A reoccurring theme of capitalism invading activism efforts has arisen in our class discussions as of late. Eli Clare mentioned his two cents on this phenomenon in losing home, talking about Stonewall 25 and pride events in general. He says, “Stonewall 25 strikes me not so much as a celebration of a powerful and life-changing uprising of queer people, led by trans people of color, by drag queens and butch dykes, fed up with the cops, but as a middle- and upper-class urban party that opened its doors only to those who could afford it,” (43). At an event supposed to be celebrating the joy of queer existence, admission had a cost. Queer community lost its inclusivity, something that might seem paradoxical. The capitalist mindset that pervades the social activism sphere prohibits lower classes from inclusion. The non-inclusive middle- and upper- class party idea applies to sustainability too. Many people simply can’t afford sustainable options. Somehow, highly processed food and other industrially made consumer goods are priced lower than local or sustainably made food, clothing, and goods. Houska says, “Far too much of our collective energy is directed toward a pursuit that leaves us mirroring capitalism…” describing the environment of administrative-level climate change activism, which also is profit-driven, despite its original ideals (214).
This inability for us to enact change outside of capitalism is reminiscent of the desire for “queer time.” If capitalism is the “normal,” regulated subjugation of people’s organization of life, then queer and sustainability activism are a battle to broker a reality where we can exist outside of those bounds. Eli Clare is fighting an essential battle in this arena, highlighting the ways we can truly exist outside of the binaries and confines of the dominant culture– by escaping back to nature, finding peace within ourselves in a natural way, existing in a fluid, genderless world of connection. In stones in my pocket, stones in my heart, Clare describes the mental stone wall he retreats to when considering his experiences of hardship with identity. He writes, “In the end, I will sit on the wide, flat top of my wall, legs dangling over those big, uncrackable stones, weathered smooth and clean,” (159). The language he uses to describe this wall is strong, evoking an image of something that withstands the test of time. He hopes to conquer this wall of gender, class, disability, but also live in peace, working together to build something sustainable.
I know one of the questions discussed in class was how activism could be done ethically when Capitalism seems to corrupt everything. Something that strikes me is that both Clare and Houska acknowledge that Capitalism is an issue, and I think that could be at least part of an answer to the question. They both talk about how unfortunate it is that everything has to revolve around making money, but I think Houska especially notes how in this society, that is what has to be done to have access to the “investors and shareholders” who make the decisions (Houska 215).
I agree, I also thought it was interesting how the readings pointed out how there are so many capitalistic tendencies in activism, especially environmental activism. I also think that the way we celebrate Pride Month now is also very capitalistic, with some queer people dubbing it “rainbow capitalism.” Many companies change their logos to rainbow or sell pride merchandise in order to capitalize off of queer people during this time. The way Eli Clare contrasts Stonewall itself to later iterations of it’s celebration is similar to this.
Even though Clare wrote these words over a decade ago, I still feel they are extremely relevant today. We might consider the commercialization of Pride Month as a whole or of any Month that is dedicated to the celebration of a marginalized community. Perhaps, we should begin by wondering if it is possible to change this within our current system. Can we as a society reach a point where Pride Month is free of Rainbow Capitalism? I would assume this would take the downfall of Capitalism as an economic system, as these issues are inherent to a system that requires using everything for profit.