The Importance of QTIPoC Spaces: Yassine Senghor
The headquarters for LGBT+ Rights Ghana, a non-profit championing the rights of LGBTQ+ people (@lgbtrightsghana on instagram) was recently shut down by the government in Accra, Ghana, and just a few days ago in the Southeastern part of the country, 21 people were been arrested at a gathering on suspicion of being LGBTQ+ and are still being held.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident across the African continent and reflects some of the experiences of QTIBIPOC people across the globe. Finding space as a QTIBIPOC is not just isolating and alienating, it can be legitimately dangerous. As a black queer gender non-conforming woman, if I’m not on the lookout for physical threats, I am often awaiting my sense of self to take another hit when someone not so subtly implies that I don’t belong there, that a space isn’t for me, or that my mere existence is making others uncomfortable.
While the last year has seen us all distanced, it has also been a moment of interconnectedness that many of us are appreciating in newfound ways. The online world has always been integral to those who haven’t necessarily been able to find physical spaces that welcome them. It has been a space to relate and engage with others all over the world, who share our stories, and who are defining their own futures.
May 25th, marks one year since the passing of George Floyd, a day which reignited a movement. For many of us, this movement has been continuously raging within us our whole lives, but in that moment, it felt like it could no longer be denied by the rest of the world. For us, it was no longer just about finding space, it was about actively taking up space.
On Tues May 25th, Learnest presents "Resisting and Thriving" hosted by the vivacious Chloe Cousins who will be holding space for QTIBIPOC who are still trying to make sense of the events of the last year, of our histories and inherited struggle but also our joy, our passion and the freedom in finding community with one another. This is a space to meet new people, network, share and connect with others on the issues that shape our worlds as we emerge into whatever this new normal looks like, whatever we determine it to be.
Words by Yassine Senghor for Learnest.