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