Elizabeth Mahony Queer Labor: Gendered Work and the Service Industry Labor Arts 20 !

"on#$iction Essay sub%ission

&War

'aint() 'hoto series

on *ender 'resentation in the +ork'lace by ,oco Layne- .uesday) /ctober 20) 20 1- Source: ,oco Layne2s Website- 3htt':44+++-lolitabandita-co420 14 04+ar'aint-ht%l5-

.he history o6 the 7ueer +orker is not +ell understood either by labor unions or %ainstrea% LG8.Q advocacy or*anizations- .he do%inant LG8.Q narrative in the 9nited States) havin* relied on neoliberal rhetoric and tactics to 'ro%ote assi%ilation into the the consu%er he*e%ony) ulti%ately caters to and re'resents an elite class o6 *ays unble%ished by the da%nin* si*ns o6 class stru**le- /n the other hand) a vein o6 thou*ht e:ists in labor unions that vie+s LG8.Q stru**les as &identity 'olitics() sus'icious 6or their divisive ca'acity) culturally deviant and &decadent( 'resentation) re'resentin* a 'ossible distraction 6ro% si%'le labor issues- 8oth o6 these understandin*s %iss the *endered di%ension o6 +ork) the role e%'loyers 'lay as *atekee'ers o6 nor%ative relationshi's) and the i%'ortance o6 7ueer 'olitics as a 'ublic#oriented service industry *ro+s and a ne+ *eneration o6 youn* 7ueers be*in to enter the +ork6orceI be*in by analyzin* ;hil .ie%ayer2s ;lane Queer: Labor) Se:uality) and AI<S in the =istory o6 Male $li*ht Attendants in order to 'rovide the reader +ith a case study on ho+ >obs are *endered and on ho+ the construction o6 LG8.Q identity 6lo+ed throu*h class and race"e:t I ar*ue that this do%inant construction o6 LG8.Q identity beca%e a 6orce rank#and#6ile activists had to contend +ith in 6i*htin* 6or the s'ace and control over a Lesbian and Gay Issues ,o%%ittee ?LAGI,@ in "e+ Aork2s <, 1B- $inally) I look critically at the i%'lications o6 these challen*es 6or youn* 7ueer +orkers enterin* a +ork6orce co%'risin* %ostly o6 service industry) 'ublic#oriented >obs.ie%ayer be*ins his history o6 %ale 6li*ht attendants by cautionin* that in the early years o6 co%%ercial air travel) these +orkers +ere neither 6e%inised nor 7ueered in the sa%e +ay they +ould be later in the century- In 6act) he asserts that &it is anachronistic to s'eak o6 a C*ay2 6li*ht attendant cor's that endured Cho%o'hobia2 in the 010s- In those years) unlike the 'ost+ar years)

ho%ose:uality +as a barely choate identity cate*ory(- It +as only throu*h both the attendants2 'ro:i%ity to the &*ay( culture o6 their +ealthy custo%ers and throu*h the later entrance o6 +o%en into ste+ardin* that over ti%e 7ueer %en be*an to be attracted to the 'ro6ession- At the ti%e o6 co%%ercial air travel2s ince'tion) it +as both considerably less co%6ortable and %ore e:'ensive than it is no+- .he inherent dan*er in early) %ore rudi%entary air travel %eant %ana*e%ent sou*ht %ale over 6e%ale 6li*ht attendants- Mean+hile) its cost and aura o6 dan*er %eant a clientele consistin* o6 6abulously +ealthy %en travelin* +ithout their 6a%ilies- In the early 020s and 10s) such %en surrounded the%selves in decadent &*ay( culture) +hich) +hile not linked to ho%ose:uality in the sa%e %anner as today) did celebrate a %ore a%bi*uous) 'lay6ul %asculinityAll these 6actors sha'ed the service cor's that ori*inally sta66ed these 'lanes- .ie%ayer +rites that &+hile the D%aleE ste+ard could not as'ire to 'artici'ate 6ully in this eccentric li6estyle because o6 his +orkin*#class status) he +as *roo%ed by DairlineE 'ublic relations de'art%ents to cater to this so6ter u''er#class %asculinity- In this sense) ste+ards o6 the day belon*ed#at least aesthetically) 6ro% an e:a%ination o6 their uni6or%s and other 'ublic relations %aterials # to the %ore 6luid *ender and se:uality nor%s that ty'i6ied the C*ay2 li6e o6 the urban elite(- .hus one sees the &inchoate( nature o6 ho%ose:uality in this conte:t- Elite &*ay( culture had very little to do +ith actual se:ual relations and %ore to do +ith consu%'tion) e:hibition) and an uninhibited li6estyle- It +as an a66ect borne o6 'rivile*e that +as not accessible to +orkin* class %en in other industries +ith less 'ro:i%ity to such +ealthy urban dandies- .his is +hy in its2 early years) ste+ardin* re'resented a certain &6ashionable servility( %ore than it did a s'eci6ic 7ueer identity-

