by Jeff Iovannone, MA student in Historic Preservation Planning
Miscellany, Box 75, Folder 1. Human Sexualities Collection, Rare and Manuscript Collections.
Cornell University Libraries.
These black-and-white photocopied flyers, that depict multiracial queer couples kissing, were distributed to publicize Queer Nation Ithaca’s 1992 Valentine’s Day rally and kiss-in. Kiss-ins are a queer protest tactic popularized during the late 1980s to early 1990s as a way to defy homophobia and destigmatize AIDS.
Queer Nation was originally founded in New York City in March of 1990 by AIDS activists from ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) New York. Whereas ACT UP worked to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic through direct action protest, Queer Nation was, in the words of Ithaca chapter member Paisley Currah, “a national movement to combat heterosexism and homophobia” that adopted a public, provocative, and highly visible approach to activism.
Queer Nation Ithaca formed in August of 1990 and was composed of Cornell University students and community members. Both likely thought a more direct and confrontational approach to combatting homophobia was needed beyond existing university and city organizations such as Cornell’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Coalition, Cornell AIDS Action, or the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP).
The flyers make use of imagery created by Gran Fury, an art-activist collective associated with ACT UP New York (the collective’s logo is visible in the lower right-hand corner of the first flyer). Gran Fury was known for their evocative visuals that raised awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The images used by Queer Nation Ithaca were originally created in 1989-1990 as a bus-side poster for the Art Against AIDS On The Road campaign. Gran Fury’s message was that AIDS could not be spread through casual contact such as kissing.
Queer Nation Ithaca repurposed Gran Fury’s artwork to make a statement about the heterosexual bias of Valentine’s Day. The young, sexy, and stylish couples surely drew the attention of Cornell students and city residents. At 5:30 pm on Friday, February 14th of 1992, the organization staged a rally in the center of The Commons, a pedestrian shopping mall located in the heart of Ithaca’s commercial district. A substantial audience was guaranteed, as many Ithacans were likely at The Commons to celebrate the holiday.
According to reporting by Megan P. Davis in the Cornell Daily Sun, Queer Nation members chanted, “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it,” and declared February 14th as “Queer Valentine’s Day.” Paisley Currah, a Cornell student and organizer of the rally, explained the purpose of the event was to “give exposure to gay, lesbians, and bisexuals” because “queers also celebrate Valentine’s Day.” At the conclusion of the rally, which lasted approximately one hour, the 40 participants randomly paired up with a same-gender partner and kissed to celebrate the holiday and force the Ithaca community to recognize LGB sexuality. No negative reactions to the rally or kiss-in were noted.
Throughout the early 1990s, Queer Nation Ithaca staged other public actions such as distributing pamphlets at Pyramid Mall, speak-outs in The Commons, a queer independence day rally (held on July 3rd of 1992), and a picket of James L. Seward, a state senator who withdrew his support of a state-wide hate-crimes bill—all with the intention to force Ithaca residents to confront their homophobia.
Sources
“Celebrate ‘queer’ independence,” Ithaca Journal, July 3, 1992.
Currah, Paisley et al. “Fair practice law gives no special preferences.” Ithaca Journal, July 27, 1991.
Davis, Megan P. “Queer Nation Stages Holiday Rally, Kiss-in.” Cornell Daily Sun, February 17, 1992.
“Fighting Homophobia.” Ithaca Journal, October 14, 1991.
Finkelstein, Avram. After Silence: A History of AIDS Through Its Images. Oakland: University of California Press, 2018.
Gran Fury. “Kissing Doesn’t Kill.” Accessed November 4, 2021. https://www.granfury.org/kissing-doesnt-kill/.
Hubbard, Jim. “ACT UP Kiss-In (April 29, 1988).” Accessed November 4, 2021. https://www.jimhubbardfilms.com/unedited-footage/act-up-kiss-in.
“Queer Nation NY: Our History.” Accessed November 4, 2021. https://queernationny.org/history.
“Queer Nation to stage ‘kiss-in.’” Ithaca Journal, February 14, 1992.
“Queer Nation will ‘speak out’ downtown.” Ithaca Journal, November 23, 1991.
“Queer Nation will stage ‘kiss-in.’” Ithaca Journal, October 11, 1991.
Simonetti, Joel. “Queer Nation: ‘In your face’ activism.” Ithaca Journal, August 10, 1991.
Jeff Iovannone is a queer historian from Buffalo, New York, and an MA student in Historic Preservation Planning at Cornell University. He received his PhD in American Studies from the University at Buffalo in 2012 and coordinated the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at SUNY at Fredonia from 2013-2021. His areas of interest include LGBTQ heritage preservation, connections between preservation, public history, and social justice, and the use of preservation planning to benefit historically marginalized communities. Iovannone is also the co-founder of Gay Places, an initiative that documents LGBTQ historic sites in Western New York, with Preservation Buffalo Niagara.