[Ansteorra] Same-Gender Consort Proposal

[Christie Ward]

I think it's telling that the people most squicked out about gay people in general are the ones hollering loudest to halt the discussion.

I made my earlier post this week (http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/ansteorra-ansteorra.org/2012-July/079219.html) pretty pointed, and what *I* was primarily discussing was not whether or not we should or should not make a change to allow same-gender consorts, although I am clearly in favor. The point of MY post was that the unbridled bigotry and hostility of people on this topic wounds me, personally.

If we replace every occurrence of "same sex" or "gay" in this thread with "black" or "African American", we'd all (I hope all!) be appalled at the insensitivity and level of hatred being shown.  People would argue that since black people were not really visible in Europe except perhaps as slaves that we shouldn't allow them to compete in Crown Tournament (even though many researchers have evidence otherwise). People would complain that they would be deprived of a proper object of inspiration, because the only mental construct they have for an object of inspiration is a white European queen. I guess the only near parallel of the people who have suggested that "children would be at risk" in the same sex consort scenario would be claiming that "the wimmenfolk" would be at risk if a black man won Crown.  If you try that exercise on this thread, the more self-aware may actually begin to understand why I say that the opposition to same sex consorts really boils down to bigotry.

I understand and realize that there are a lot of people who have not evolved enough personally to be copacetic with queers. And that's your right. But barring same-sex consorts in Crown Tournament is NOT going to provide you a completely heterosexual SCA environment. We ARE here, we ARE queer, and some of us are PROUD of it.  Not only that, but we are ALREADY serving you on the Board of Directors, as landed nobles, as Great Officers of State, in baronial offices, cooking for you at feasts, autocratting your events, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

The only thing this ban accomplishes is to firmly seat our LGBT members at the back of the SCA bus as being unworthy to compete in Crown Tournament.  And, like my beautiful and wise lady, I wonder how is it that I am worthy if I fight for one of my male friends, but suddenly unworthy if I want to fight for my lady?  When I have fought for Damaris in lists such as the Tournaments of the Lions in Bjornsborg, I was "good enough" to be named one of the Lions for that year. My service as an officer was "good enough" when I was doing it as a lesbian. My arts were "good enough" when I was elevated to the order of the Laurel and I was certainly an out lesbian then, too. Why is it that the ONLY thing in the SCA that I am "unworthy" to do is to fight in Crown Tournament for the one person who inspires me?

I'll tell you the part of the discussion that makes me tired and sad and angry: it's people throwing up excuse after excuse, often even when a particular excuse has been roundly rebutted and disproven over and over, instead of people just saying, "queers make me uncomfortable, and I want to discriminate against them on that basis". 

::GUNNVOR::

Lion, Laurel