Towards a Queer Nation

I've been interested for a while in writing a short work of satirical fiction based on the idea of the establishment of a Queer nation-state.

Not only would this offer the opportunity for some fun and fantastical self-satirizing, but it would also provide a means by which to comment on the idea of the nation-state in general. I'm particularly interested in calling into question racial, religious, and even cultural bases of contemporary nations. As someone who grew up in a multicultural situation, the idea that one generally has to be Japanese (ethnically) to be Japanese (legally), for example, is almost absurd. That brand-new contemporary nation-states were established in the twentieth century based on what I would consider antiquated notions of culture and ethnicity is all the more bizarre to me.

I do not think that nation-states are good, but if that's the system we've got, I don't see why homosexuals the world over couldn't get together and build the most fabulous country of all. And I'm not the first person who's thought of this.

So I did some research a little while back, and I might get around to writing my little amusing anecdote one day. But why am I telling you this? Well...

This week our Prime Minister decided to recognize a nation within Canada. This delighted many separtists, and many federalists. It also pissed off many federalists. And it sure annoyed many First Nations leaders, who feel, apparently and unsurprisingly, that parliamentary recognition might be good for them too.

The fact that this parliamentary recognition amounts to pretty much nothing, of course, is beside the point. The House of Commons, in an uncharacteristic and dubious step, has decided that nations are not necessarily always or only polities. They might also be collections of people who themselves identify as a nation.

Does this recognition work against multiculturalism? Probably. Is it likely to bring diverse groups within Canada together? Probably not. I suppose time will tell. Meanwhile, I think it's safe to say that this whole episode is rather strange.

In any case, I almost feel like abandoning the fiction in favour of this utterly strange reality. "Dear Mr Harper," I'll write, "Homosexual culture and art predate the Canadian nation-state and the Québécois nation. Queer Canadians represent a cultural, sexual and political majority in a small (but distinct!) area of downtown Toronto. We've got a flag and a holiday...." and so on. I'm pretty sure I've got a case.