Posted on behalf of Patty IMsL 2014 Dearest Sisters and Brothers, Yes it is true. I am among those whom facebook has suspended their account. From what I have heard Sr. Roma is working on things to try and get it back for me. I know there is much discussion our community about people and using their “real names”. There are those who say if you don’t then that just shows you aren’t truly proud and you are filled with shame. While some do and can make that kind of argument it really doesn’t take in to account the complexities of many people’s lives and the contexts in which they live. For many of us who choose a name for ourselves, we are staking a claim on our identity in the same way many of us chose each other as family even though we aren’t related by blood. The point is the choice should be ours to make. I feel somewhat stupid saying this but since my account was blocked on Friday afternoon, I have been so stressed and distraught. I have been trying to understand why my feelings are so strong given all the other things in the world that are way more problematic. And it hit me today on Canadian Thanksgiving, a day when I would normally use something like facebook to reach out to my friends and family. I feel like I have been ripped away and isolated from my community; I feel cut-off from my sources of support and friendship. And maybe this is too strong of a statement for some but frankly I feel violated. I am Patty IMsL TwentyFourteen. It is not a character I play for all you. It’s not some persona I hide behind. I am YOUR IMsL and I feel like I have been kidnapped and robbed of who I am. As I have been trying to figure out what to do with all of these feelings and I have come to the conclusion that this is a reminder for me. Having the privilege of living in Canada, I realize that I do not face (or very rarely face) any kind of homophobia. This whole facebook naming issue I think is here to remind me of the very real emotional, physical, social and spiritual impact of oppression, whether completely blatant or in the form of micro-aggressions. I am going to use this whole mess to strengthen my resolve because honestly this is nothing compared to what our sisters and brothers in places like Uganda, Nigeria, Iran, Russia and Jamaica face. The sense of isolation I feel is nothing compared to being on the run and praying for some organization like Rainbow Railroad to find and help me. At some point, this will sort itself out. And in order to not make this whole debacle a waste of time, let’s use the fire in our bellies, take the sense of righteous indignation we have as a leather folk and make something of it! In Leather, Always Your IMsL, Patty
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 20:50:54 +0000
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