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Update: On Friday, February 15 The Center ended their Moratorium on Israeli - Palestinian Gatherings. Visit: Gay City News for more info.
On Tuesday, February 12th, Visual AIDS
held a panel discussion, Positive Assertions, at The LGBT Center in New York
City. The event featured artists exploring the role positivity can play as a
strategy for art, activism and living. Working with The Center's helpful team
of staff, interns, and volunteers, the night was a success. There was a full
room, engaging conversation occurred, and new understandings were shared about
how change can happen for individuals and communities when assert
ourselves, create safe spaces, and work though our discomfort.
And so it was with a saddened heart we heard the next day that writer,
activist, and treasured public intellectual Sarah Schulman has been prevented
from appearing at The Center. We have worked with Schulman before, most
recently in distributing a film she co-produced, United In Anger: A History of
ACT UP directed by Jim Hubbard.
According to sources, the reason for Schulman’s public shunning is her important work regarding the central role queers from around the world play, and can play, in creating peace, starting in Palestine. Who would want to censor such work? And why?
Working at the intersection of art, activism, and HIV/AIDS, we at Visual AIDS
have no tolerance for censorship. It hurts art, it damages communities, and it
kills people. Visual AIDS is part of a larger historical understanding, rooted in the
truth that Silence = Death.
When an organization, which is understood to be serving a diverse and
marginalized population, such as The Center, begins attempting to disallow diverse and marginalized
voices from being heard, communities needs to ask, why does this organization
exist? Who is it serving?
We at Visual AIDS value the idea of The Center and have friendships with many
that work, volunteer and rely on The Center. We want The Center to matter, we
need The Center as a place where celebrating, learning, challenging, loving and
supporting can happen. We don't know what to do next? Is now the time for boycott? Radical engagement? Both? Something else? We look to the community for
next steps. How do we want to proceed? How do we fight for our freedom to
assemble? How do we ensure our cultural spaces can reflect progressive
ambitions? What do we do when an organization attempts to dim one of our most
enlightened minds?
As responses evolve, we urge our Visual AIDS communities to discuss censorship
and The Center, freedom and Sarah Schulman, and ways to move forward. For more
information, and to sign a petition please visit: End censorship of Sarah Schulman, Open doors to all queer people
If you have questions, ideas or comments please email Ted Kerr at tkerr@visualaids.org