About the Editor: Rio Veradonir

There’s no one more appropriate to guest edit our tenth issue than one of our creators. Rio Veradonir has helped shape Queer Majority’s mission from the beginning, advocating an inclusive vision of queerness grounded in the liberal value of universal human rights, rather than identity politics — making QM a space where everyone, LGBT or not, is able to engage. As he wrote in ”Queerness is Universal,” from our sixth issue, “The need to preserve our liberties applies to all humans — not just those belonging to the LGBT community.” As a cis straight man myself, I really appreciate that.

Rio practices diversity as much as he preaches about it, though getting there was not without its trials. Initially enrolled in a fundamentalist private school, he soon recognized that its conservative worldview wasn’t for him. So at sixteen, he tested out and subsequently left to further his education. Over the next ten years, he studied the liberal arts at three different universities, eventually leaving religion behind in favor of an open-minded, science-based worldview.

When his schooling was completed, he joined amBi, originally a Los Angeles-based bi group which has since grown into the largest bi social club in the world. He and his wife Talia quickly developed a reputation for hosting excellent parties — leading Rio to help launch the next two chapters: one in San Diego and the other in Ashland, Oregon.

His volunteer organizing at amBi soon caught the attention of the Bi Foundation, whose Director asked Rio to help him run the organization. Seven years later, Rio now serves as Assistant Director, doing all he can to promote their mission of aiding researchers, promoting outreach and education, and providing community-building resources.

From his fundamentalist upbringing to Queer Majority, and now to his role as our special guest editor, Rio has understood that the only real threat to moving forward is losing hope. Even when talking about divisive subjects like Critical Social Justice theory, he remains optimistic. “It’s important to me that Queer Majority represents a positive vision for making the world a better place, and we’re not just reacting against our opponents,” he told me.

That optimism is one of Rio’s greatest assets, and its benefits for Queer Majority and our readers are perhaps immeasurable. In a time when it often seems we’ve lost faith in a happier tomorrow, we all need someone to say — with intelligence, conviction, and empathy — that the future isn’t a lost cause. Rio is here to remind us that if we are welcoming instead of rejecting, if we are inclusive instead of exclusive, and if we are optimistic instead of pessimistic, we can make the world a better place for everyone.

Published Jan 5, 2022

Published in Issue X: Clash of Ideologies

Articles

As the absolute labels once needed for acceptance begin to peel off, a clear trend re-emerges: We are more bisexual than we think.

Liberal Social Justice, Critical Social Justice & the Nuclear Family

Intentionally confusing radicalism with progress, and moderation with the status quo, is part of the extremist playbook.

“In a world where sexism dies hard, why would I end my emails with ‘she/her’?”

For one cishet man, the LGBT community is an inspiration for straight nonconformists, too.

Je Suis Non-binary: Coming Out in Support of Free Speech

A nonbinary journalist explains how the humorless Left’s unwillingness to defend satire reveals a larger rift.

Faux Feminism: Denying Positive Masculinities

Inclusive Masculinity Theory sees gay acceptance as evidence that the patriarchy is fading. So why are we still so fixated on sticking it to The Man?

My “Lived Experience” with the Cult of “Social Justice”

If “lived experience” is paramount, then it has to cut both ways.

When it comes to “income inequality”, raise the floor, raise the ceiling, raise the roof.

Zach and the City: How Can You Be Inclusive When You’re an Exclusive Sex Club?

In the business of sex clubs, an open-arms policy is one thing, but open legs is another.

My Body and Other Adventures: Polygamists and Polyamorists

Pondering her Mormon ancestors, a polyamorous woman finds strange bedfellows in the fight to expand the definition of family.

Individuality in living color: David Cicirelli makes John Stuart Mill's “On Liberty” dazzle and pop.