.his 'oints to a conundru% that +ill be a co%%on the%e in this 'a'erF that the *endered nature o6 +ork and lar*er social 'erce'tions have) and continue to) %ake &+orker( and &7ueer( a''ear %utually e:clusive- Ste+ards could only be hand%aidens to the se:ually 'lay6ul %asculinity o6 their clients) not 6ull bene6actors o6 the a66luence and security it rested on- .his +as seen as ho%ose:uality did be*in to 6or% into a &choate identity cate*ory( in the 'ost+ar years and a66luent &*ay( culture beca%e un6ashionable in decades o6 +ar and nationalis%Without its association +ith +ealth and *entility) the con6lation o6 &*ay( +ith &deviant( dee'ened in A%erican society- In this conte:t) +orkin* class 7ueers stru**led 6or a secure identity not only a%on* do%inant *ender and se:uality nor%s but also a%on* class ones- $or e:a%'le) .ie%ayer docu%ents the %edia res'onse to the %urder o6 a youn* *ay ste+ard) Willia% Si%'son) in 0G! and ho+ the %edia dealt +ith the 7uestion o6 his ho%ose:uality.here +ere no &investi*ative re'orts about Si%'son2s +ork at Eastern and the 're'onderance o6 *ay %en in the 6li*ht attendant cor's- .he re'ortin* su**ested that ho%ose:uality +as an identity that %ani6ested itsel6 only in the leisure +orld#in nei*hborhoods) bars) beaches) and 'ublic 'arks # rather than at +ork(- .he +orker and the 7ueer) in the 'o'ular i%a*ination) stood as aberrations to one another- .he su''osedly i%%oral and antisocial nature o6 ho%ose:uality %ade 7uestions o6 7ueerness 7uestions about 'atholo*y- .his +ould continue to haunt the LG8.Q %ove%ent 6or %any years as it stru**led to clari6y and challen*e the %aterial bases o6 its2 o''ression) +hile loud voices 6ro% both inside and outside the co%%unity insisted that the 'ri%ary challen*es had to do +ith se:uality and 'atholo*yAt the Lusty Lady in San $rancisco) a stri' club +hose dancers or*anized in the 00s) this %aterial basis +as bein* directly dealt +ith- Hulia) a +orker at the club) ar*ues that the lar*ely lesbian and bise:ual +ork6orce o6 the Lusty Lady 6aced uni7ue econo%ic challen*es that in 'art

