Good midday, yeah today I started writing in the morning, so hello sunrise! Since I ended with a quote yesternight, why not beginning with one? So I will start with a fragment by Octavia Butler—“the only lasting truth is change,” … “we can, and must “shape change.” As you might sense, I am not in an angry or grumpy mode, tough when I think of yesterday I start to feel my heat coming up again.
But today I feel the need to write about Support (not only in rough times). My start of the day was connected to an email from Manuela Kay, an amazing woman and the manager of SIEGESSÄULE (we are queer berlin), a free magazine dedicated to queer life that reports monthly on queer-relevant topics including politics, community, film, music, literature and theater. For me, a really important magazine in Berlin. I know, we all are living in time of uncertainty, and we can only give what we can, and sure that doesn’t have to be connected to money, but I donated and I hope you can do so too.
So I will share the link with you: https://www.startnext.com/your-siegessaeule-needs-you
Support in general is a beautiful topic anyway. So now to some support, not necessarily connected to money. Once the “shutdown” started great campaigns, community work (connected to solidarity and support) were spreading all over the world. From LGBTQIA+ & WOMXN RELIEF FOR COVID-19 https://karada-house.de/2020/03/28/queer-relief-for-corvid-19/ to “Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen"https://epetitionen.bundestag.de/petitionen/_2020/_03/_14/Petition_108191.nc.html and, First Help Relief for Artists and Freelancers, and...
Well, I felt grateful and hopeful and for a moment eased away the notion that humanity is lost for good. But as some of you know, I am not only a “love and hope bird”. I would define myself as hopeful pessimist or hopeless optimist. And when it comes to, for example the topic of refugees, I would loose myself in writing about the LOSS of Humanity!! So I want to share, at least some sites I supported, browsed through and offers the option to enter into dialogue with politicians.
https://www.change.org/p/leavenoonebehind-jetzt-die-corona-katastrophe-verhindern-auch-an-den-außengrenzen, https://seebruecke.org/leavenoonebehind/aktionen/, https://action.leavenoonebehind2020.org/!/429K/
And before I continue I want to say THANKS to all you fighters and believers out there!
Support on my personal level surely has different layers, different tonalities, levels,… I could name lots of people and animals that crossed my path, still stand next to me or with whom I walk side by side (day and night) from my Fam over the ocean, to my beauties in Berlin and the inspiring and marvellous all around… the list would be too long. So I want to be a bit more specific, about a time (that was before C) when I went through a really painful brake up. It was hard to get out of bed and continue to believe (sure that was also connected to my periods of Highs and Lows, in short maniac and periods of depression, but mental health needs an own entry). My mood went hand in hand with questions like: Why do people hurt people? Why do we let them? How can we stop it? And to questions if there is a tendency in encouraging people to leave, to push them away? And do we then NOT question the refusal of love, even when it is needed? (back to queer* experiences coming out from a traumatised place). At some point I started to believe again and knew that an “end” also implies a beginning and offers new ways and options. But still I was wondering where to go next? Of course NOT an OPTION for me was to assimilate into heteronormative society, more into challenging the heteronormative patriarchy that dominates society. Focus, Hanna! and go back to answering the question on how I “shifted”, how I got out of bed, and started to believe again. Time-Yes!, but mostly through support and community. And that brings me to One LoveShip my beloved and fucking amazing LoFi C (I will introduce her in some days properly, you remember? - I talked about Guest Commentaries?! So soon it will be! Working tile: On moving (on) and dressing up (to transform). She was not only a fucking amazing LoverShiper and by my side stander. We spent days and nights talking about intimacy, love, care, believe, change, … community. So at some point, we decided to start a “collective” to plan and shape our revolution: The Penguin Protocol. How can I describe the “penguins?! -As an intimacy, skills and assets, anger and frustration, protesting (yeah that’s kind of obvious, cause penguins march!) Supporter-Cluster, a Cluster that believes in short that Love/Intimacy/Honesty/Care are good options (in a time of the apocalypse). Because I do believe we should choose to place our hope in us, us Queers. Cause we have the capacity to reform, to invent and shape change. I believe we can do it! Even in a time of uncertainty, because there is a place for us, in this chaos - called the future.
So beloved Shifters, I hope you have a supportive day or night, where ever you are
love
x hanna
