Posted to the Leather Activists of New England forum
http://pub38.bravenet.com/forum/3242410803/show/474919
Boats, Books, and Bigots
Hiya folks,
I'm the author of Bears on Bears and editor of Bearotica, Bear Lust, Kink, and a new nonfiction antho from Haworth, Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way. I lived in Jamaica Plain for ten years, then two years ago to Providence, where I formed Bears Ocean State, a bear e-club, and most recently to New London.
I'm having some problems with the promoters of the Boats, Books, and Brushes literary event here in my new home of New London. I requested access to participate in the event 7 weeks ago and K&M Productions denied me access to the main event venue. A self-identified gay woman, however, the BB&B PR contact, then suggested that instead, I could do a reading at Club 251 as a benefit fundraiser for the Alliance for Living.
If that's not a shocking example of sexphobia, bisexual erasure, and classist ghettoization, well, I'll shave my chest. Mm, no, I won't. But like the uppity multiethnic bifag that I am, I complained. Loudly.
The Day newspaper columnist Steven Slosberg interviewed me and wrote this, which ran today, Monday:
Too Explicit To Be Booked At BB&B?
By STEVEN SLOSBERG
Day Staff Columnist
Published on 7/26/2005
Ron Jackson Suresha badly wants the big-tent treatment at the upcoming 2005 Boats, Books & Brushes Festival in New London. So far, he says, the response from organizers has been to “shun me off to the gay bar.”
Suresha, who moved to New London several months ago after getting married, in Provincetown, Mass., to Dr. Rocco Russo, a local family practitioner, has an argument. He lives here, he's legitimately published and, in focusing, explicitly, on gay and bisexual men's sexuality, would add an heretofore uncharted dimension to the general fiction and nonfiction fare of such festivals.
But Judy Liskov, a librarian at Waterford Public Library and a member of the festival's book committee, also has an argument. She says Suresha's being left outside the tent for the Sept. 16-18th event to be staged at New London's waterfront, has nothing to do with his sexuality or subject matter. Rather, it has more to do with his name, or lack thereof.
Rest of article at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/suresha/message/57
Within an hour, the reporter had received email from a guy saying that Slosberg “MUST be gay” to have given this faggot the publicity.
I hope that the New England leather, bear, and glbtq communities will support my challenge to prudish phobic censorship. I am planning several alternative events but I'm still fighting for a place under the big tent. I'll be back in touch about how you can help locally.
Send any thoughts about the matter to me at mail_AT_sureshaDOTcom.
My gratitude to everyone for your support.
allbest, with bearhugs,
Ron
