''Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology'', edited by Amy Sonnie, is an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

created by and for radical

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

youth, committed specifically to youth of color, young women,

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

and

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

youth, (dis)abled youth, and poor/working class youth. The anthology gave rise to the founding of

RESYST RESYST (Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers) is an organization that was started in the San Francisco Bay Area by Amy Sonnie and yk hong in 2000 in conjunction with the release of '' Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Antho ...

(Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the country. It was published in 2000 by

Alyson Publications Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "the ...

and was a finalist in two categories for a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

Background

''Revolutionary Voices'' is an anthology created by and for radical queer youth. It was published in 2000 by Alyson Publications and was a finalist in two categories for a Lambda Literary Award. It is committed specifically to youth of color, young women, transgender and bisexual youth, (dis)abled youth, and poor/working class youth. Due to its content, the book has engendered several controversies, discussed below. The anthology gave rise to the founding of RESYST (Resources for Youth, Students, and Trainers), a radical queer youth organization that had chapters across the US.

Impact

The anthology introduced a host of radical young writers and artists, many of whom continue to publish, create, and receive critical attention. Many of the contributors to ''Revolutionary Voices'' were students of Jordan's

Poetry for the People Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

project, and all could be said to share the sentiment of Margot Kelley Rodriguez, the author of the collection's

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...

, when she writes, "''Revolutionary Voices'' is a call to action. ... Because this is truth, raw and real and in your face. It may be harsh, but that is what truth is, and these artists have taken the leap to write it down. ... We dedicate this book to us, to all of us, wherever we are; so we may continue to speak our minds and hearts, to struggle to save ourselves, and in doing so to save each other."

Controversies

The book has been called

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

. A "former township committeewoman proud of her conservative beliefs" who was seeking to get the book removed from local libraries called it "pervasively vulgar, obscene, and inappropriate" and said that it includes an illustration of

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

and men having sex.Monica Yant Kinney
Working to shelve students' book choices.
/ref> An article by Mission America claimed that

PFLAG Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an LGBTQ advocacy organization founded and led by friends and family of LGBTQ people. PFLAG is a national organization presiding over decentralized local and regional chapters. PFLAG has nearly ...

, in recommending the book, was attempting to "encourage children to be self-indulgent and self-centered in every aspect of life; to reject the wisdom of parents and other authorities if they wish even at early ages; and to engage in just about any sexual behavior imaginable."Harvey, Linda P
''Why PFLAG and Children Don't Mix Unless you happen to like child abuse...''.
/ref> The

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...

Foundation of Texas reports that the collection was "banned" by the

Texas Youth Commission The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was a Texas state agency which operated juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission was headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin. As of 2007, it was the second largest juvenile correc ...

because the book is “not consistent with the educational goals of the State and TYC" and would cause “inappropriate behavior by the students.” In April 2010, the Burlington County Library System in Southern New Jersey removed this book. In May 2010, the Rancocas Valley Regional High School Board of Education, also in Burlington County, voted to remove the book from its high school library shelves after protests from a local

9-12 Project The 9-12 Project (alternatively 9/12 Project, 912 Project) was a group created by American television and radio personality Glenn Beck. It was launched on the March 13, 2009, episode of ''Glenn Beck (TV program), Glenn Beck'', the eponymous talk ...

group.Osborne, James
"Burlco school board bans book on homosexuality".
/ref> In response to the book's removal in both the Burlington County Library System and the Rancocas Valley Regional High School library, a group of young theatre artists began a series of theatrical readings in several locations around New Jersey and New York. The theatrical reading project is entitled Revolutionary Readings and is under the direction of Brandon Monokian and dramaturged by Victoria Fear, both graduates of

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

.{{Citation needed, date=May 2022

References

2000s LGBTQ literature 2000 anthologies 2000 non-fiction books LGBTQ literature in the United States American anthologies Race and society LGBTQ and multiculturalism LGBTQ working-class culture LGBTQ anthologies LGBTQ young adult literature Young adult non-fiction books Alyson Books books 2000 LGBTQ-related literary works