drove the% to or*anize- &8ecause +e +ere lar*ely *ay +o%en() she says) &+e did not have any 6antasy at all o6 havin* a %an su''ort us in the 6uture- We understood this >ob to be our sole su''ort DIE Aou >ust don2t have 6antasies +hen you2re a lesbian that you2re *oin* to have another lesbian +ho2s *oin* to su''ort you- .here2s so 6e+ o6 those) and they +ear really bad blazers(? 2!@- .he Lusty Lady had consistently %arketed itsel6 as +o%an#6riendly and 7ueer 6riendly) and %ana*e%ent surely %aintained a certain cultural 6reedo% around these identities=o+ever) this belied and even actively obscured the econo%ic 'recariousness o6 its +orkers and ho+ that 'recariousness +as linked to their 7ueer identity- In 20 ) +hite +o%en +ere earnin* J2 cents 6or every dollar earned by %enF A6rican#A%erican +o%en K0 centsF and Latina +o%en K0 cents- As Hulia a'tly 'oints out) lesbian +o%en cannot ho'e to access the added econo%ic security o6 'artnerin* +ith a %an that strai*ht +o%en can- $urther%ore) those 6e+ lesbians that could 'rovide %ore su''ort than the avera*e +o%an +ore &really bad blazers( L in other +ords) they belon*ed %ore to the cor'orate +orld than to a +orkin* class one) and held only tenuous solidarity +ith lesbian +orkers like HuliaAnother uni7ue challen*e 6aced by these +orkers +as the sti*%atization) and devaluin*) o6 se: +ork in the *eneral culture- /ne o6 the dancers 'oints out that &+e don2t 'atholo*ize thera'ists 6or 'rovidin* e%otional su''ort 6or %oney- 8ut even thou*h +o%en are trained to be co7uettish DIE +e are 'atholo*ized i6 +e do that 6or %oney- We2re e:'ected to do it 6or 6ree in a variety o6 >obs) like bein* a rece'tionist) a ste+ardess) al%ost any su''ort 'osition >ob(? 2J@- As discovered by the ste+ards o6 .ie%ayer2s account) 'ublic#oriented service >obs re7uire an e%otional labor that is *endered in s'eci6ic +ays- Even) 6or e:a%'le) as the airline industry continued to e%'loy and attract *ay %en) it %ade a conscious e66ort to sell both the care*ivin* and se:ually attractive ca'acities o6 it 6e%ale ste+ardesses- Se: +ork clari6ies this *ender

'er6or%ance as labor rather than nature) as 'artly %aterial rather than 'atholo*ical- $or this it is not easily understood by LG8.Q activists that ca%'ai*n lar*ely 6or assi%ilation into the neoliberal order) rather than a*ainst the +ays e%'loyers bene6it 6ro% *ender 'er6or%ance and act as *atekee'ers to nor%ative relationshi's- Si%ilarly) the deviance se: +ork re'resents in 'o'ular i%a*ination %eans that &'eo'le don2t +ant to see that DdancersE are >ust like the%- .hey2re on an asse%bly line and +e2re in a 'ee' sho+- 8ut it2s >ust basic labor issues(? 2J@- A layer o6 sti*%atization %akes it di66icult 6or these +orkers to 6ind le*iti%acy in labor.he de%ysti6ication o6 *endered and se:ualized labor 'rovided by the Lusty Lady ca%'ai*n allo+s us to look at client#6ocused) service >obs %ore +idely and be*in to create an analysis o6 ho+ it a66ects LG8.Q +orkers- Startin* +ith 6ood service) the Mestaurant /''ortunities ,enter "e+ Aork 'roduced a re'ort on *ender >ustice in the restaurant industry that illu%inates %any o6 these issues- In the study) M/,#"A 6ocuses on the 6ine#dinin* sector because they &tend to be the %ost elite) visible) and in6luential establish%ents in the industry(What these restaurants do set the tone 6or the rest o6 the industry- $urther%ore) because they are so co%'etitive and serve a +ealthier clientele) they o66er so%e o6 the only livin*#+a*e >obs- As a +orker) the ability to access and retain a >ob in one o6 these restaurants can %ean a real di66erence- .he re'ort +as co%'iled usin* census analysis) surveys o6 over 6ive hundred restaurant +orkers in "e+ Aork ,ity) de%o*ra'hic canvassin*) and intervie+s +ith both +orkers and e%'loyersWhat e%er*ed +as strikin* evidence o6 a stratiNed division o6 labor alon* the lines o6 *ender) race) and lan*ua*e +ithin restaurants- Wo%en o6 color are al%ost +holly 'ushed out o6 Nne#dinin* and instead concentrated in 7uick#service) or 6ast#6ood) establish%ents- .hey co%'rise 2J- O o6 the industry2s +ork6orce but 1!-0O o6 total 7uick service 'ositions-

