A review by shannenlc
We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights by Amelia Abraham

4.0

"When marginialised people connect with, learn from, and build upon the efforts and struggles of those who came before, we inch ever closer to a new and better world."

We Can Do Better Than This is an anthology of 35 essays from queer activists on various topics that are currently impacting the LGBTQIA+ community. From healthcare to law to relationships to pronouns to discrimination to pride to abuse to activism, it has it all. As with all anthologies, I expect to have the good and the bad essays but generally, I enjoyed all of the essays featured but simply connected with some more than others.

My personal favourites were:
- Leaving Bangladesh by Mazharul Islam
- Single and Fabulous? by Amrou Al-Kadhi
- Pregnancy Beyond Gender by Levi Hord
- Queering Sex Ed by Sasha Kazantseva
- The End of Intersex Surgeries by Hanne Gaby Odiele
- As We Grow Older by Juno Roche
- Pronouns as Portal Magic by Bobbi Salvör Menuez
- When it Comes to Sex and Gender, You're Right by Kate Bornstein
- Doing Better by Adam Eli

Each contributor brings their own unique stories, experiences and perspectives to queer issues and speaks on those issues eloquently. It was wonderful to see the inclusion of minority and lesser known identities in the queer community such as asexuals and intersex people. Generally, the representation was diverse and there was a lot of discussion on gay and trans identities and topics, but there seemed to be a lack of representation of multisexual identities including bisexuals, pansexuals, omnisexuals and polyamorous people. Nonetheless, I appreciate that it's hard to include every single identity and topic into a 300 page book and 35 small essays and the editor did a generally great job at being diverse with the contributors and topics they chose to include.

"Queer people come from every walk of life and therefore have different experiences of the world and of being queer. Denying that certain queer people have advantages or priveleges that others do is disrespectful, detrimental and, frankly, a waste of time. Not everyone's stories and struggles are the same. However, a queer person can always relate to another queer person on at least a basic level because all queer people were born into a predominantly straight world."

It was an emotional and inspiring read which demonstrated the value and importance of having queer activists and queer public figures to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, which although have improved in many ways over the years, still have a long way to go. I liked that it wasn't a solely Western perspective and that there were essays which focused on what it means to be queer in places all over the world including places where homosexuality is illegal such as Bangladesh, Brazil and Nigeria. Likewise, I found the chapters on things related to disability, age and inclusion in queer spaces fascinating since these are topics that can sometimes be overlooked within the community. The book touches upon the in-fighting and gatekeeping within the community which often comes down to who has it the hardest and exluding certain queer individuals on the basis that they have more priveleges. The above quote from Adam Eli's essay did a great job at addressing that and of advocating for more togetherness in the LGBTQIA+ community.

As to be expected with any LGBTQIA+ book, there were a lot of upsetting discussions about the discrimination, abuse and hatred queer people face but there were also messages about pride, acceptance, love and building a better future. Ending with a section about activism served as an uplifting ending to the book which encourages queer people and allies to become more involved in LGBTQIA+ issues and rights.

Overall, We Can Do Better Than This was an insightful and empowering read. It captures the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and the fight for equality that is central to LGBTQIA+ activism well. It's accessible to all regardless of prior knowledge of LGBTQIA+ topics and is a valuable educational resource.

"The first step in building a kinder queer community is learning to love ourselves for who we truly are, not punishing ourselves for who we have 'failed' to be"