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☾༓⊹ queer community ⊹༓☽
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˚☾ tl;dr: cute DIY rooms in a cozy community art space with funky anarcho-queer folkx in montreal ☽˚
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✧༺○◦˚ MEOWWWW ˚◦○༻✧
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it’s lovely to welcome you to our little corner of the internets. it’s rare to find each other, nowadays.
as for us, we’re sensitive & mischievous little things who tend to cater to our misalignments by burning normalcy with magic. we live in a queer, trans & neurodivergent housing collective in tiohtià:ke (montreal) that has existed as a place of care, gathering, and community art hive for almost a decade.
and… we’re seeking other human creatures for whom this little project could be meaningful ^.^
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✧༺○◦˚ INTENTIONS ˚◦○༻✧
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human{s} seek human{s} to share
space between slabs of concrete
to make exist and make resist
seeking the universe
ourselves, a way out
a safe haven where stillness
can be softly held
the universe looking upon
itself
.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙ ✩ ̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .
the days may have been long,
but you haven’t lost your smile, friend
from the deconstruction of dominant narratives
to the subversive acts of reinhabiting
one’s corporeality in the face of trauma
let’s devote ourselves to a
sensual reciprocity with the world
and lovingly nurture existence
with care and softness
foster untainted compassion
for the living
while kindling the
indomitable fires within
.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙ ✩ ̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .
and as a community, let us
choose to let our embodied selves
breathe and be seen
nourish the sensitivity
which moves us
give ourselves space to be
without act
and will ourselves to hold space
to see one another
despite—or rather because of—
the pain we may carry
may our desire for affirmation
of our wild selves
and of the legitimacy of our existences
be as radical as it may be
improper
thank you, friend
i hope us existence
i hope us resilience.
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✧༺○ CULTURE OF CARE ○༻✧
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≿⭑༅｡ radical softness ｡༅⭑≾
for us, coming home means returning to a little emotional bubble in which we can be vulnerable and live our emotions fully without the pressures of masking or having to smile. in this space, we choose to intentionalize our relationships; to connect from a place of mutual desire rather than from habit, pressure, or duty.
we cherish having a space where we can both gather to ourselves and embody the rituals that bring us closer to ourselves without judgement. in doing so, we value remaining sensitive to those around us, with the awareness that the emotions inhabiting us are our own.
≿⭑༅｡ communication ｡༅⭑≾
we regularly do check-ins and debriefs with each other, so not to let things go unspoken for too long. we choose to address issues quickly, welcome discussions with empathy, and try to take responsibility when we step on each other’s toes.
we’re aware that when unaddressed, our insecurities, triggers, and irritations often lead to closing ourselves off, and can build resentment over time. it’s not the end of the world when it happens and we take responsibility for it, but it’s still nicer to have those conversations before we get to that point.
≿⭑༅｡ coexist ｡༅⭑≾
we choose to nurture sensitive and caring relationships with the roommates, friends, and couchsurfers who come through and inhabit this space with us, well aware that we’re permeable beings, each of us bearing our own history.
care in this sense may take the form of letting folkx who aren’t part of a conversation but might overhear it know when we’re about to bring up a sensitive topic, of checking-in with people before dumping our feelings on them, or asking someone before engaging in physical contact.
often, it’s as simple as asking if anyone needed the bathroom before taking a bath, asking how people would feel if we’d blast some music or watch a movie in the living room, or taking the time to hold space for one another in difficult times if we both feel like it and have the spoons for it.
≿⭑༅｡ values ｡༅⭑≾
we haven’t talked about it much, but we expect everyone to have some form of political awareness about the plurality of oppressions and to be willing to challenge their own beliefs or step in when necessary.
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✧༺○◦˚ DAY-TO-DAY ˚◦○༻✧
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≿⭑༅｡ collective life ｡༅⭑≾
our space functions a bit like an autonomous social center in that it doubles as collective workspace, art hive and retreat from the outside world for our extend community. we materialize this space of potentiality by regularly hosting couchsurfers, workshops and events.
≿⭑༅｡ roomies ｡༅⭑≾
as for roommates, we’re looking for folkx who resonate with all this; for whom it is also intuitively meaningful to deepen the relationship to one’s body, sensitivity, and presence. other little monsters open to spontaneity who’d also like to keep this somewhat magical space alive with us.
for us, the choice to coexist is an ongoing process, a continuous conversation on both sides through which we seek to get closer to ourselves.
≿⭑༅｡ consumption ｡༅⭑≾
we don’t intend our place to be a space of consumption.
that said, personal consumption is totally chill; we just ask folkx to stay aware of the space’s intentions, to take responsibility for their behavior, and be attentive to others and their potential triggers.
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✧༺○◦˚ NOW WHAT? ˚◦○༻✧
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okay, after writing all of this, we’re realizing that it’s really sweet and all, but we also want to acknowledge that the vibe in the space isn’t always softness (though we’re often pretty cute to be honest).
we’re queer, we’re here. we live strongly, and sometimes we get triggered. and that’s also part of the game.
in short: we’re all in for love and care x1000, but sometimes we’re also deep in our downs or full of rage and we choose to embrace that violence and go outside to exist STRONGLY.
anyways! if you were touched by something we wrote, or if all of this feels aligned with how you also want to exist, send a message our way! =^.^=
cultureofcare[at]riseup.net
with care~~