$urther%ore) +ithin Nne dinin* +o%en are 'ushed out o6 the hi*her#earnin* 6ront#o6#the#house 'ositions) +hich are GG-0O less likely to be 6e%ale- Accordin*ly the M/, re'ort re6ers to a &double ta:( i%'osed on +o%en o6 color 6or their *ender and race in the 6or% o6 lo+er +a*esIn this conte:t) +herein *ender and ethnic 'resentation heavily inPuence hirin* and earnin*s) &+o%en are o6ten con6ronted by blunt i%a*e#consciousness) se:is%) and stereoty'es$re7uently) they are co%'letely e:cluded 6ro% accessin* certain 'ositions and rele*ated to traditionally &6e%ale2 roles(- ;ushed out o6 %ore %anual back o6 the house +ork ?one 6e%ale cook %entioned that in order to %aintain her >ob) she avoided &lookin* like a +o%an +ith %akeu' and everythin*(@ the >obs +o%en have access to are the ones directly servicin* clients +here they are sub>ect to %ore intense scrutiny to+ards their a''earance and %anneris%s- =ead shots are o6ten re7uired in the intervie+ 'rocess and 6e%ale servers are continuously surveilled and 'oliced to look %ore 6e%inine and se:y- /ne +orker recounted that their %ana*er &al+ays 'estered the hostesses to +ear heels---he +anted us all *la%%ed out() des'ite their 'rotests that +orkin* in heels 6or ei*ht hours at a ti%e +ould be e:cessively 'ain6ul- .here is a rationalization o6 care6ul *ender 'resentation and se:ual availability as 'art and 'arcel o6 service that 6e%ale +orkers %ust acco%%odate in order to %aintain their e%'loy%ent and ti's.his ty'e o6 *enderin* o6 service has broad i%'lications 6or LG8.Q +orkers- In 'articular) it entirely 'ushes out individuals +ho are *ender non#con6or%in* and trans*ender +ho cannot or do not +ish to &'ass( as a cis*ender %an or +o%an in order to Nt the re7uire%ents o6 'articular 'ositions- .his is es'ecially ur*ent considerin* the rates o6 une%'loy%ent 6or youn* transQ individuals- A 20 survey 6ound that une%'loy%ent rates 6or

trans and *ender non#con6or%in* 'eo'le +as !O) double the national avera*e- $or trans*ender 'eo'le o6 color the rates +ent u' to 6our ti%es the national avera*e- Hust as +o%en o6 color 6aced

a &double ta:( on their earnin*s 6or their *ender and race) &In>ustice at Every .urn() a 20 re'ort on trans*ender discri%ination 6ound that &discri%inaton +as 'ervasive---yet the co%bination o6 anti#trans*ender bias and 'ersistent) structural racis% +as es'ecially devastatin*(- Al%ost hal6 o6 res'ondents said they had e:'erienced bein* Nred) not hired or denied a 'ro%otion 6or bein* trans*ender or *ender non#con6or%in*- .he e66ect on trans*ender and *ender non#con6or%in* co%%unities is un%istakable) +ith the ho%eless rate %irrorin* the une%'loy%ent rate at nearly double the national avera*eA ,"" 'iece details the stru**le o6 Reisha Allen) a trans*ender +o%an o6 color +ho %akes less than S 2)000 a year doin* se: +ork- .his isn2t unco%%on) +ith KO o6 res'ondents to the .ask $orce re'ort sayin* they +ere 6orced to +ork in the under*round econo%y 6or inco%e- &She has a''lied 6or hundreds o6 entry#level >obs that don2t re7uire a colle*e de*ree # 6ro% dish+ashers to cashiers() says ,"") &+ithout %akin* it to the Nrst intervie+(- As a result she is ho%eless and o6ten 6orced to stay in the %en2s section o6 her shelter- In the 6ace o6 the over+hel%in* risk o6 6allin* to the ed*es o6 survival) al%ost three 7uarters o6 res'ondents sou*ht to hide their *ender or *ender transition in the +ork'lace- .his is a dauntin* task in the conte:t o6 the %eticulous *ender and i%a*e 'olicin* seen in restaurants- In 'articular) 6e%ale# identi6yin* LG8.Q +orkers in6or%ed M/, they &o6ten 6elt hu%iliated and an*ered 6or 6eelin* 'ressured to 'lay traditional 6e%inine stereoty'es in order to obtain e%'loy%ent) avoid harass%ent or retaliation on the >ob) be res'ected) or si%'ly Nt in(? G@- Such co%'ulsory *ender 'er6or%ance is es'ecially de*radin* 6or those +ho have had to stru**le to reconcile their se:uality and *ender to the%selves) their 6a%ilies) and their co%%unities,onversely) %ale#identi6yin* LG8.Q +orkers %ay 6ind the%selves 'ressured to 'lay u' stereoty'ically 6la%boyant %anneris%s- .heir *ender non#con6or%ity +as advanta*eous in

