Andrea Gibson: Queer Activist and Poet

Andrea Gibson at Hoversten Chapel

Not long before we got assigned to the task of branching out and experiencing a new culture, I had been hearing more and more about an artist named Andrea Gibson.  Andrea writes and performs spoken word poetry that highlights a multitude of issues in the country, including war, class, race, gender, love, and sexuality, among other powerful and poignant topics relevant to today. A strong advocate for equal rights for LGBTQ peoples, Andrea makes powerful statements about these topics in her poetry and also in political advocacy. Soon after learning about her, I found out she would be performing in Minneapolis during a program hosted by the LGBTQIA Services of Augsburg College.

The event was on held in the evening of February 18^th in Hoversten Chapel on Augsburg campus. That was one of the first things that struck me about this event: a Queer group on campus hosting a very famous Queer Rights Activist to perform poetry regarding queer and gender identity, all took place in a church. However, upon entering the venue, it became very clear to me that this was a non-issue. Generally, when I think of religion, I think of the lack of acceptance for queer people and non-cis-gendered people. This was not the case. I felt the moment I walked in a sense of euphoria from all attending. Once I entered the auditorium where the performance was held, I could see everyone in attendance mingling with each other. It seemed as if everyone there knew each other in some way, though I knew only two other people. Many people were wearing t-shirts saying “Legalize Trans*” and other phrases in support of the LGBTQ community. Many people were wearing buttons that I received during Welcome Week my freshman year, meaning "feel free to talk to me."

When it was time for Andrea’s set to begin, everyone shuffled into their seats, row upon row, facing the stage.  One member of the Queer and Straight in Unity group introduced Gibson with a brief biography and overwhelming welcome from the entire group in attendance.
Andrea opened with “A Letter To The Playground Bully,” one of many works that uses deeply personal experiences as a young person struggling with gender and sexual identity. The theme continued, and she performed “Swing set,” “Say Yes,” and “I Sing The Body Electric Especially When My Power’s Out,” among others. Each poem touched on controversial subjects related to the generally community in attendance: gender identity, same-sex marriage, and even mental health. After her presentation of poems, little anecdotes and brief plugs for donations, Andrea Gibson left the stage to thunderous applause.

 After taking in all of the visual and auditory information of the event, it’s interesting to think about what it all means in the context of the culture of people hosting and attending the event. My sexual identity does not correspond to the ideas being presented, other than being an ally, so the experience was incredibly eye opening to the thoughts and feelings of LGBTIQ people. It was made clear from the beginning of the event that almost everyone in attendance carried the same cultural values. Everyone was there to not only appreciate the art that Andrea Gibson makes and performs, but, as a generalization, all people there had some notion of the content of Andrea Gibson’s poetry, and either found her spoken experiences familiar, or wanted to understand those experiences. Much of what Gibson writes about is in regards to the plight of LGBTIQ people, and her experience as a queer-identified person. The people that came to watch her perform tended to have the same experiences, and because of that, the same values of love, and acceptance for people of all sexual and gender orientations. As stated before, many people at the event made their identity with the culture represented very clear: with t-shirts advocating for same-sex marriage or trans* rights, there were same-sex couples using public displays of affection.

Contextually, I think all of these things are of incredible importance. We all know that LGBTIQ in general are less accepted by society, and legally are not treated equally when it comes to marriage rights and other protections under the law. In the not-so-distant past, same-sex marriage was not legal anywhere, and coming out as a LGBTIQ person was not acceptable under any circumstances. It has only been in recent history that progress was made towards the equality of the people present at this event. I think it speaks to the progress that a gender queer woman is able to travel around the country, sometimes performing in churches, about her struggle, and the struggle of others who identify this way. In addition, fans and those who relate to her struggles are able to come to her performances, openly displaying what makes them different from what is considered the “norm.”

As stated before, I do not identify myself as anything other than an ally, so although I came into this event with an open mind, it was obvious that I was part of the out-group in this situation. I did find, though, that my personal values and beliefs coincide heavily with those of the people at the event. They all were there supporting arts in general, and also supporting the rights of all, more specifically queer rights. In some of her poems, Gibson touches on more than just queer rights, but personal rights to self-love and happiness. That everyone has the right to love themselves, regardless of how they identify themselves.  So, even though I went into the experience with an ethnorelative mindset, I found myself with people just like me, only with different sexual orientations.

To me, this makes a strong point for coming into new cultural situations with an ethnorelative mindset. I was expecting to go into this event and find myself out of place, without any understanding of the topics at hand, but ready to attempt to understand it. What I found was that we can all relate in some way or another, however, that chance to relate may not come if we collide head-first with a new culture with an ethnocentric mindset.