Boston LGBTQ organizations use karaoke to kick off “Queers Against Censorship” campaign urging Massachusetts lawmakers to oppose dangerous legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act
Last night, queer activists and community packed The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, turning its weekly Queeraoke event into a protest pressuring MA lawmakers like Senators Warren and Markey who are key swing votes on the issue.
BOSTON, MA – A coalition of local LGBTQ organizations packed The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA last night for a “Queers Against Censorship” party. Participants waved signs and banners urging Massachusetts lawmakers to oppose dangerous anti-LGBTQ censorship legislation like the misguided Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), attacks on Section 230, and online “ID check” age verification laws.
See more PHOTOS the event here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10LU5-RM4Dd5ww670ETfGNvUVIoRVuRwS?usp=sharing. Media outlets are welcome to publish these photos with credit to the photographers.
Some signs and speeches specifically called out Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has expressed support for LGBTQ rights, but cosponsored KOSA during the last Congress despite overwhelming opposition from the ACLU, human rights and LGBTQ groups. Others urged Senator Markey (D-MA) to “do the right thing.” Markey has previously expressed concerns about KOSA and its impact on LGBTQ youth, but then voted to advance the legislation during a Senate markup last year. Participants used QueersAgainstCensorship.com to send letters to other MA lawmakers including Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who have not yet taken a position on these types of bills. Other progressive House members like AOC and Maxwell Frost have publicly opposed KOSA.
“It’s not okay for Massachusetts lawmakers to say they support our community, show up at Pride to make speeches and dance around in feather boas, and then turn around and vote for dangerous censorship legislation that helps the Trump administration carry out its assault on trans and queer people,” said Evan Greer (she/her), director of Fight for the Future, “Bills like KOSA were always dangerous, but in the current environment where Trump is weaponizing government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to try to erase trans existence, it’s outrageous that our elected officials here in MA aren’t vocally opposing these legislative attacks on our rights and safety.”
The Trump FTC, which KOSA would empower to dictate what content young people can see on social media, recently held a “workshop” explicitly targeting providers of health care for transgender youth. The Freedom of the Press Foundation explained more about why bills like KOSA are so dangerous in a recent Boston Globe op-ed.
“Nationally, we’re seeing attacks on our trans and queer youth, including the heartless dismantling of suicide prevention and health care resources, with some politicians bizarrely claiming that lifesaving information is somehow harmful to children. And right here in Massachusetts, we see how critical these resources are, with 41% of 13-18 year old LGBTQIA+ youth in MA having considered suicide, and 11% of them having attempted it,” added Jack Imbergamo, Executive Director of TQNC (The Queer Neighborhood Council), “Our Massachusetts lawmakers so often stand proudly in support of the Commonwealth being a safe haven for our community, and now we need them to also take action and vocally oppose dangerous legislation like KOSA, attacks on Section 230, and online ID check laws.”
“These censorship bills are not just an LGBTQ+ issue. They are a racial justice and intersectional justice issue,” said Burhan Muhammad, event co-organizer and Founder of Intersectional, Innovation, and Impact (III) Labs. “They disproportionately harm youth of color who rely on already-biased algorithmic platforms to survive, connect, and cope with isolation. As someone whose youth-led work has been erased by social media censorship, and who has lost friends to suicide fueled by hate and targeted threats based on ethnicity and culture, I see this as deeply tied to U.S. imperialism. The United States sets a dangerous precedent, one that authoritarian regimes around the world mirror to suppress and debate the existence of queer and trans people, whose identities have long been celebrated in countless Indigenous cultures. When we fail to resist these bills, we don’t just fail our own communities. We send a message to the world that this oppression is acceptable.”
The Queers Against Censorship event featured live performances from nationally touring trans singer/songwriter Ryan Cassata (who has a new record out on Kill Rock Stars), local queer activist and musician Evan Greer (who just announced an album in Rolling Stone), drag performers Hazel Afrodite, Killah Croc, and MA-based musicians Molly O’Leary, and Justin Arena.
The protest party was hosted by Boston-based digital rights group Fight for the Future in partnership with III Labs, Trans Resistance MA, Transgender Emergency Fund, ACLU of MA, Mass NOW, Stonewall Sports, The Queer Neighborhood Council (TQNC), Lavender Education, Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and more. The coalition plans to continue pressuring MA lawmakers to take clear positions opposing anti-LGBTQ censorship bills like KOSA, age verification bills that require online “ID checks,” attacks on encrypted messaging tools, and attacks on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Contact: press@fightforthefuture.org with inquiries.
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