&certain restaurants in +hich bein* a *ay %an +as considered chic or trendy(- As +e sa+ in ;lane Queer) LG8.Q#identi6yin* 'eo'le o6ten 6ollo+ one another throu*h +ork'laces that 'rovide a %odicu% o6 acce'tance and 'rotection- =o+ever) %ana*e%ent so%eti%es e:'loits this by 'layin* on the +ay ho%ose:uality is co%%odi6ied and e:oticized in %ainstrea% culture- /ne bartender re%arked that &Many %ale ho%ose:uals 6ind a haven +orkin* in restaurants) +here you can o6ten be yoursel6F ho+ever) Cbein* ourselves2 o6ten %eans 'layin* into stereoty'ical notions o6 +hat it is to be ho%ose:ual and %ale(- At the Lusty Lady) too) LG8.Q +orkers +ere attracted to the establish%ent because o6 its i%a*e o6 acce'tance) but o6ten lesbian and bise:ual e%'loyees 6elt that a s'eci6ic stereoty'e o6 their se:uality +as bein* 6etishized and e:'loited 6or 'ro6it.his &i%a*e +ork( is not >ust en6orced in restaurants) but) as +e2ve seen) in a +ide s+ath o6 service#based >obs) includin* retail- .his is +hat artist ,oco Layne e:'lored in &War'aint() a 'hoto series that +as ins'ired by her 'art#ti%e >ob at a conservative +o%ens2 retailer- Layne describes hersel6 as a &hardcore 6e%inist and valiant 7ueer 7ueen( +ho co%%ents that &It +as co%ical ho+ o66#brand( she +as 6or the >ob- She even +ore a +i* 6or the intervie+ to hide her undercut) in +hich the sides o6 one2s head are shaved as a 7ueer si*ni6ier- .he series is a %onta*e o6 sel6#'ortraits that run the s'ectru% 6ro% a %asculine to 6e%inine *ender 'resentation- In the 6irst 'hoto) she +ears a dark collared shirt buttoned all the +ay u' +ith her hair slicked back and no %akeu'- .hrou*hout the %onta*e she %akes subtle chan*es to her a''earance) such as allo+in* her hair to 6all *ently over one eyebro+) addin* 'ro*ressive a%ounts o6 %akeu') and chan*in* into a bri*ht 6loral to' until she reaches a totally 6e%inine *ender 'resentation&I identi6y as a 6e%%e 7ueer +o%an() said Layne in an intervie+ +ith the =u66in*ton ;ost) &So%eti%es I2ll 6eel like bein* su'er 6e%%e and I2ll +ear a lot o6 eye %akeu' and li'stick

