Recently, I’ve been developing QueerDispatch.
It’s a WordPress blog running on the same infrastructure as BigCloset TopShelf, focused on queer and LGBTQIA2S+ news, trans-focused coverage, and sometimes a bit of local New Jersey news too.
The site started several years ago as OutsideTheCloset, and now lives on as QueerDispatch. For about the past two months, I’ve been posting almost daily — I think I’ve only missed four days total — and it has been rewarding to watch people start connecting with the work.
A lot of what I cover is heavy. Some of it is painful. Some of it is urgent. Even when the news is “good,” it often still comes with a sharp or complicated edge. That is part of my voice, and part of the editorial voice of the site.
But this piece felt different.
“Power went out, the community turned on” is still very much written in my voice, but it comes from a softer place. It is not exactly lighthearted, but it is heartwarming. It is about one of those brief, ordinary moments that reminds you what it means to live alongside other people and simply be human together. When my wife read it, it made her cry.
That felt like a good reason to share it here too, because sometimes we all deserve something nice.
You can read the full story here: Power went out, the community turned on.
P.S. Don’t forget to check out the Style tab on the right side of the screen to find a visual version of the site that works best for you. And definitely take a look at our BigCloset TopShelf theme—it’s a little homage to this space.
Comments
Thank you, Piper
I suppose it is human to fear what we don’t recognize or understand. An instinct formed over millennia, that has endured long past the time when it is more likely to cause harm than avoid it. I don’t blame those who instinctively fear, but rather, those who see the fear and find ways to exploit it. Weaponize it. Use it as a tool for building a movement, for amassing power. The only way to defeat a movement built on fear of the “other” is to blunt the fear, and the only way to do that is what you are doing. Just being there, being normal. Neither getting in people’s faces, nor hiding from them. Doing the things any decent neighbor would do, until one day that’s all they see. The thing that they recognize, that you have in common.
So, thank you. One person at a time, one moment at a time, you are helping to build a better world for everyone. Keep the faith!
— Emma
Many Sides....
On the home front, I'm just being normal with all my neighbors, but with QueerDispatch I'm also adding my voice to protest. Or at least that's my goal!
-HuGs-