The queerPhilosophy Project
In the movie Waking Life, a group of intellectuals are walking when they spot a old man on a telephone pole. One of the group makes a comment about how foolish the man is, but another replies, "he's no worse than us. He's all action and no theory, we're all theory and no action". queerPhilosophy attempts to bring theory and action together in balance. It provides a link between the intellectuals and the activists (or the intellectual and activist within us). We wish to provide resources and a communication link between those that are interested in philosophizing queer, and those that are "on the front lines" dealing with queer issues. This is queerPhilosophy's primary objective.
Specific Objectives
Besides the broad objective of "linking queer theory and queer practice", the following specific objectives may be pursued:
- act as a think tank for queer issues
- make queer-philosophical issues known and accessible to the LGBTQ(etc) community
- actively provide a non-heterocentric perspective on events from around the world
- provide the LGBTQ(etc) community with arguments and counter-arguments against homophobic and heterocentric ideologies
- address and encourage discussion of issues internal to the LGBTQ(etc) community
Project Media
The queerPhilosophy project presently consists of two parts: the magazine, and the website (where you are now). The magazine aims to reach out to individuals and organizations within the LGBTQ(etc) community, to raise awareness of understanding of queer issues and philosophies. However, in keeping with queerPhilosophy's primary objective (to help bridge queer theory and queer practice), a more interactive medium is required. It is our hope that queerPhilosophy.com will become an vibrant online community for discussing important queer-philosophical issues. All articles in the upcoming magazine will be available online and you will be able to add comments to each article. It is one thing to posit various positions on queer-philosophical issues. It is quite another (and we think better) thing to inspire individuals to engage in queer-critical thinking, responding to the ideas presented in the articles, and presenting their own ideas for discussion. Such critical thought and discussion to challenge our own ideologies, while sometimes discouraging and even upsetting, may help to create a stronger queer community, better able to handle issues from inside and out.
On Finances and Funding
Another important consideration for queerPhilosophy is whether it should act as a not-for-profit organization, or whether it's objectives would be better accomplished without this status. What is of primary importance is the ability for queerPhilosophy to make a positive difference within the LGBTQ(etc) community. If this is served well by not-for-profit status, then this status is preferable (we believe such status better reflects what queerPhilosophy is all about). However, if queerPhilosophy can do more for the LGBTQ(etc) community without not-for-profit status, that option must be seriously considered. The queerPhilosophy project has not generated any income, and is presently running in the red. (Costs presently include web hosting, magazine printing, and some online advertising).
In order to help out with our present expenses, we are exploring ways to accept donations online (as well as develop a system of accounting to ensure donations are used properly and transparently). In the mean time, if you are interested in making a donation of any size to help us achieve our goals, please contact us.
What we would like to come out of the first magazine and our initial online presence, if nothing else, is to catch the interest of a small group of people that would be interested in helping to develop queerPhilosophy. With a magazine printed and a website established, we need to decide where to take queerPhilosophy next. We need to refine the project's objectives and obtain resources (financial, human, and otherwise) required for these objectives. With any luck, queerPhilosophy will develop into a stable organization with a small group of paid staff that can continue working on projects to benefit the LGBTQ(etc) community.
In particular, we are in need of:
- People with experience in organization/business development (for planning, organization, coordination)
- People with a background in queer-philosophical thinking (for writing, editing)
- People with experience in desktop publishing (to help with additional magazine issues)
- Anyone that thinks the queerPhilosophy project is valuable and is willing to help in its development
While a small office may be setup for in-house printing and basic administration, queerPhilosophy will continue to operate virtually (over the Internet) with most staff working off-site.
Contact Us
Please contact us with your questions, comments, concerns, and ideas.
