Here's wishing a happy LGBTQ Pride Day to all of my readers. This year, with the continuing Black Lives Matter demonstrations occupying the public spaces of multiple communities throughout the nation, I figured that I'd bring up the topic of intersectionality, which even a cishet white guy like myself can see is the proper approach to any and all liberation movements. An intersectional approach to human rights campaigns involves confronting all oppression- racial, class, religious, sexual and gender orientation/identification. Your feminism is broken if you are anti-transwoman. Your racial liberation movement is defective if it countenances homophobia. Your Democratic Socialist agenda just isn't working out if you are anti-semitic.
This year in particular, the dangers faced transwomen of color need to be addressed. Just this month, two black transwomen were killed. Violence against transwomen of color has been described by the AMA as an epidemic. Black transwomen were on the front lines of the original LGBTQ rights movement, playing a critical role in the Stonewall 'riots'. Black lives matter, trans lives matter, black transperson rights matter.
Enjoy the Pride celebrations, but remember that the Trump Maladministration has reversed policies protecting LGBTQ people from healthcare and health insurance discrimination. Trump would also love to crush the Black Lives Matter movement, violating the Constitution to do so. The time for a compartmentalization of activism is long gone, discrimination against any protected class is unacceptable.
Have an happy Pride Day, but don't forget that being angry as well is perfectly reasonable.
"being angry as well is perfectly reasonable"
ReplyDeleteBeing angry is practically mandatory if you're the least bit self-aware and empathetic in this world.
Black trans people are the perfect rebuttal to those idiots who think that being trans is just a phase, or a choice. Who on earth would be black and brown in America, and add the abuse and risk that being trans in that same society, just for the hell of it?
There are trans people even in countries where it is a literal death sentence by law. And yet, they exist. Same as gay and bisexual people exist.
They exist, they survive, they thrive, despite all that the world throws at them. Happy Pride Day, guys and gals (and those who choose not to identify as either)!
Happy Pride!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we need to keep an eye on IMPOTUS and his never ending desire to tear down everything that has been done to protect LGBTQ people.
And yes, I'm staying reasonably angry. Always.
XOXO