As I write this, the cloud cover over our hostel and the bay area is gorgeous. The clouds are perfectly plump,and have just a hint of sunlight in them. I love when that happens - it makes mornings all the better for me.
After yesterday, meeting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and walking around the Mission, handing out flyers for the Walk Against Rape next month, I really felt that we were starting to be absorbed in this new territory of queerness. But there is so much work left to be done - I can't truly grasp it. Because it's not just here, or in St. Paul - it's everywhere. Queerness as an identity is constantly being challenged by heteronormative culture, and homelessness is not just an issue when it comes to San Francisco. These are two of the huge issues that we're encountering - and though it gives me hope to see the different activists and groups working for change, it also disheartens me to realize that I'll be going back to a place where I have been taught to be ashamed of the fact that I think sex is normal and healthy. We've walked past and been into so many different porn shops in the Castro; and Good Vibrations in the Mission (which I love - a feminist erotica shop with healthy takes on sex, a clean store, and really obviously welcoming and supportive atmosphere); and I don't even know where these shops are in St. Paul and Minneapolis - nor would I be able to just walk into them without feeling like everyone who saw me walk in would be silently judging me. Which sucks, and is really stupid - and I know that I'm going to try to get past that, and just accept it and work harder to challenge that stupid idea that sex should be hidden in people's closets and under the mattresses.
But again, these issues are just the beginning. It's going to be overwhelming coming back with all of this information.
~Savannah
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