Let’s Talk Queer Politics! What Politicians Do You Support or Help?
A Prism & Pen writers prompt
It’s election time in the U.S., so let’s write stories about politics!
I’ll never forget being a struggling college student eating instant noodles and worrying how to afford fuel for my rusted out, banana-yellow Pinto Pony. I cobbled together scholarships and grants to pay for tuition and books, but to keep body, soul and rust-heap together, I canvassed for Acorn, a left-wing political group that endorsed and sometimes worked for the Democratic Party.
You might not have heard of Acorn, but at one time they were either celebrated or notorious, depending on your politics.
If a canvasser has ever pushed a clipboard in front of you as she “raps” about politics, you can thank Acorn for mainstreaming the practice. I loved the experience, though the work was hard and stressful. I had some queer co-workers, and I met some cool queer people, but I had a gun pointed at my face once too!
After Acorn and college, I never did organized politics again. I left the States for several years, and when I got back in 1990, I become a queer street activist, often voting for Democratic candidates while swallowing hard.
