“When walls are built, music simply plays over them”
Vol. 86
In This Issue: ESSAY | ME, ELSEWHERE | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME
Have you heard of the Streisand Effect? The term comes from an incident in 2005 when Barbara Streisand tried to suppress the publication of a photograph of her Malibu home, taken to illustrate the problem of cliffside erosion. Her efforts to squash the photos’ use, however, led to far greater awareness of the information than if she’d left it alone.
Yesterday, I witnessed a truly beautiful example of the Streisand Effect in Watertown, Wisconsin.
In case you missed it, last week, the Watertown school board intervened at the last minute to ban the Wind Symphony from playing “A Mother of A Revolution!” at their spring concert. Why? They alleged that the instrumental piece, written to honor Martha P. Johnson and the Stonewall Uprising, violated the district’s "controversial issues” doctrine.
Despite the fact that the band director had informed parents of the plan to play the piece months ago and sent home permission slips (only one student opted out). Despite the fact that it’s an instrumental piece. Despite it being about marginalized people who stood up for their rights in the face of violent oppression. Despite hundreds of community members, including students and members of the band, testifying in favor of keeping the song in the concert and against such obvious and misplaced censorship. Seven out of the eight school board members acted out of ignorance, bigotry, and fear, declaring that the piece “celebrated political violence” and was an attempt at “ideological indoctrination.”
(Once I realized that Juliane Appling was one of those board members, I was less surprised by the decision, unfortunately. Any board that would make room for someone who’s spent her entire adult life on a crusade to take away rights from LGBTQ+ people and women generally isn’t going to be a healthy place. Appling is also the head of the Wisconsin Family Council, which advocates for Christian fundamentalist policy in the state.)
So the song was removed from the concert. But then something remarkable happened.
In a town of just 22,500, a small revolution kicked off. A grassroots effort by Watertown community members, students, alumni, and people from neighboring communities came together to fight back in the most beautiful way.
First, some 60 to 70 people rallied outside the high school on the night of the concert to show their support for the students, LGBTQ+ people/rights, and freedom of expression. They waved signs and Pride flags and cheered each arriving student musician.
In the midst of the rally, as the school board was elsewhere in another meeting, word suddenly spread that Immanuel Lutheran Church would later that week host a free performance of the banned song–and that the composer, Omar Thomas himself, was flying in to conduct it.
That performance went off without a hitch last night to a packed sanctuary and overflow crowd outside the church, plus an additional 3,400 viewers on the livestream. I tuned in with them and found myself tearing up throughout. It was, front to back, a heartfelt and moving example of the power of grassroots community organizing and love.
And honestly? I can’t think of a better venue than a church. In smalltown Wisconsin, as in many other small towns across the country, churches (or mosques, or synagogues, etc.) are often the central hubs of community and voices of leadership. They are not always welcoming places for queer and trans people, to say the very least. A lot of us leave those small towns for good reason, even if/when it breaks our hearts to do so.
To have a local church be the place that opened its doors wide to this particular performance at this particular time of increasing, violent backlash against LGBTQ+ people, then, is powerful. Kudos to Immanuel Lutheran for being an open and affirming congregation in the first place and for stepping in to provide the space for this event.
The Christian Church, like any faith, is far from being a monolith in terms of beliefs and practices. Unfortunately, it’s become harder to see that as one particularly rightwing and skewed ideology within it becomes especially loud and virulent. That makes it all the more heartening when the better angels of a faith community speak up and take action to show a different way of being.
It was also a truly community-based event. Since not all of the student musicians were able to make it to the last-minute performance, the call went out for Watertown alumni and other local folks to fill in. And they turned out! Learning a technically complex piece in just days is nothing short of impressive, too.
I was moved to see and hear from composer Omar Thomas as well, who flew in that morning from Texas to conduct and speak at the event. He talked about being a band kid himself but never really seeing or hearing relatable stories in the music they played, and how having diverse stories and experiences represented in music and art is a crucial way of bringing people together.
He also noted wryly, using the school board’s decision as an example, that “I always thought empathy was a given. Whoops.” But, he added hopefully, “What I learned is that it’s a muscle that people have, but just like any other muscle, you have to choose to exercise it. What we’re doing right now is we’re choosing to learn about one another and what makes us all part of the same story. This is what is going to propel us out of this moment.”
