Will the Real (Queer) You Please Stand Up?

Summary

The undefined website presents a writing prompt from Prism & Pen, inviting reflections on the multifaceted nature of queer identity and self-definition.

Abstract

The undefined website features a writing prompt titled "Will the Real (Queer) You Please Stand Up?" by Prism & Pen, a platform that encourages exploration of identity through creative expression. The prompt challenges contributors to delve into the complexities of their own identities, particularly focusing on the intersectionality of being queer and other aspects such as race, gender identity, and personal experiences. It invites queer individuals and allies alike to consider how they define themselves privately versus how they are perceived by others, questioning the usefulness of identity as a concept. The website calls for submissions in various forms, including essays, poetry, short fiction, memoir, art reviews, and history, and provides submission guidelines for prospective writers.

Opinions

Joseph Coco emphasizes the importance of understanding intersectionality and the essence of being, especially for those who identify as both Black and queer.
Artemis Shishir, the editor, is working on a story about feeling like a man, suggesting that gender identity is central to self-perception for some trans people.
A cis/gay man contributing to the prompt reflects on why his gay identity is so defining amidst other life roles and experiences.
The prompt also addresses allies and family members, asking if their exploration of identity differs from that of queer individuals and whether their answers might be distinct.
The concept of identity itself is put into question, with the website pondering whether it is a generally useful construct or if it is sometimes overemphasized.

Who the hell are you?

Do you ever ask yourself that when the lights are off and the voice in your head goes still? If you CLOSE your eyes and look into yourself, who do you see?

Or maybe I should ask, who do you see first? This prompt could be about intersectionality. As a man who identifies as both Black and queer, Joseph Coco wrote in P&P last week, “there are many who not only fail … to understand intersectionality, but the very nature of being itself.”

For some trans people like our editor Artemis Shishir, who’s working on a story about feeling like a man, gender identity might beat as the heart of the question.

For a cis/gay man like me, why is my “gay” so self-defining when I’ve been so many other things in life — like friend, francophile, co-worker, fiction writer, business owner, or American of Irish Catholic ancestry?

If you’re one of P&P’s ally or family-member contributors, does this prompt speak to you? Do you ever think about who the real you is? Do you think answering might be different for you than for queer people?

Will the Real (Queer) You Please Stand Up?

That’s our Prism & Pen prompt for the coming two weeks. It’s all about identity, folks. How do you define yourself to yourself? Is that different or the same as your definition to others?

Wanna dig deep? How about pondering if identity is even a useful concept? I mean, it’s not like we could make it go away even if we wanted to, but is the concept generally useful or generally overdone?

Will the Real (Queer) You Please Stand Up?

A Prism & Pen writing prompt

Who the hell are you?

Will the Real (Queer) You Please Stand Up?

Ready to tackle the subject?

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

Submission Guidelines

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