Queer Excuses for Existing
A Poem by Sergiy Pustogarov
my queerness is not an excuse for you to make mistakes every day and apologize ten minutes later saying you don’t think of it when i’m here but you correct everyone when i’m not around that’s the fakest lie in the book my queerness is not a reason for you to call me faggot in the hallway and just say it was a joke misplaced wrong person wrong time because maybe if you said it in another hallway a teenager would go home and kill themselves my queerness is not an excuse or a reason or an explanation for your inaction because i exist does not mean you do less it does not mean you do more just in my presence my queerness does not mean you are an activist only in this moment and in this place my queerness is shed like a light across the stage where i connect with my siblings and my trans brother wraps me in his arms my queerness is not the reason you do nothing because you think i am doing everything with these fleeting breaths i have been given while fighting for just the right to breath and love on this rolling ball of shit we call home my queerness is not the reason to give up on the schools teaching another person it’s okay to walk down the hallway and start shooting up their classmates and scaring all the little children because my queerness exists because my activism exists in larger circles that pass farther than the timetables you punched out friday take my queerness out of your mouth and stop strapping me to the table with your sudden consideration of gender stereotypes acting like you still cared last weekend yelling out homo in the middle of the club who went home and cried after that you will never know your wretched stench still fills my nostrils my queerness will never be your excuse
Sergiy Pustogarov (they/them) is a nonbinary poet and medical student who weaves together the worlds of art and science with a compassionate touch. Their poetry explores themes of identity, healing, and the intricate beauty of human experience, drawing inspiration from their medical studies and personal journey. A passionate advocate for mental health and LGBTQ+ visibility, Sergiy uses their writing to amplify underrepresented voices and foster connection. Sergiy dreams of a future where art and medicine intersect to heal both the body and the soul, and bring peace to a hurting world.
