(reposting — and please pass the word! –xox, Jen)
It is getting down to the last few days for submissions, however, I will accept them throughout the month of May. I have some people who needed extensions so I can wait a bit if you need one as well. Also, if you have a piece that has been published before that can be reused that you think might be perfect, please feel free to submit that as well! Hope to get a piece from you!!
Queering Sexual Violence
An anthology of LGBTQ writers, survivors and activists confronting heterosexual privilege and the gender binary system while creating a dialog about the limitations of the anti-sexual violence movement.
Edited by Jennifer Patterson
Queering Sexual Violence seeks 20- 25 LGBTQ writers who are interested in submitting pieces that confront the current state of our anti- sexual violence climate. Part memoir/ part criticism/ part call to action, this anthology seeks to address the limitations of a society that is not only unequipped to deal with rape culture but also unable to look at it without the lens of heterosexual privilege and through the interests of a gender binary system. The anthology seeks to address the holes in anti- sexual violence prevention, organizing and recovery work while motivating the community to embrace a more radical perspective, in order to foster sustainable change.
For general purposes, the definition of Sexual Violence defined in this anthology is as follows:
Sexual Violence is an unwanted or non- consensual act, whether completed or not, that is sexual in nature and violates a person physically, emotionally, spiritually and/or politically.
To be more clear, Sexual Violence can be a range of non-consensual sexual exchanges, from unwanted interactions on the street, to rape (from either a stranger or within a relationship) to incest to invasive sexually based comments in regards to ones gender presentation or identity, among many other things.
The pieces submitted should be of the writer’s personal experience and explore the intersections of ability, sexuality, race, class, religion, citizenship, gender identity, sex, age, ethnicity and how these either magnify or minimize your experience/ work and your history with sexual violence.
I believe that organizing from the center of our many different and overlapping marginalized communities could do nothing but improve the current anti- sexual violence movement.
Possible Ideas for Pieces:
What does consent mean to you and how do you explore it in your sexual experiences? Has your experience shaped the ways in which you navigate your present relationships?
Did you come out after you experienced sexual violence? What kind of impact did this have on your future relationships or anti-sexual violence work?
How do you think transphobia and homophobia play out in sexual violence and what kind of impact does this have on mainstream organizing?
Do people often attribute your queer identity to the fact that you have experienced sexual violence or abuse before coming out? Or has it never been an issue? How can we begin to have conversations that include primary prevention for people of queer identity that allow them to claim their identity separate from sexual violence?
How does your expression of gender being questioned or threatened lead to feeling sexually violated?
Have you worked in anti- sexual violence organizing? What kind of experience was it for you and did you feel you were able to be both queer and an active participant? Did you feel welcomed and/ or valued in the process?
Have you experienced more “casual”, day to day sexual violations that have been threatening because of your sexual orientation or because you don’t fit traditional gender roles?
How does your race complicate your role as a survivor and/or community organizer? Where do you feel most at home?
What do you imagine is necessary for the future of anti- sexual violence work? What needs to change in the language, direction of prevention etc. in order for the work to be more inclusive and queer issues to be more centralized?
Do you find yourself drawn to larger non- profit organizations or grassroots efforts? Will we be able to create widespread change through one of the other more effectively?
When do you feel burnt out? When do you quit? And how do you start again?
I am looking for pieces 1200- 2000 words, Times New Roman Size 12, double-spaced in length. Upon publication, I will supply moderate compensation for pieces picked. Also, please provide a short bio (150 words or less) with your submission.
Please send submissions and/ or questions to queeringsexualviolence@gmail.com by May 1, 2010. For extension requests, please write.
Please also repost and circulate widely.