The magic of being queer people of color is having the capability to write, tell, paint, act out, and create our own stories. We never fit the mold, so we get to decide who we are and how we move through the world. There are so many ways in which we embody this extraordinary magic. We may lay out our narratives in writing, or when we tell our stories out loud. No matter the method, every single one of us tells our story all the time, in the ways we dress, talk, and carry ourselves. Even when our stories are not being told or are actively being erased, we find ways to reclaim our narratives and write ourselves into existence.
2022 was a year of fighting for and protecting everything that we, as a community of Black, Indigenous, Queer, and People of Color have lovingly created. People in power who do not care to listen to our voices and our stories have been dictating the way that we express ourselves for centuries. In March of 2022, Florida passed what was referred to as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. The uproar that this hateful bill caused was not unwarranted, and we still tell our stories as a reclamation of our existence in violent times. In November of 2022, Colorado Springs faced a horrendous and heartbreaking tragedy. Five community members lost their lives due to hate fueled by anti-LGBTQ narratives. The QSOCC committee stands in solidarity with those who were affected by this tragedy. The lives of these victims should never have been taken away. Their stories should not have ended.
This year, the Queer Students of Color Conference will focus on counter-storytelling. Counter-storytelling is “a method of telling the stories of those people whose experiences are not often told” (Solorzano & Yosso, 2002). Counter-storytelling is the art of reclaiming our narratives, of growing louder than the voices of our oppressors as we celebrate our identities. Let’s share our narratives as a form of resistance. We are writing ourselves into existence.