I think there's a large worry in queer communities about imitating straight people, when queerness has its own identity and maybe can be a radical force that should be dismantling stuff that locks people into structures.
Ezra FurmanRead
I really don't care about what anyone says unless they are also gender-nonconforming. Then I really listen. I love the solidarity felt between us gender failures.
Interpretation
True understanding and connection can only be found among those who share similar experiences and struggles.
In this quote, Ezra Furman expresses the idea that voices matter most when they resonate from those who have faced similar challenges, particularly in relation to gender identity. By acknowledging the solidarity and shared experiences among individuals who defy traditional gender norms, the quote highlights the importance of empathy and understanding within marginalized communities.
In practice
During a pride parade, this quote can inspire conversations about the importance of support within the LGBTQ+ community.
I think there's a large worry in queer communities about imitating straight people, when queerness has its own identity and maybe can be a radical force that should be dismantling stuff that locks people into structures.
My Jewishness and queerness are very interwoven, and, although they sometimes conflict culturally, intellectually and spiritually they deepen one another for me.
Empathic listening is so powerful because it gives you accurate data to work with. Instead of projecting your own autobiography and assuming thoughts, feelings, motives and interpretation, you're dealing with the reality inside another person's head and heart. You're listening to understand. You're focused on receiving the deep communication of another human soul.
Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.
The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. 'I've known you were gay for years,' she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin.
Tell me about a person's family, friends, and community, and I'll tell you what his opinions are.
I can remember, when I was in college, irritating deeply somebody I was going out with, because he would ask me what I was thinking and I would say I was thinking nothing. And it was true.
One does not leave a convivial party before closing time.
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