Last month, I was featured in the Food and Drink issue of Curve Magazine for my article on what it means to be a “Queer Urban Farmer” (photo cred Charlie Randall with help from my dear friend Mark Sherman from LEAF). The article discusses my observations (and frustrations) about how much queer identity seems to be centered around being an “urbanite”, both in the media and indeed very often in reality. For me, this correlation between being queer and being urban is false, and is directly related to the diaspora many queer people experience coming from rural areas that typically seem to provide less opportunities to form thriving, safe LGBT2Q community.
But the question I ask in the article is “What about queers like me?” I desire “a big open field, a plot of land to put my hands in, a horizon, a steady pace”, in short, I want a more rural life. However, I also desire the comfort and excitement of belonging to a thriving, accepting, dance-party-filled queer community, like the one I have surrounded myself with here in Toronto. I balance these two needs by being a part of, and advocating for, the urban farming community. My hope is that not only will more queers take leave of the city and form thriving communities in rural places, but that we can also make the city more appealing for those who want to balance city life with their passion for working the land and being in touch with nature.
I end the article with this thought:
“Although so many of us certainly feel “free” in the city, until that freedom fully extends beyond the borders of the city centre, there is still much work to be done. Until then, you can catch me turning heads in my farm gear, content that, queer or not, being an “urbanite” these days can mean being a farmer like me.”
Sorry Folks, can't find it online, but you can ask me to send you the full article via email!
