Hello!! Welcome to unofficial summer! Welcome to a new month! Pride Month!
As I begin writing, I cannot put the word “Happy” in front of Pride Month; although, as I look at my notes, perhaps maybe I will get there. Happy is a delicate word these days, as I would not describe my life as happy, yet I try to be happy in everything I do. The difference is subtle.
Many people in my life bring me happiness, as well as ideas, events, among other opportunities. My ability to advocate, speak, and write to advance queer progress gives me purpose, which makes me happy. Absent from that list is Pride Month, though.
Before I go any further, please never forget who I am brings me immeasurable, indescribable happiness that no one can take away. I am very proudly transgender!
Unfortunately, people are trying, and succeeding, at taking away my visibility and validity. In less than four weeks, we flip the calendar from June to July, when my rights are considerably lower than yours, because of state law. Their mission is to threaten me out of existence, or at least Kansas, while everyone “celebrating” Pride will start to forget about me, if they haven’t already.
This is why I am not happy: the timer on your concern and attention has been set. The clock is ticking on our lives, but at least we get a funeral procession before we go.
Oh right, I mean a parade.
While I am quite familiar with the beginnings of Pride, I will not assume my readers are, so here is a brief summary.
Pride started with trans women of color in New York City who were tired of being regulated for simply existing how they wanted. There were laws forcing gender presentation of individuals to match their state issued identification, thus deviation in clothing beyond “typical” gender expectations was an arrestable offense.
Further, these were not simply laws on the books, as police targeted the queer community at bars, looking to arrest queer people. The laws were not necessary for safety or anyone’s protection, rather they were to control a subset of people whose ideas were different from politicians who had the power.
Stop me if this sounds familiar.
It was a rioting group of discriminated people who started Pride … a riot at Stonewall Inn in 1969. A fight against police who were regulating the existence of Americans.
They just wanted to be Happy to be themselves. Happy Pride. I said it.
Look around now. I challenge you to find any resemblance of this history in the rainbow logos or love is love tshirts. The first Pride parade occurred one year following the Stonewall Riots as a celebration of their fight; however now, the parades have shrouds of controversy and threats.
Or worse yet, parades are about cishet* people who want to dismiss their apathy for the last 11 months, earning goodwill by showing up when it’s fun and convenient, or in other words, when it’s Happy. It’s become a place to be seen, rather than celebrating queer freedom, which is more important now as similarly limiting laws are back on the books.
*cishet is short for cis = not trans and het = heterosexual; in other words not queer.
Freedom to be ourselves is exactly the problem, though. Trans people do not have that; therefore, any Pride celebration that ignores the injustice is a fake Happy, which is overwhelmingly obvious in the trans community.
Happy Pride
Happy final month that trans people in Kansas have the same access as cis people.
Happy feel good about yourself month.
Happy rainbow logo month
To me it’s reminiscent of the religious push for putting Christ back in Christmas. Remember how the pretend gentleman in the red suit took over christmas? Commercialism became the problem? Companies’ logos and messaging transform as soon as we wake up from our Thanksgiving afternoon naps?
Happy Holidays, but what about Jesus? His birth started it all, right?
Happy Pride, but what about Stonewall and the riots that started it all?
My first goal with this post is to elicit questions about what Pride is about, and how it started. I issue a challenge to think about what actually benefits the queer community, as opposed to what is simply an elixir to feel better or make money.
If any discussion of Pride occurs without recognition of the constant threats to the queer community, particularly queer people of color, then it’s meaningless. Queer people are being attacked, hurt, and killed every day only for being who they are. Not only are attacks coming from outside, but there is sustained struggle in our own minds, because it’s burdensome endlessly being the target.
My second goal is progress, which is where I am going next.
Progress is not forgetting about us at midnight June 30th. Many of the discriminatory laws passed this year, from the hundreds of bills introduced, are implemented this summer across the nation.
I encourage you to research vacation destinations, dismissing those states with horrific records of LGBTQ+ discrimination, starting with Florida, which has a travel ban from some organizations.
I encourage you to find resources in your community to help LGBTQ+ people, particularly people of color, to help however you can. You might be surprised at how easy it is to help.
I encourage you to engage in conversations with people who are bigoted, not ignoring the fact churches are often the genesis of problems. I can prove it, so spare me that you are one of the good ones, or your church is fine because of the one gay couple in the pews. Many churches signed a pact with awful people, who are asking them to uphold their end of the bargain.
I know some people are breaking free, so I encourage you to examine your own beliefs, knowing you hold the keys for yourself. I love and support you!
Finally, please share my message! I encouraged it last week, and I will do it again. I devote my life to supporting queer people, particularly the trans community, so much of what I do is for that purpose.
I have a plan. I have a purpose. I have a voice.
I just need help getting my message out, so please help!
Thank you for reading and sharing!! I truly appreciate it more than you will ever know!