By: Casey L Rocheteau/TRT Reporter
The catchphrase which many have picked up on from the Occupy movement is that participants consider themselves “the 99 percent,” meaning that they are not part of the 1 percent of America’s population that controls about a fifth of the country’s income. Out of this, there has been a reaction that some are referring to as “the other 99 percent,” groups of people who have been marginalized in ways beyond class. In speaking to some of the LGBTQ participants at Occupy Boston, one gets a clearer picture of how this is being dealt with within the community, and how the media is misrepresenting a complex group of people.
Jamaica Plain resident Cheryl DeSanctis spoke out against the misperception that this was a rudderless group, saying that “while the national media has undermined the movement and has slated it to be something it is absolutely not, it has been my experience that the Occupy movement has become something that the average person cannot ignore.” Reed Miller, a member of the Queer and Trans Caucus at Occupy Boston agreed with this sentiment, saying that “there have been many highly strategic, broad-based coalition actions here in Boston and in other Occupied cities that have presented concise and well-framed sets of demands to specific targets. Those movements deserve attention and recognition; unfortunately, the media often doesn’t bother to send down a reporter, much less a TV camera.”
A raid on the encampment early on the morning of Oct. 11 gained a great deal of attention. The official reason given by the Boston Police Department for the arrests was that occupiers had expanded the encampment beyond what had been allotted to them and were encroaching upon a recently renovated area in the Greenway. Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, likened it to “being arrested for trampling flowers.”
“But if you look at the pictures,” Scott said, “[it] was the police that were trampling flowers. It’s an aesthetic value judgment between a corporate park and a tent city.”
When asked if he felt as though Occupy Boston was a safe space for LGBTQ people, Scott responded, “There’s no such thing as a safe space.”
“The movement brings together a lot of different people, some of whom have unpacked their privilege and those who haven’t,” he said. “This is not about identity politics, it’s about coming together out of class anger. Yes, people do encounter, or I have encountered, transphobia and homophobia, but not out of hatred, [but] out of ignorance.”
There’s an opportunity to educate people and be educated by others. It’s a give and take.” He also stated that there are many homeless people involved, partially because it’s actually a safer space for them to sleep. Many have purpose. And some of those folks are transwomen and LGBT youth.
Longtime Bostonian Zoe Peters was arrested protesting Bank of America the same day the occupation started and has been returning to participate on a regular basis.
She acknowledged the divide within the movement, saying, “Almost every single General Assembly I have attended has been facilitated by white males. It is also important to note that I am not there every single night. Why? Because I have three jobs and I’m in school full time.”
“We are united,” she continued, “but by ignoring the multi-dimensional layers we will not be able to successfully move forward and create a system that actually benefits all, not just the 1 percent.”
