERS 17 47 26TH ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS LEGACY CIRCLE 21 48 TRANSGENDER MEDIA SHAREHOLDERS CIRCLE 25 49 GLOBAL VOICES 29 DIRECTORY SOUTHERN STORIES 32 GLAAD STAFF SPANISH-LANGUAGE & LATINO MEDIA 54 35 GLAAD NATIONAL YOUTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS 38 55 LEADERSHIP COUNCILS 55 My first year as GLAAD’s CEO & President was an unforgettable one as it was marked by significant accomplishments for the LGBT movement. Marriage equality is now the law of the land, the Boy Scouts ended its discriminatory ban based on sexual orientation, and an LGBT group marched in New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the very first time. And as TIME noted, our nation has reached a “transgender tipping point.” Over 20 million people watched Caitlyn Jenner come out, and ABC looked to GLAAD as a valued resource for that game-changing interview. MESSAGE FROM THE CEO & PRESIDENT But even with these significant advancements, at GLAAD, we still see a dangerous gap between historic policy advancements and the hearts and minds of Americans—in other words, a gap between equality and acceptance. To better understand this disparity, GLAAD commissioned a Harris Poll to measure how Americans really feel about LGBT people. The results, released in our recent Accelerating Acceptance report, prove that beneath legislative progress lies a dangerous layer of discomfort and discrimination.
    [Show full text]
  • LGBT Families Copy, My Grandpa Majored in Biology in College, but He Wasn’T Allowed to Teach at a High School Because He Was Black
    Do 1 not LGBT Families copy, My grandpa majored in biology in college, but he wasn’t allowed to teach at a high school because he was black. Not long ago, I spoke on a panel at a high school with my mom. This guy in the audience told my mom that he wouldn’t want her to teach his kids because she is a lesbian. It reminded me so post,much of what happened to my grandpa. I think homophobia is like any other “ism.” . Like racism, you learn it from the people you grow up with, from your parents, from television, and from society. —Rayna White,or eleventh grader, daughter of a lesbian mother (PrideSource,distribute 2013, para. 9) What we collectively define and accept as family has far-reaching implica- tions. The boundaries that we—and others—make between family and nonfamily play both subtle and not-so-subtle roles in our daily lives. —Powell et al., 2010, pp. 1–2 ecause of cultural, political, and religious debates over the past several B decades about how families must be structured and function in order to perform a productive role in society, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgen- der (LGBT) families have captured the interest of politicians, academics, and the general public. Fierce debates persist concerning who should be able to form families through marriage, adoption, and the use of reproductive tech- nologies. Policies and laws concerning families in general are developing out of those debates, thus reacting to a changing family landscape and in turn 1 Copyright ©2015 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Ameliorative Homecomings: Framing the Queer Migrant in a Sinner in Mecca (2015) and Who’S Gonna Love Me Now? (2016)
    Ameliorative Homecomings: Framing the Queer Migrant in A Sinner in Mecca (2015) and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? (2016) Cüneyt Çakırlar Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom This item has been published in Issue 01 ‘Transitory Parerga: Access and Inclusion in Contemporary Art,’ edited by Vlad Strukov. To cite this item: Çakırlar С (2020) Ameliorative homecomings: Framing the queer migrant in A Sinner in Mecca (2015) and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? (2016). The Garage Journal: Studies in Art, Museums & Culture, 01: 245-263. DOI: 10.35074/GJ.2020.1.1.015 To link to this item: https://doi.org/10.35074/GJ.2020.1.1.015 Published: 30 November 2020 ISSN-2633-4534 thegaragejournal.org 18+ Full terms and conditions of access and use can be found at: https://thegaragejournal.org/en/about/faq#content Article Ameliorative Homecomings: Framing the Queer Migrant in A Sinner in Mecca (2015) and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? (2016) Cüneyt Çakırlar This study critically analyzes rep- migrant subjectivity. The ameliorative resentations of the queer migrant status of homecoming operates as subject in two documentaries, a default resolution in these films. A Sinner in Mecca (2015) and Who’s A longing for home is that which Gonna Love Me Now? (2016). both films register as the queer mi- Both films construct a drama of grant’s constitutive attachment. These conflicting intersections between documentaries’ (re)domestication of religion, national belonging, and the queer subject seems to promote sexual identity, which is resolved a neoliberal identity politics of sexual through a normative pull towards humanitarianism, in which collective home and its affective restructuring struggles are occluded by individual, of intimacy in the context of queer heroic testimonials of homecoming.
    [Show full text]