Pride month is a time of celebration, acceptance, and embracing one’s own identity. However, this is a perilous moment for the LGBTQIA+ community, as our rights are being stripped in the US and around the world. We can’t stand by while dangerous and harmful policies are enacted that put the lives of people in our community at risk–especially young people.
It’s not news that the LGBTQIA+ community is being attacked on multiple fronts. From Uganda to the United States our rights are being stripped–at home, at work, and in the communities we love.
In the United States, according to the Human Rights Campaign, over 540 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislature across the nation just in the past 6 months; 220 target trans and non-binary folks. This is a record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws (up from 42 in 2018), and points to a clear coordination of efforts by extremists across the country.
Moreover, the laws are not just mounting in number, but in severity, attacking the very existence of LGBTQIA+ folks. We are being threatened and stripped of basic human rights and the right to live and love freely.
The regressive laws are truly terrifying. In Florida, healthcare providers are at risk of losing their license to practice as well as criminal charges if they provide gender-affirming care to patients (SB 254, which Governor DeSantis signed into law in May, but is now being challenged in court). In Montana, transgender and non-binary youth are at risk as schools are now allowed to misgender and forcibly out students (SB 518). In Nebraska, youth are now prohibited from receiving gender-affirming healthcare (LB 574). In Tennessee, teachers are now permitted to misgender transgender students and use their deadnames (names assigned at birth but then retired as part of transition) (HB 1269).
It's not just the US. A few short weeks ago, Uganda passed one of the most aggressive and deadly laws for the LGBTQIA+ community, including life imprisonment for homosexuality, and going as far as capital punishment for "aggravated homosexuality."
A proud history of resistance and liberation
Over 50 years ago, the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City became a catalyst for the gay liberation movement during a 1969 police raid on the now well- known gay establishment; the resulting violence on LGBTQIA+ patrons led to a protest stretching over five days that changed the reality of life for the LGBTQIA+ people across the country.
Notable leaders in the movement included BIPOC and trans activists Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera, who fought tirelessly for the LGBTQIA+ community for years. They remind us even now that the current struggle reflects the fight nearly five decades ago: trans and BIPOC individuals are at the center of the fight for our rights, and are most impacted by these harmful policies across the globe.
This is more than a “right or left” political angle–this is about existence. When an entire group of people is under attack, threatened, and forced to stay in the shadows due to violence and death threats–there can be no peace. This is an urgent call for action, and we need everyone involved.
It is clear that now is not the time to sit idly by while queer people’s lives are in jeopardy. We must use our collective voices in our communities, elevate and support queer-affirming politicians at the local, state and federal level, and protest vigorously and peacefully.
This Pride month as we reflect on where we are in this moment, let us carry the legacy of Stormé, Marsha and Sylvia and call out the extremism, the violence perpetrated against queer people, and the sheer assault on our human existence by showing up, standing up and speaking up.
Together, our voice will be heard. This battle will not be won in the shadows. Love always overcomes.