I've heard folks say that it's better to do internal activism for strengthening community than it is to try and convert antis. At first I didn't see the big deal, but the more I see our community grow, the more I realize that it's true. Realistically we should be fighting on both fronts, but I've noticed my personal activism goals shift from fighting antis to supporting radqueers
@arisudotexe I wouldn't really try to convert antis depending on how you are using that term
@arisudotexe there needs to be a strong and secure community first before we could ever truly convert antis on any scale. Just proving that we exist and we aren’t going anywhere will draw more people in naturally imo. Otherwise it just looks like a small group of perverts just trying to get off.
@arisudotexe From a perspective a couple of layers up, the purpose of both fronts is to improve the existences of radqueers - allow us to be happy, have things like love, friends, and comfort, and preserve those things from attacks. Those are the actual goals, and everything else is means to an end. And I believe that building and supporting our community, online and offline, is drastically more effective at achieving those objectives than trying to change the minds of beings who are very, very determined not to listen.
The Anti's currently rule the world as far as I can tell, there are many of them. Even the most generous studies say that we are in the minority so we can't and shouldn't fight them, we would just lose the inevitable battle of attrition.
Instead of using pull politics we need use gentle push politics and never try to over-reach ourselves with fanaticism. Look for opportunities to make the world better for everyone, free speech, freedom of religion, lowering the age of restrictions for things like driving, voting, emancipation. Encourage better education and inclusive ideologies. Vote for parties that have a chance of governing, even if they don't agree with us, are more in tune with our ideas than the other party.
Lead by example and the world will eventually follow, sometimes we'll have to defend ourselves and that's okay, but we should attempt to avoid/deflect/diffuse any conflict as this will just bite us in the ass.
This is all fueled of course by the community, without a welcoming community, we can't raise the activism that we need to encourage change. But that's certainly shouldn't be the end game or we won't ever see change, just constant persecution.
Even if you we only move one pebble a day, eventually we will move mountains.