Author Q&A with Myriam Gurba: Bisexual stereotypes, #MeToo movement, and writing about trauma
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Myriam Gurba, a Mexican American, bisexual writer and advocate, is first and foremost an expert in her own experiences—as a queer woman of color, as a survivor of abuse, as a survivor of gender-based violence, Gurba knows her story in a way that no one elsAuthor Q&A with Myriam Gurba: Bisexual stereotypes, #MeToo movement, and writing about trauma
Myriam Gurba, a Mexican American, bisexual writer and advocate, is first and foremost an expert in her own experiences—as a queer woman of color, as a survivor of abuse, as a survivor of gender-based violence, Gurba knows her story in a way that no one else quite does. As Gurba explained to Daily Kos when she joined us for a phone interview, this type of “expertise” is precisely what people should focus on when it comes to supporting survivors and movements like #MeToo. “In every situation of abuse,” Gurba explains, “and in situations of gendered violence, in particular, the person being victimized is an expert on how to survive because if they are alive, it is to their credit. They have managed to prolong their life under the threat of death.” In her incredible memoir, Mean, Gurba writes about true crime, small towns, and sexual violence with startling and poignant clarity and humor. In her recent publication, Letter to a Bigot, Gurba writes an address to a certain Republican politician in California she believes made many of Trump’s most notorious racist, xenophobic remarks far before he had a national platform in politics. Gurba also offers some advice to fellow artists who are considering turning to art to heal after trauma and points out one very big—and very consistent—issue with national coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more