+hile on other days I +on2t do anythin* besides 6ill %y bro+s in(- <es'ite already identi6yin* as 6allin* so%e+here on the 6e%inine s'ectru%) the co%'ulsory nature o6 a 6e%inine *ender 'resentation in her +ork'lace revealed ne+ ele%ents to her ideas about *ender 'resentation- &It2s 6ascinatin* to see the nuanced correlations bet+een ho+ I 'resent %ysel6 and the +ay 'eo'le treat %e() she says- .he 'rocess) 6or her) +ent beyond a 'lay6ul co%%entary on %akeu''in* to con6ront the econo%ic and social conse7uences o6 'resentin* as visibly 7ueer or *ender non# con6or%in*In Se'te%ber 20 1 Meuters re'orted that in Au*ust the 'ace o6 *ro+th in the 9-Sservices sector hit an ei*ht#year hi*h- .he "ational E%'loy%ent La+ ;ro>ect 6ound in 20 2 that !1O o6 the >obs created durin* the econo%ic recovery +ere in lo+#+a*e service industries includin* retail) 6ood services and e%'loy%ent services- Increasin*ly) available >obs are concentrated in these sectors +hich re7uire both 6re7uent inter6acin* +ith the *eneral 'ublic and 'ressure to e%body a co%'any2s &brand(- 8usinesses +ho +ish to di66erentiate the%selves 6ro% e:'lodin* co%'etition %ay increasin*ly 'ut the +ei*ht o6 &brandin*( and 'rovidin* a s'eci6ic e:'erience 6or their clients onto their e%'loyees- .he un+a*ed and nor%alized nature o6 additional e%otional) se:ual) and a''earance#based labor %akes this a lo+#cost o'tion 6or co%'anies in a shareholder#beholden landsca'e- 8usinesses can ski%' on brandin* and e:'and the +ays in +hich +orkers are disci'linedSo ho+ are labor and 7ueer activists to address the diverse issues LG8.Q#identi6yin* +orkers 6aceT $or ans+ers +e can turn to the Lesbian and Gay Issues ,o%%ittee in <-,- 1B) the 'ublic e%'loyees union in "e+ Aork ,ity- .a%ara Hones asserts that &LAGI,2s Dacco%'lish%entsE can be 6ound in its ability to balance %e%bers2 co%%it%ent to su''ortin* and stren*thenin* their union a*ainst the need to challen*e and broaden the union2s institutional

structure and 'ractices in order to better re'resent lesbian and *ay +orkers(? BK@- I6 <-,-1B %e%bers +anted to address their uni7ue concerns as both LG8.Q 'eo'le and +orkers) they needed le*iti%acy in their union- At the sa%e ti%e) they +ere 6ear6ul both o6 bein* sidelined as a s'ecial interest *rou' and also o6 the union2s structural 'o+er to &set the a*enda) and try to control +hat the issues +ere( ? BB@- LAGI, accordin*ly ado'ted an a''roach that blended collectivist internal or*anizin* and acco%%odatin* the union chain o6 co%%and- .his +ay) they could build their a*enda de%ocratically but also validate their issues as *enuinely +orkin*#class ones throu*h the union2s s'onsorshi'An early) central ca%'ai*n s'earheaded by LAGI, +as 6or do%estic 'artner bene6its.hrou*h this ca%'ai*n LAGI, +as able to elicit +ides'read labor solidarity- .hey &consistently de6ined do%estic 'artners to include un%arried heterose:ual cou'les- 8y doin* so) the *rou' +as able to link the s'eci6ic needs o6 lesbian and *ay +orkers to those o6 another cate*ory o6 un'rotected +orkers) %ovin* beyond ri*id identity 'olitics(? JJ@- In doin* so LAGI, +as an i%'ortant 'ioneer in discardin* ar*u%ents over 'atholo*y and deviance in order to address root %aterial o''ression) creatin* a co%%on lan*ua*e bet+een &labor( and &7ueer(- .hey also illu%inated the underlyin* 'roble% o6 do%estic 'artner bene6itsF they ability o6 the e%'loyer to re*ulate the relationshi's o6 the +orkin* class- In %y census track in Washin*ton =ei*hts) KG- O o6 residents are 6a%ily households) but only 2!-!O are %arried#cou'le 6a%ily households - .he statistics sho+ that there is *reat variation in the %akeu' o6 each 6a%ily and their arran*e%ents that *o beyond 7uestions o6 7ueer or strai*ht households- Li%itin* the 6or%s in +hich 'eo'le can access the econo%ic stability and bene6its o6 %arria*e is another +ay 6or e%'loyers to disci'line the +orkin* class-

