It Is Our Promiscuity That Will Save Us

In 1987, the art historian, critic, and curator Douglas Crimp wrote, “It is our promiscuity that will save us.” Crimp’s challenge to the notion of promiscuity as a destructive force offers us a portal into thinking about technologies and practices of queer care and community-building that can help see us through the present moment of polycrisis, and the next.

Rather than shying away from the messiness of our entanglements with each other, or the affective muck that accumulates over time in queer communities, let’s get into the mess together. It is here where we might find the solidarities, relational skills, capacity for risk-taking, and even the possibility of pleasure as we build more durable bonds, grounded in learnings from our own lives, those of our queer elders and ancestors, and the futures we are striving to create."

Zena Sharman, PhD is writer, consultant and LGBTQ+ health advocate whose work explores themes of community, identity, and care. She is the editor of several anthologies, including and the Lambda Literary award-winning . Her debut memoir was published in 2026.

A seasoned leader, facilitator, and strategist, Zena has fifteen years’ experience working in leadership roles at national and provincial health research organizations in Canada. She now works as a consultant with a focus on working collaboratively to understand and transform complex systems. A death doula and hospice volunteer, Zena is passionate about equitable and inclusive care at all stages of life. She lives with her family on Vancouver Island. You can learn more about Zena and her work at <https://www.zenasharman.com/>.

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