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May 31, 2020
In 1969 a group of LGBTQ+ people facing threats to their safety and freedom threw a brick and ignited a movement. A brave group of sex workers, drag queens, trans women of color and queer folks were unwilling to let police brutality, discrimination and public shaming continue to destroy their lives.
That riot started Pride. A movement that was originally a time to fight and protest but over the years has morphed into a time to celebrate.
And there were things to celebrate. From legal rights to equal marriage to the everyday existence and expression of our identity in a world that often doesn’t accept us.
Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that Pride has lost its purpose. Large corporations created their Pride rainbow collection, parades were priced out of reach for grassroots organizations when permit prices rocketed and most people saw Pride as a time to get drunk and dance the day away with friends. The meaning of Pride shifted to a sales pitch and a party, a collective day for the world to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Which was what we were all fighting for anyway, right?
Not right. We were fighting for equality and we are so unbelievably far from equality.
Black people are being murdered. LGBTQ+ black people. Trans black people. Black trans women have experienced unprecedented levels of violence for years at rates so high it can be described as epidemic of violence. Tony McDade was murdered, misgendered and received minimal media attention in the past week.
This is our community being murdered, attacked, discriminated against, psychologically abused and diminished. And we must take action.
We’ve listed below a number of ways that you can support black people and fight for the rights to protect black lives.
Choose the action that is right for you but know that your action is needed. Use your voice, your wallet, your presence and your pen to fight for equality. Fighting for black rights IS fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and that is the purpose of Pride. This is our responsibility to take action, your responsibility. Whether you take your riot online or in person to the streets, make it heard loudly and clearly that we will not stop until there is equality and justice for all.
You can read a full list of Bail Out Funds in 27 states in this brilliant post from Austostraddle here
Donate to Tony Mcdade’s family here
Donate to George Flloyd’s family here
Donte to Ahmaud Arbery’s family here
Donte to Regis Korchinsky-Parquet’s family here
Donate to Black Visions Collective here
Donate to Communities Against Black Justice here
Donate to The Bail Project here
Donate to Unicorn Riot here
Call for George Flloyd Call 612-324-4499
Call for Breonna Taylor from instructions here
Call for Regis Korchinsky-Parque from instructions here
A simple script that you can use when calling any official:
My name is _____ and I live in ______. I am calling to demand justice for ______ and want to see _______ (a full investigation into their murder / all 4 police officers investigated and charged for their involvement)
Petition for Tony Mcdade here
Petition for George Flloyd here and another here
Petition for Breonna Taylor here
Petition for Ahmaud Arbery here
Petition for Regis Korchinsky-Parquet here
Find a protest by looking up your local chapter of Black Lives Matter or Showing Up For Racial Justice
Read the following posts for guidance around how to protest safely and what to consider before hitting the streets
An anti racist reading list shared by the New York Times here
Array101 has a learning companion for When They See Us here and a huge list of resources referenced here
Campaign Zero provides a comprehensive plan for police reform here
Thanks to Josh Rivers for his words around the Stonewall Riots used at the start of the article from recent work he’s been doing with team HER. And to all the HER team members that collated and shared all the resources they have found.
