LGBTQ Street Youth Doing Resistance in Infrapolitical Worlds

When feminist philosopher and popular educator Maria Lugones (2010) talks about a resistant sociality, I recognize this way of being in the world with others; one in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) street youth share with each other gossip and information about jobs, teachers, social workers, the police, and their security guard agents. These spaces away from the scrutiny and examination of those in power, when queer street youth compare their experiences and analyze power, become locations of creativity and possibility. A resistant sociality also makes space for the queer youth to rest without harassment, smoke and laugh with friends, dress provocatively with new-found clothes, dance to publically taunt onlookers, but also dance to enjoy their own and each other’s bodies. It allows youth to release the “muscular tension” (Fanon, 1963, p. 17) accrued from constant negotiations with teachers, police, and medical personnel.