Tiananman Square-- 30 Years Ago

This post was written by a trusted old friend. I'm not concerned about retribution for publishing it since DWT is already banned in China, on all of China's air carriers and over Chinese airspace. I count that attention from the neoliberal authoritarian People's Republic as an honor and a Badge of Courage!Yesterday was June 4th. And the 30th anniversary of the Tiananman Square massacres. I wish to remember this date. A very dear friend of mine (I’ll call him Tam) was there, protesting. And, the man next to him was shot dead, among uncounted and unknown numbers of others who were shot dead.Tam was seen on Chinese national TV. A friend in a Northern provence somehow got in touch with Tam, saying you have to leave China NOW. The authorities are looking for you. Tam somehow managed to get on a flight out of Bejing to the US. With nothing except his life.Tam is now a US citizen. And, now is one of my dearest friends. And, one of the smartest, most politically savvy and hardest working people I know. And, he’s gay. Trump would hate him, just on principle- he’s an immigrant, a person of color (Chinese), and gay. But I am not Trump. I love Tam, in part because he understands me: straight, white, and not an immigrant, at a bone-deep level.

Tags