STOP MCQP'S BLATANT CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

At midnight on October 30 2016, a day the indian community recognized globally as Diwali, MCQP announced the theme of their 2016 party: "A Bollywood Production."

Established in 1994, The Mother City Queer Project (MCQP) started as a costume party which aimed to create a safe space for misfits, freaks and beautiful creatures to be free and rejoice in the experience of being a marginal other. But in recent years, all it has become is a money making machine which blatantly commoditizes the queer body and creates a hostile playground for white, homonormative bodies to rule over. Those are the "no fats/fems/asians" types just by the way. It's toxic and it just became even more toxic with the announcement of this theme.

This is blatant cultural appropriation and misrepresentation of the highest regard. The event's Facebook page uses a description that attempts to justify the theme as cultural appreciation, but with phrases such as "Eastern guests" "from Bollywood" (because Bollywood is a place now) calling for the party's predominantly white cis-gendered patrons to express themselves in "Saris and harems", it is anything but. Furthermore, the Facebook event credits Ian McMahon as brainchild
of the event, and features no members of the indian community in its production credits or promotional material. The promotional material features white shirtless males dressed in "pagaris" (turbans) and traditional Indian jewelry. This is an uncalled for exploitation of the iconography of indian culture for the pleasure and profit of a largely privileged and white audience. Those homonormative bodies are going to be taking a marginal identity and missusing it for the sake of looking "cute" or just getting lucky with NO regard for the cultural significance of such icons AT ALL. This cannot be allowed!

This is distasteful, problematic and absolutely unapologetic appropriation in the worst way possible. As members of both the Indian and queer communities, we are truly offended. MCQP, you have gone too far. The gaytriarchy will not prosper. Do us all a favour and fix this.

We ask for all the support we can get in signing this petition and appealing to MCQP to change the event theme, or if not, cancel their event. As advocates for the rights of marginalized identities, we cannot let this come to fruition.