Friday January 6, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 01 |
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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
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A worthy and single 'shero' to start the new year off right |
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| A worthy and single 'shero' to start the new year off right | ||
| by Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid
- SGN A&E Writer
Yea, after three parties to start the new year with my lovely friends, I'd wanted to start it by kissing a redhead, but the blonde who gave me a little smack wasn't bad. I'm all ready for a new year. And, my 50th birthday is in a few weeks too, but for now it's all about our newest 'shero,' Lynn Sereda. L&L: Are you from Seattle, if not, where? LS: I came to Seattle by way of San Francisco, but grew up in New Jersey. L&L: What made you become an activist and why do you consider yourself an activist? LS: Becoming an activist was my response to a sort of 'calling' when I was a teenager. I remember being very pissed off about the fact that girls couldn't wear pants to school or take blue collar trades classes in high school, and made my opinions known. L&L: As someone who knows what it's like to deal with housing issues, how do you help others deal? Victories? LS: It is getting increasingly harder for many people to afford rent. I work primarily on making sure that budget cutbacks don't eliminate what little low-income/affordable housing we have. I try to organize other public housing residents to speak up on this issue, first and foremost by encouraging their leadership abilities. Some of what may be considered 'victories' are making people in the general community aware of the fact that the Seattle Housing Authority has been shifting its emphasis on creating housing for poor people, to developing mixed income communities, where poor folks may be at risk for becoming displaced, such as Yesler Terrace. I am a passionate voice for free speech and am pleased, so far, that we have been able to defend the rights of SHA residents to post signs and flyers on their personal doors and windows. L&L: What's the wildest thing you've done - sexual, or non-sexual? Are you single? What kind of woman would you like to date, if you are single? LS: One of the wilder things I've done was back in 1981 for the Gay Freedom March in San Francisco. I used lavender vegetable dye to cover my body and then crazy glued feathers to my nipples and wore a trench coat over this to the parade. Well it was a hot summer day in S.F., with an enormous crowd of folks, and you know that trench coat wasn't going to stay on! Back then, it was pretty controversial to be so exposed, even at the GLBT March, so that was pretty wild! But a word of advice: there has to be a better way of affixing feathers to your breasts than crazy glue! I am single, and consider myself Queer. I like to date smart, independent, free thinking women. If not activist themselves, they should at least have knowledge of what's going on in the world, and care about it in some way. (And she likes outdoorsy women who like films, how cool is that?) L&L: What do you see as the biggest issue for the coming year and how will you work on that issue personally? LS: I think the biggest issue (or at least I hope so, and that people will focus on this), will be the growing racial and class divide here at home. And I will continue working on this issue by addressing racism and white privilege by my involvement with the local group, Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW). I also hope to increase the awareness of the Queer community about how many Queer folks are living below the poverty level and advocate for our rights as Queer folks to be safe when we are poor and live in public housing. L&L: What goals do you have for the new year, for yourself and what would you like to see for the community? LS: My personal goal is to get out into nature (me too, hiking anyone!), more, and hopefully find a partner to snuggle with in a tent, camping out in some beautiful place! I'd also like the community to become more supportive of each other and my part in this is to continue to appreciate and support the network of activists I am involved with. L&L: If you could be 'queen of the world' what would you do to make the world better? LS: I don't know about my inclination to be 'queen of the world'&I've always viewed myself as more of a warrior in the trenches (let's run this woman for president in '08!). So, on this level, I would lend my passion and persistence to bettering the world (very cool!). L&L: If you could have a magical power, what would it be and why? LS: If I had a magical power, it would be to cast a spell that some how we'd all have incredibly developed senses of intuition and, with this, there'd be so much more natural understanding of each other. Another power I'd like to have is to create a world where language was in the form of poetry, making our everyday interactions with each other more creative and full of meaning (oh, I love that idea, don't you?). So, there you are, and if you're interested in dating this wonderful woman, feel free to e-mail me about that or any other thoughts - just can the spam, I'm soooo tired of it. Email me at: ijanaral@yahoo.com. |
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