One of the people who helped make the night happen was Matt Koscinski, band director at Sauk Prairie High School. He spoke clearly about the importance of not just that particular piece of music but of art and the free expression thereof:
“When art is silenced, community speaks louder,” he said “[The school board] forgot one fundamental truth: You cannot extinguish light by closing your eyes.”
He went on, addressing the audience and everyone who spoke out: “You proved that when walls are built, music simply plays over them. ….When we allow fear to dictate what our children can play, think, and who they can honor, we unravel the very threads that hold our democracy together. But tonight, fear does not win. Tonight, we reclaim our efficacy and we strengthen our community.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
This is what we need more of in order to build the better world that so many of us yearn for so desperately. This kind of beautiful solidarity, even and especially in the face of threats, oppression, and violence. Solidarity and community-based organizing will always bring the light in the darkness. It will take time and struggle. But it’s so worth it. I felt that, deeply, just watching a livestream of a small town band concert and the thousands of supportive comments pouring in from literally across the world.
Most people, I truly believe, want to live in a world where we’re all free to be ourselves and live our lives how we choose, so long as it doesn’t cause harm.
And the more the forces of ignorance and fear try to suppress and hide away those things and people they don’t like, the more it only draws attention–and when we work together, a bright, beautiful light drives out their darkness.
I can only imagine the impact this has all had on the students in particular. For the straight kids, they might never have thought much more about the song, its history, or its place in the world now if the school board hadn’t interfered. For the queer and trans kids, the experience has gone from gutting to deeply hopeful. I’m willing to bet this has actually radicalized some of them in the best way, much to the board’s chagrin. It’s certainly going to be something none of the students ever forgets.
The music that was played in Watertown last night was joyful, exuberant, defiant, and its resonance was and will continue to be felt far beyond the church walls for years to come. And that’s its own kind of revolution.
Me, Elsewhere.
Meanwhile, I recently got to do some quality yapping with Dan Shafer over at The Recombobulation Area about Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race and a certain wannabe candidate who’s been trying to butt in where he’s not needed (turns out my recent essay about Kirk Bangstad hit a chord for a lot of folks). Check out the podcast episode here. It’s always fun to chat with Dan and I look forward to doing more soon!
Now Read This.
“The Questions Wisconsin Reporters Are Not Asking Tom Tiffany” [Bill Christofferson at Urban Milwaukee]
The election denial is but one of a host of Tiffany positions that have not had any coverage. While the media focuses on parsing minor nuances between the Democratic primary candidates, Tiffany is getting a free ride. You can hardly tell he’s a Congressman. He’s been running for eight months, but you’d think he just parachuted in, with no history and no responsibility for the mess Trump has created — with his 100% support.
“The Revolt Against the Girl Bosses Has Finally Come” [Tressie McMillan Cottom for the New York Times - Gift Link]
Nobody wants a parasocial bestie who shills for the plutocrats who are nullifying their votes, degrading their educations, jacking up their power bills, stealing their wages and rigging the system. There is no feminist case for scaring people into adopting A.I.
“AI Doesn’t Work and We All Know It Doesn’t Work” [Margaret Killjoy]
Society is in the process of restructuring itself around a tool that simply doesn’t work. We all know it doesn’t work. If you needed to build a bridge, you wouldn’t hire a structural engineer who gets it right about 70% of the time. You wouldn’t read a history book that is 30% fiction but doesn’t tell you what 30%. You shouldn’t date someone who always tells you that you’re right and who lies to you with a smile on his lips.
Final Frame.
Happy almost summer! Today you get this cute photo of me, courtesy of my very talented friend, Sam Waldron of Reverence Intimate Portraits. I am very fortunate to have friends who want to play dress-up with me and take good pictures of it. This is from a recent shoot I did with the same group of the Queer Polyamorous Bridgerton photo shoots from the last couple of years. I love getting to mix my softer, flower-loving side with my leather butch side. And I love that Sam makes it fun and comfortable to model for her.
‘Til next time.
Take care of yourself and of each other. Free Palestine. Abolish ICE.
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