QueerNation Berkeley

God’s Prophesy Fulfilled

In the times before recorded queer history, our people lived openly in the lands that are now called the Bay Area. But as the nuclear family replaced tribal society, queer people were first marginalized, and then forced off of the land, and intoThe City, where they were prey to all manner of iniquity and rent gouging. Queers were hunted and beaten and mutilated. We were forced to meet in secret, and to deny our identity.

Throughout this period of persecution, queers were bouyed by God’s promise that one day, they would return to the land of sunshine, to the land of Berkeley, for it is written,

land of fruits and nuts ...

“And the Lord saw that the queer people were harried in this land. And the Lord spake onto the prophet Harvey, “You will lead your people across the wide waters unto a new land.” Harvey was fearful,  and he cried to the Lord, “How will we cross the wide waters? For they are cold, and they are filled with all manner of hazardous substances and raw sewage and other pollutants.” And the Lord responded, “fear not, Harvey, for a great bridge will be built, and the people will cross into this land. And this land will be called Berkeley. I say, Lo, I have promised the land of Berkeley to the lesbians and to the gays, and to the bisexuals, and to the transgenders and to the intersexed, and to all of the gender variant peoples. And this land shall be blessed with fruits and nuts, unto 50 genderations.”

—    Book of Reclamations and Realty, 4.0

Her promise sustained us in our darkest hours ...

For centuries,queers repeated this promise at the end of the annual closet festivals, as they chanted, “Next Year, In Berkeley.” In the 1940’s queers began to resettle in Berkeley. A smoke shop on Bancroft Avenue sold lesbian pulp novels. Queers began to gather at the I-House. In 1969 a Gay Liberation Front was formed. In 1973 the first queer community house, the Pacific Center, opened its doors.

In 1970, Gay Sunshine began 12 years of publication, in fulfillment of the prophesy, “For the Sunshine shall issue forth out of Berkeley, and warm the Gay people, and they shall be blessed.”

In 1960, gay leaders began to promote the concept of a homeland for homosexuals. “Return us to the land,” they argued, “so that we may stop the depravity of our urban lifestyle.” Just prior to his assasination, John F. Kennedy was said to have offered some land in Eastern Oklahoma. But the QueerNationists held to the historic prophesy, that queers would some day return to settle in all of Berkeley. Following the assassination of gay leader Harvey Milk, San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein signed the historic “Feinstein Declaration,” establishing a queer homeland in Berkeley.

The Feinstein Declaration

City and County of San Francisco

Mayor’s Office

December 2nd, 1979

 I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with the QueerNationists Aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Board of Supervisors.

 “Her Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Berkeley of a national home for the Queer people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing Straight communities in Berkeley, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Queers in any other county.”

 I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Gay Liberation Front.

 Yours sincerely,

 Lea Miatello for

Diane Feinstein

A City Without People, for People without a city ...

 Since 1979, over 50,000 queer people have immigrated to QueerNation Berkeley, to fulfill the promise. Where cattle had once roamed,  there now stands a world famous university. Where there had been undeveloped and parched land, there now stands the mighty lake Anza. Empty single family homes and apartment buildings now finally have occupants. For God has said, “Suffer the queer children to come unto me, and I shall give them Berkeley.”

If this doesn’t make sense in Berkeley, how can it make sense in Palestine? For more information on how you can oppose Israeli aggression contact, QUIT! at (510)434-1304 or e-mail us at at quitpalestine@yahoo.com.