The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf
On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
A queer Black feminist debunks the myth of rainbow solidarity, repositioning Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ people at the forefront of queer pasts, presents, and futures
Your favorite Black queer studies professor Kaila Adia Story says the rainbow ain’t never been enough in this introduction to the current state of queer intersectionality, or lack thereof. Story argues that to be queer is to be political, and the carefully glittered façade of solidarity in the pride movement veils dangerous neoliberal ideals of apolitical queer embodiment. The rainbow as a symbol of communal solidarity is a hollow offering when cis white LGBTQ people are allowed to opt out of divesting from white supremacy, misogyny, and transphobia.
The Rainbow Ain’t Never Been Enuf fills a necessary gap in our understanding of how racism, transphobia, and antiblackness operate in liberal spaces. Black feminist and queer theorist Kaila Adia Story blends analysis, pop culture, and her lived experiences to explore the silencing practices of mainstream queer culture. She touches on cornerstone issues of the movement like
the whitewashing of queer history and commodification of pride celebrationsthe appropriation of the Black and Latinx ball scene and culturethe racialized and gendered violence inflicted upon Black trans womenthe exclusion of the lives and work of activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, and CeCe McDonald from queer historythe lack of remembrance and respect for the lives of the Black and Lantinx queer and trans people who have always been on the frontlines of queer liberation
Expanding beyond the classroom, Story utilizes her expertise as a scholar of queer theory to offer readers a comprehensive understanding of how racism operates in these spaces and what we can do to create a more equitable future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gender and sexuality studies scholar Story debuts with a sharp critique of racism, misogyny, and transphobia in the LGBTQ+ community. Taking aim at the "myth" of the rainbow flag's symbolic solidarity, Story shows how "such solidarity is sadly lacking" for queer people of color and transgender and nonbinary people. Some of her examples are a bit well-worn; she offers critiques of the 2015 film Stonewall for being ahistorically "whitewashed," of corporate-sponsored Pride parades that are divorced from their activist roots—thereby "shutting out" the "priorities and concerns of Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ citizens"—and of J.K. Rowling's "anti-trans" views, which are proffered partly out of concern for lesbians. But Story makes a few fresh observations, especially in the realm of pop culture, noting, for example, the complex line between appropriation and solidarity apparent in The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Marlo Hampton's reliance on "ballroom" phrases and gestures while still using gay slurs. Story also draws powerfully on her experiences as a Black lesbian in queer spaces; she recalls witnessing "what Black queer freedom dreams look like" at her first ball, but also enduring many instances of racism and misogyny at gay bars, including "shouting matches" with white queer people who believed their "identity absolves them of any racial animus." It makes for an emotionally resonant reappraisal of LGBTQ+ unity.
