Let’s Write About How Queer People Live Under Authoritarianism

Summary

The article discusses the personal experiences and struggles of queer individuals living under authoritarian regimes, particularly in the context of the current political climate in the U.S. and abroad.

Abstract

The author reflects on the impact of authoritarianism on queer lives, drawing parallels between the current situation in Ukraine and their own experiences as a queer/HIV activist in the U.S. Despite the potential for a career in national security, the author's sexual orientation led to a risk of losing security clearance and facing punitive discharge. The narrative touches on the continuous fight for freedom and human rights, the fear of police brutality, career limitations, and legal challenges faced by queer people. The article calls for submissions to Prism & Pen that explore these themes of authoritarianism, freedom, and the queer perspective, emphasizing the importance of a strong European peace to promote values of freedom, diversity, and liberal democracy.

Opinions

The author believes that queer people, including themselves, have never truly been free from authoritarianism, even in places like New York City.
There is a sense of optimism for a stronger Pax Europa that could spread values of freedom and diversity, contrasting with growing authoritarianism in the U.S.
The author expresses frustration with the Republican backlash in the U.S. that threatens LGBTQ rights, viewing it as a form of authoritarianism.
The article suggests that life for queer people in the U.S. has seen gradual improvements but is now facing setbacks due to conservative efforts to implement homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic laws and policies.
The author feels a personal connection to the struggles of LGBTQ individuals in Ukraine, highlighting the high stakes for them in the current conflict.
The call for submissions indicates a desire to amplify diverse queer voices and experiences related to authoritarianism and freedom.

A Prism & Pen writing prompt

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Like most of the world, I can’t focus on much right now but Ukraine. Analyzing Russia’s war of aggression would probably have been my actual job if I’d been born straight. I likely would have become a senior intel officer and gone on to work for a defense contractor or think tank. I called a close straight friend the other night who took that path, and we spend an hour speculating on “What is Putin thinking.”

“I wish I had your access!” I told him. “This is what we trained for in Berlin all those years ago, and now you’re in it for real.”

He made polite noises about how “being in it” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but we both know why he is and I’m not. I gave up a career in national security because being gay put me at great risk of losing my clearance and suffering a punitive discharge.

“You shouldn’t have to live like this,” he insisted to me years ago. “Go live somewhere you can be free.”

I took his advice, and I have felt free sometimes, but never truly free of authoritarianism. In New York City, I soon learned that being gay and a queer/HIV activist meant constant fear of police brutality. Certain career paths were still closed to me. I lost my valuable co-op apartment when my partner died, because we were a gay couple instead of a straight couple. Later, the law prevented me from sponsoring my Australian boyfriend for immigration. We suffered for years, but we’d have had zero difficulty if we’d been a straight couple.

Life for queer people slowly got better in the U.S., but now it’s getting worse again thanks to a fierce Republican backlash. I have never, not once, stopped experiencing queer life as a struggle against authoritarianism.

I’m rooting for Ukraine, not least because LGBTQ people there have so much to lose, and I’m hoping for a strong Pax Europa that will spread values of freedom, diversity, and liberal democracy. I fear for the U.S., however, as authoritarianism entrenches itself here, as conservatives fight for racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic law and policy.

I live in a country that can’t even deliver basic human rights guarantees to LGBTQ people, where authoritarianism, if you’re a member of the wrong minority group, is a way of life.

So let’s write about authoritarianism and freedom, and what those words mean from a queer perspective.

Let’s Write About How Queer People Live Under Authoritarianism

A Prism & Pen writing prompt

Let’s Write About How Queer People Live Under Routine Authoritarianism

Ready to write?

If you’ve not yet written for P&P, here are our submissions guidelines and procedures:

Submission Guidelines

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Stories so far →

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Josh and Dustin learn sad lessons about love, rejection, and authoritarianism

Authoritarianism Surges in U.S. as Texas Attacks LGBTQ Families and Republicans Praise Putin

Do you see how authoritarian the U.S. is becoming?

25 Ways to Survive as a Queer Under Authoritarian Rule

Nap: because this sh*t is tiring.

Can Authoritarianism Be Subtle?

Or is it just that it feels different to the marginalized?

My Experience of Authoritarianism as a Gay Man in Semi-rural Texas

And Other Thoughts

Living as a Queer Person in the United States.

The Prism and Pen prompt for this week is how queer people live under routine authoritarianism and what life is like…