Revolutionary Voices
Encyclopedia
Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology, edited by Amy Sonnie, is an anthology
created by and for radical queer
youth, committed specifically to youth of color, young women, transgender
and bisexual youth, (dis)abled youth, and poor/working class youth.
The anthology gave rise to the founding of RESYST
(Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the country.
It was published in 2000 by Alyson Publications
and was a finalist in two categories for a Lambda Literary Award
.
The anthology gave rise to the founding of RESYST (Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the country.
, when she writes, "Revolutionary Voices is a call to action. .... Because this is truth, raw and real and in your face. It may be harsh, but that is what truth is, and these artists have taken the leap to write it down. .... We dedicate this book to us, to all of us, wherever we are; so we may continue to speak our minds and hearts, to struggle to save ourselves, and in doing so to save each other."
. A "former township committeewoman proud of her conservative beliefs" who was seeking to get the book removed from local libraries called it "pervasively vulgar, obscene, and inappropriate" and said that it includes an illustration of Boy Scouts
and men having sex.
An article by Mission America
claimed that PFLAG, for recommending the book, was attempting to "encourage children to be self-indulgent and self-centered in every aspect of life; to reject the wisdom of parents and other authorities if they wish even at early ages; and to engage in just about any sexual behavior imaginable."
The ACLU Foundation of Texas reports that the collection was "banned" by the Texas Youth Commission
because the book is “not consistent with the
educational goals of the State and TYC" and would cause “inappropriate behavior by the students.”
In April 2010, the Burlington County Library System in Southern New Jersey removed this book. In May 2010, the Rancocas Valley Regional High School Board of Education, also in Burlington County, NJ, voted to remove the book from its high school library shelves after protests from a local 9-12 Project
group.
In response to the book's removal in both the Burlington County Library System and the Rancocas Valley Regional High School library, a group of young theatre artists began a series of theatrical readings in several locations around New Jersey and New York. The theatrical reading project is entitled Revolutionary Readings and is under the direction of Brandon Monokian and dramaturged by Victoria Fear, both graduates of Montclair State University
.
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
created by and for radical queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
youth, committed specifically to youth of color, young women, transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
and bisexual youth, (dis)abled youth, and poor/working class youth.
The anthology gave rise to the founding of RESYST
RESYST
RESYST was started in the San Francisco Bay Area by Amy Sonnie and yk hong in 2000 in conjunction with the release of Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology edited by Amy Sonnie .-Goal:The goal of the organization, as stated by Sonnie, was "to further build a community of...
(Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the country.
It was published in 2000 by Alyson Publications
Alyson Publications
Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, is a book publishing house which specialises in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "the home of award-winning books in the areas of memoir,...
and was a finalist in two categories for a Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
.
Background
Revolutionary Voices is an anthology created by and for radical queer youth. It was published in 2000 by Alyson Publications and was a finalist in two categories for a Lambda Literary Award. It is committed specifically to youth of color, young women, transgender and bisexual youth, (dis)abled youth, and poor/working class youth. Due to its content, the book has engendered several controversies, discussed below.The anthology gave rise to the founding of RESYST (Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the country.
Impact
The anthology introduced a host of radical young writers and artists, many of whom continue to publish, create, and receive critical attention. Many of the contributors to Revolutionary Voices were students of Jordan's Poetry for the People project, and all could be said to share the sentiment of Margot Kelley Rodriguez, the author of the collection's forewordForeword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
, when she writes, "Revolutionary Voices is a call to action. .... Because this is truth, raw and real and in your face. It may be harsh, but that is what truth is, and these artists have taken the leap to write it down. .... We dedicate this book to us, to all of us, wherever we are; so we may continue to speak our minds and hearts, to struggle to save ourselves, and in doing so to save each other."
Controversies
The book has been "facetiously" called child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
. A "former township committeewoman proud of her conservative beliefs" who was seeking to get the book removed from local libraries called it "pervasively vulgar, obscene, and inappropriate" and said that it includes an illustration of Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and men having sex.
An article by Mission America
Mission America (Columbus, Ohio)
Mission America, based in Columbus, Ohio, USA, is a Christian public policy and commentary organization founded by Linda Harvey.-Background:...
claimed that PFLAG, for recommending the book, was attempting to "encourage children to be self-indulgent and self-centered in every aspect of life; to reject the wisdom of parents and other authorities if they wish even at early ages; and to engage in just about any sexual behavior imaginable."
The ACLU Foundation of Texas reports that the collection was "banned" by the Texas Youth Commission
Texas Youth Commission
The Texas Youth Commission is a Texas state agency which operates juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin...
because the book is “not consistent with the
educational goals of the State and TYC" and would cause “inappropriate behavior by the students.”
In April 2010, the Burlington County Library System in Southern New Jersey removed this book. In May 2010, the Rancocas Valley Regional High School Board of Education, also in Burlington County, NJ, voted to remove the book from its high school library shelves after protests from a local 9-12 Project
9-12 Project
The 9-12 Project is a non-political group created by American television and radio personality Glenn Beck. It was launched on the Friday 13 March 2009 episode of Glenn Beck, the eponymous talk show on Fox News Channel...
group.
In response to the book's removal in both the Burlington County Library System and the Rancocas Valley Regional High School library, a group of young theatre artists began a series of theatrical readings in several locations around New Jersey and New York. The theatrical reading project is entitled Revolutionary Readings and is under the direction of Brandon Monokian and dramaturged by Victoria Fear, both graduates of Montclair State University
Montclair State University
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2009, there were 18,171 total enrolled students: 14,139 undergraduate students and 4,032 graduate students...
.