Who Speaks? We All Speak!

Queers Without Borders love their Speak Out Cart. The idea of a moving “soap box” came to us in 2005. QWB had called together interested parties to help in planning a response to the Connecticut Forum’s panel discussion, “The Cultural Wars: Moral Values, Decency, Marriage, and Religion.” The panelists were Ralph Reed, Frank Rich, Margaret Carlson and David Brooks. QWB asked people, “Would you prefer a culturally diverse panel or one of political pundits from the mainstream media?” We then asked, “Whose Voice is Missing?” and answered with a resounding OURS! So began our idea of having all who came to the demonstration / street theater/ Speak Out to do just that *SPEAK OUT* We did not want to monkey the people inside by declaring that a chosen few could present all the views, ask all the questions, and present the answers that could be presented and none of us believed that anyone amongst us could speak for all of us. Indeed we all have something to say and our own way of saying it. A short discussion about using a soap box out front of the Bushnell was scrapped when we learned that the city of Hartford considered a box to be staging and would require us to take out insurance and gain a special permit. We all came to the conclusion that a box was not portable enough as we wanted to cover the whole sidewalk. So the Free Speech, Speak Out Cart was born. Many who gathered that evening used it and spoke out. Some were taken aback, remained shy, as they were use to demo’s where a list of speakers always spoke and they listened to what was told to them many times by the same old, same old who were paraded out on the stage at every event. How refreshing it was to hear the voices and ideas of anyone who stood up and spoke that day.

If you attend a Queers Without Borders event you will see our brightly decorated pull shopping cart that states, “SPEAK OUT.” We hope you will do just that, step right up, speak out, sing out, recite a poem and tell it like you see it. QWB will love you for it, the movement will love you for it, freedom, justice, liberation and peace will love you for it.

We hope that you will feel free to use this blog as you would the Speak Out Cart.