Journal 1c

Bill T. Jones is not only a brilliant dancer, but he is a brilliant thinker as well. In his exercise, he is very purposeful and intentional throughout. That is what I would focus on if I were to use this video as the sole piece of media in a course. Whether it be a physical/artistic movement or a political/social one, simply going through the motions will lead you nowhere quickly. In order for a movement to be felt by the audience, it first must be felt by the portrayer.

With this in mind, a political movement, toward which I am drawn more, must be both demonstrative in actuality and in idea. For example, it is no secret that Boston College is at best silent on issues that face its LGBTQ+ population. There is no AHANA-equivalent resource center for LGBTQ+ students or any sexual/gender education. There is not even a Sexuality/Gender Studies department or major at BC. Therefore, as an openly bisexual male, I feel as if there is something that can, and must, be done.

Queerness and Blackness are inextricably linked. Stonewall was started by a transgender Black woman, Marsha P. Johnson. Without her, many of the rights that we queer people today take for granted would be erased. Many Black elders are queer elders, like Marsha P. Johnson or James Baldwin, but also contemporaneously, like RuPaul or Laverne Cox.

A way to fully express this, therefore, would be to mix a Black Movement with a queer message. One idea would be to host a sit-in, demanding the creation and support of an LGBTQ+ student center. If BC truly wants to build “Men and Women for Others”, then they need to be open to all of their students, not just their cis-het ones. There is a strong culture of heteronormativity on campus, and that must change.