1 Social Explorer, 2011 Census

.hus +e can see the %ulti'le) intersectin* +ays e%'loyers use *ender and se:uality to both e:'loit +orkers and control their relationshi's outside the >ob- We can also see that there is di66iculty in or*anizin* 6or 7ueer) +orkin* class issues outside o6 the do%inant LG8. 6ra%e+ork- LAGI,2s ca%'ai*n 6or do%estic 'artner bene6its is a vital note in the history o6 LG8.Q activis%- 8ut it also advocated 6or so%ethin* that +as so%e+hat di*estible and bene6icial to a strai*ht audience- In contrast) a "e+ Aork or*anization called Queers 6or Econo%ic Hustice sou*ht to &challen*e and chan*e the syste%s that create 'overty and econo%ic in>ustice in our co%%unities) and to 'ro%ote an econo%ic syste% that e%braces se:ual and *ender diversity(- .hey do so because &althou*h 'oor 7ueers have al+ays been a 'art o6 both the *ay ri*hts and econo%ic >ustice %ove%ents) they have been) and continue to be) lar*ely invisible in both %ove%ents(- .heir vision +as not di*estible to the strai*ht co%%unity) challen*in* to the %ainstrea% LG8. narrative) and econo%ically subversive ?'erha's %ore so than %ost labor unions@- As a conse7uence) in <ece%ber 20 1 they +ere 6orced to close as they &looked do+n the barrel o6 the 6undin*#+orld shot*un( and 6ound no one +illin* to su''ort their +ork.he crisis Queers 6or Econo%ic Hustice 6aced should be a +ake#u' call to LG8.Q activists in the labor %ove%ent- Queer activis% that addresses the dee' econo%ic roots o6 LG8.Q o''ression si%'ly cannot survive in the *rant#+ritin* +orld- It +ill either chan*e to 'lease donors or shut do+n- Labor unions are 'erha's the only or*anizations that can 'rovide the s'ace) 6ra%e+ork) and 6undin* to or*anize 'oor 7ueers- Activists +ill have to 6i*ht their union in order to do it) and do it +ell) but it is 'ossible in an a*e +here %ost labor leaders es'ouse social >ustice unionis%- .he conse7uences o6 the ne+ econo%y # 6ro% 'er6or%ative *ender labor to increased 'recariousness # 6or 7ueer +orkers +ill be broad and o6ten o'a7ue- .he challen*es +ill *o beyond anti#discri%ination clauses to necessitate a %ore countercultural resistance- Questions

o6 ho+ to or*anize and +hat to or*anize 6or +ill have to be resolved throu*h trial and error) throu*h discussion and disa*ree%ent- 8ut the need 6or the closin* o6 the *a' bet+een &7ueer( and &+orker( is clear) and the 'ossibilities o6 LG8.Q or*anizin* throu*h a labor 'ers'ective are endlessWorks ,ited .ie%ayer) ;hil- ;lane Queer: Labor) Se:uality) and AI<s in the =istory o6 Male $li*ht Attendants- 9niversity o6 ,ali6ornia ;ress) 20 1Mestaurant /''ortunities ,enter # "e+ Aork- &Waitin* on E7uality: .he Mole and I%'act o6 Gender in the "e+ Aork ,ity Mestaurant Industry(- 20 0.he "ational Gay and Lesbian .ask $orce- &In>ustice at Every .urn: A Me'ort o6 the "ational .rans*ender <iscri%ination Survey(- 20 &.rans*ender >ob seekers 6ace u'hill battle(- ,""- $eb 20 1- 3htt':44%oney-cnn-co%4 20 14024224'64trans*ender#une%'loy%ent45 8ee) Hules- &War'aint ;ro>ect Gender#8ends the Work'lace(- SLM Loun*e- "ov 20 13htt':44+++-slrloun*e-co%4+ar'aint#'ro>ect#e:'lores#*ender#+ork'lace5 8rooks) Ratherine- &=ere2s What =a''ened When /ne Wo%an <ressed More $e%inine 6or her Hob(- =u66in*ton ;ost- "ov 20 1- 3htt':44+++-hu66in*ton'ost-co%420 14 4 04coco# layneUnU!20B 0 -ht%lTut%Uh'Ure6Varts5 /2"eill) "athalie- &Artist ,oco Layne e:'eri%ents +ith her *ender e:'ression in CWar'aint2 'hoto series(- 8ustle- "ov 20 - 3htt':44+++-bustle-co%4articles4J02!#artist#coco#layne# e:'eri%ents#+ith#her#o+n#*ender#e:'ression#in#+ar'aint#'hoto#series5 Rru'at) Ritty- /ut at Work: 8uildin* a Gay#Labor Alliance- 9niversity o6 Minnesota ;ress) 200 &QEH Is ,losin* # .he Work ,ontinues(- Queers 6or Econo%ic Hustice- 2 <ece%ber 20 13htt':44+++-7!e>-or*45