Resistance/Refusal of Violence in the Neoliberal City: Black LGBTQ+ Communities in Chicago and New York

Presenter(s)

Marc Ridgell

Abstract or Description

Since the 1980s, Black queer communities across U.S. cities have experienced racist and classist exclusion from gay neighborhoods, police and interpersonal violence in neighborhoods more generally, and medical racism in the HIV/AIDS crisis. Despite these forms of antiblack and anti-queer oppression, Black queer and trans people have performed acts of resistance and refusal to build community and experience better worlds. This research project examines how Black LGBTQ+ communities have responded to systems of racism, classism, queerphobia, and misogyny by claiming their “right to the city.” Specifically, this project explores how Black LGBTQ+ people in both Chicago and New York City have expressed resistance and refusal since 1989. This project is interdisciplinary and utilizes mixed-methods, including archival-based research, visual and media analyses, urban sociology, performance studies, and critical geography.