Sure, happy for anyone to forward and distribute. I added my extra soap bubble into my original text and pasted it below: feel free to send this version around.
Thanks for the kind words.
Dana
==
Hi all,
I'm going to explore this intersection of gender-free role terms + welcoming new dancers + growing community a little bit. [And by "a little bit" I actually mean a "a long soapbox about important stuff," so hang on for the ride.]
I'm a genderqueer / gender nonconforming person, and a huge part of my folk community includes transgender, nonbinary, and other gender nonconforming folks. If you haven't been paying much attention to the news, let me tell you: The political and social climate around gender and sexuality in the United States right now is *terrifying* for LGBTQ+ folks. Twenty-three states introduced laws in 2022 that infringe or attack the basic rights of transgender and queer people, and more than 13 of those bills have become law. There is a ton of hatred, fear, and violence being directed toward the queer and trans community, especially youth, even in liberal states like Vermont (where I live).
All this is to say — it's a hard and scary time to be a queer person. And our dance communities have the potential to be places of radical inclusion, expansiveness, safety, and welcome in a violent world that seeks to deny us our basic right to exist.
- When a dance uses gender-free terms, that is a step toward that radical inclusion.
- When dancers are comfortable and happy to dance with any person in any role, that's another step. (For example, if you've got a lot of men who show obvious discomfort at swinging anyone who's not a woman, the dancing is likely to feel icky and unsafe to trans & nonbinary folks or anyone swapping roles, regardless of terms used.)
- When we take the time to explain our dance culture as well as the basic moves, that's another step.
- When we offer nametags with a place to write in pronouns, that's another step.
- When we offer a sliding scale to make our dance accessible to folks of all income levels, that's another step.
- When people can see themselves reflected in the organizing committee members (i.e. diversity of age, gender, class background, race, etc), in a way that's actually sharing the work and not tokenizing people, that's another step.
- When long-time dancers ask newcomers to dance in a friendly but not pushy way, and we normalize saying no as well as saying yes, that's another step.
- When we normalize giving and receiving feedback about the way our dancing affects others, that's another step. (i.e. "hey, will you grab my hand less tightly? that hurts." "oh! thanks for telling me! is that better?)
- When we are kind, patient, and supportive of each other while we learn new things, that's another step. Whether it's learning how to balance and swing, or learning how to use new pronouns for someone, it's gonna be awkward at first! That's how learning works! We'll just keep practicing together.
- When we are transparent about why we're doing what we're doing (i.e. our values, like Julian suggested), that's another step. When I get up to give announcements, for example, I thank people for helping to make the dance welcoming and inclusive, and I speak about our sliding scale, our name buttons, our role terms, and wearing masks all as pathways to a more inclusive and welcoming space, as ways that we care for one another.
- (Right now, I am still inclined to think that wearing masks is another way that we create spaces of radical inclusion and safety, especially for folks at higher risk for COVID, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.)
On the flip side: If a dance uses gendered role terms, or when organizers say things like "ugh I don't like Robins & Larks," or "I don't want to push the issue," what I hear is:
"we don't care about you,"
"we don't think transgender or nonbinary people exist," or
"you're causing problems for us just by being yourself."
OUCH.
I would gently offer that there is no such thing as a non-political space. Everything is political, even though you may not have noticed because you were comfortable and the current setup worked for you. This is a country where people are actively passing laws that harm transgender and queer people. Choosing NOT to do something is also a political act.
We set our dance culture together. People will notice the vibes more than you think. Let's keep striving toward spaces that are deeply welcoming, growthful, and joyful for everyone! This is part of why I am called to keep organizing dances: because I can see the power in creating a community that exists a little bit outside of space and time for a moment, a community where we get to see the kind of joy, connection, collaboration, and care that we dream of for society at large. What a delightful, magical thing.
Yours in building joyful, inclusive dance community,
Dana Dwinell-Yardley
Montpelier, VT
danadwya@gmail.com