Conventional life is one where one behaves like everyone around them, fitting into the standards of what is considered normal traditionally. Many queer and trans individuals who stand out because of their lifestyles are treated harshly by the society resulting in a yearning to lead a life where they are invincible to those who judge them. Women, especially those of color, are also trying to break out of the mold of what is expected of them conventionally. Change is inevitable, and people should recognize that the world will not always remain as it was, and these minorities are leading the charge. Moreover, anyone who dreams of a common life eventually discovers there is no choice but to seek an uncommon approach to living it since we are all unique individuals.
There has been a growing consciousness of the struggle women of color, trans and queer individuals face in their daily lives. Works of literature, therefore, have to be aware enough to create movements that are aware of and can live with the lives individuals choose and who they love. Differences between people should be embraced, and their commonness celebrated. Believing that we are unilaterally defined by race, class, or sexual preference will result in one living in misery. It is because individuals may feel the need to repress their real selves to fit into the expectations of society. Moraga, in her book, speaks about how, as a white woman, she has a wave of repressed anger about being walked over when talking with white women about race. Anzaldua, fortunately, convinced her that their book would be a life changer and it would help other women understand the complexities of race. Moraga also speaks about her feelings of abandonment when her ‘sister’ married a man. She understands that it is nor immature or ‘queer’ to feel this way since their bond was great. She speaks about how it is normal for women to separate themselves from those they consider different. They think these differences are scary, but rather, it is them ignoring the pain of other women who cannot lead conventional lives.
In Walker’s book, she speaks about how New York City has had a variety of strategies of revitalization. These developments have occurred in the Christopher Street Pier which was historically a meeting place for lesbian, trans, bisexual and trans people. The street became famous for harboring the queer public though recently, it has changed into the Hudson River Park, which is mainly privatized. Unfortunately, this development was made to seem like it was a development of the city, when, in fact, it was an effort to push out the LGBTQ youth of color who visited the place. It was also an effort to make the place seem like a conventional place in the traditional society where non-normative sexualities, cultures and ethnicities do not exist. The Pier was a safe space for these youth but with this came revitalization, which was a form of political resistance. The individuals behind the change are trying to make the ideologies and geographies of the city heteronormative with fixed conceptions of gender and sexual identity.
We ought to be a little naïve from time to time to ensure that individuals of different sexualities, races and ethnicities can live peacefully together. By this, I mean that we should stop judging other people for how they live their lives and embrace our differences.