As organizers and as queer femmes grounded in many communities, we were heartbroken to learn that a community member was hurt by work that was created by an artist which showed at our last tour.
Because we know there is no life without conflict, no learning without challenge, and no dignity without facing hard truths, we’ve done personal and organizational work around this. We own that work as part of our role as public community folks, and have taken the time needed to address the situation, act with love towards all the folks involved.
We talked a bunch with the community member who let us know she was hurt as well as the person who caused the hurt; asking what each wanted, what our roles should be for each of them. Neither wishes a continued public discussion, nor any other actionable items that we are being asked to provide.
We share this information because we believe in listening to people and that learning how to take care of each other means working to unlearn all kinds of terrible training our societies and cultures ingrained in us as queer folks with intersectional experiences of oppression and privilege.
We share this information because it is possible to bounce back stronger if you face your fucking shit like a grownass femme and we are invested in doing work and making spaces that can heal our communities and ourselves.
in love and solidarity,
Heather & Damien
