Queer Nation

Historical Note

Queer Nation San Francisco was a direct action group with the purpose of advancing queer rights. Founded in July of 1990, one month after New York City's Queer Nation, it deployed tactics similar to those of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT-UP), namely street protests, postering, and other "unapologetic," "in your face" political demonstration. Like ACT-UP, it lacked clear boundaries of membership and had no official leadership structure. Weekly meetings, held at the Mission District's Women's Building, were open to all, and decisions were made by consensus. Meetings included reports and proposals from focus groups, which met during or outside the general meeting to concentrate on their affinity, such as police violence or activist art.

However, unlike ACT-UP, Queer Nation was not oriented toward ending the AIDS crisis. Rather its general objective was to reverse the precieved trend of increasing homophobia which had followed the AIDS pandemic. Also, Queer Nation organized under the polymorphous identity of "queer" which was intended to be more inclusive of diversity and less exclusive of cultural (as opposed to legal) action than other, more "assimilationist" gay or lesbian groups.

Among the more prominent focus groups of Queer Nation SF were LABIA (Lesbians And Bi-women In Action), United Colors of Queer Nation, UBIQUITOUS (Uppity Bi Queers United In Their Overtly Unconventional Sexuality), Queer Planet, and DORIS SQUASH (Defending Our Rights In the Streets, Super Queers United Against Savage Heterosexism). Much internal communication was accomplished through Queerline, a voice mail service, and Queer Week, a photocopied newsletter.

No records exist of the group's dissolution, although there is documentation of internal disputes among active members in the summer of 1991 which followed a controversial political action outside the home of then San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Roberta Achtenberg.