Pride For All
A
friend of mine — a mentor, really — now sadly deceased -- used to say after Gay Pride Parade # 5434: "I'm so over the rainbow" as in "been there, done that - got the t-shirt, move on."
I admit, I was beginning to feel that way too, but today -- actually, since Trump's election -- I've changed my rainbow tune. We don't need less "Gay Pride" we need more, and by more, I mean more people: gay, non-gay, trans, bi, straight, black, brown, immigrant, poor, frightened and afraid - EVERYONE and ANYONE that feels threatened (which should be pretty much anyone except straight white men who espouse 'Christianity') by the Trump Administration.
Today's "Pride" March was its usual polyglot of colors and creeds and agendas. But, today, I realized, while the catalyst and theme may be LGBT, the reason for the march was very red, white & blue Americana: a burst of laughter and humor and bawdiness and celebration in the midst of the most dire political divide this country has had to confront in a century. America is about diversity - and always has been. Anyone who supports Trump and his ilk to "defend" American values and "preserve" American culture has no idea of our history. What they want to preserve is a diminishing white majority in the United States: a white majority propped up by slavery and underpaid minority workers for most of our history.
I say this as about the whitest person I know: my family were immigrants too, albeit ones who came over at Jamestown in 1620. My great great parents 'owned' slaves. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia where the "right" side of Broad Street was for white folk: the "wrong" side, for "colored." Don't tell me I don't understand systemic racism.
Stop pretending people. Things are NOT alright. When a president uses his bully twitter feed to undermine our Constitutional norms, things are not right. When a president does more than give 'dog whistles' to fearful, under-educated whites inciting racial outrage (as if we need 'incitement' in the current reality) things are not right.
Today, a "friend" on Facebook made what he thought was a funny comment about Pride. It was one-bad-joke too far for me. The "DELETE" button has become an empowering tool. I am not in the giving vein anymore. If you find anything "funny" in my life or my opposition to Donald Trump, not only do I not have time for you - I don't have interest. To quote Dionne Warwick: just walk on by.
I wish I could tell you things would "get better" or "get better soon" if by "get better" I meant, all races and creeds would join hands and sing cumbaya. But, that ain't gonna' happen soon. As long as we have a president seeking to divide us, frighten us and - yes - ATTACK us, I don't see anyway forward but to resist, fight and yes - march in Pride marches: ever expanding Pride marches. From my point of view, "Pride" is no longer about being gay. It is about standing up - proudly - from whatever community you spring -- in protest to this new, frightening era of would-be fascism 2.0.
Be proud. Be focused. Be prepared to fight until Donald Trump AND his entire administration is removed from office. Today, I marched with my husband and celebrated "Pride" as everything I am. Mainly, today, however, that had little to do with my sexual orientation. It had to do with my commitment to fight, oppose and remove-from-power the cancer that is Donald Trump and his ilk.
RESIST!
friend of mine — a mentor, really — now sadly deceased -- used to say after Gay Pride Parade # 5434: "I'm so over the rainbow" as in "been there, done that - got the t-shirt, move on."
I admit, I was beginning to feel that way too, but today -- actually, since Trump's election -- I've changed my rainbow tune. We don't need less "Gay Pride" we need more, and by more, I mean more people: gay, non-gay, trans, bi, straight, black, brown, immigrant, poor, frightened and afraid - EVERYONE and ANYONE that feels threatened (which should be pretty much anyone except straight white men who espouse 'Christianity') by the Trump Administration.
Today's "Pride" March was its usual polyglot of colors and creeds and agendas. But, today, I realized, while the catalyst and theme may be LGBT, the reason for the march was very red, white & blue Americana: a burst of laughter and humor and bawdiness and celebration in the midst of the most dire political divide this country has had to confront in a century. America is about diversity - and always has been. Anyone who supports Trump and his ilk to "defend" American values and "preserve" American culture has no idea of our history. What they want to preserve is a diminishing white majority in the United States: a white majority propped up by slavery and underpaid minority workers for most of our history.
I say this as about the whitest person I know: my family were immigrants too, albeit ones who came over at Jamestown in 1620. My great great parents 'owned' slaves. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia where the "right" side of Broad Street was for white folk: the "wrong" side, for "colored." Don't tell me I don't understand systemic racism.
Stop pretending people. Things are NOT alright. When a president uses his bully twitter feed to undermine our Constitutional norms, things are not right. When a president does more than give 'dog whistles' to fearful, under-educated whites inciting racial outrage (as if we need 'incitement' in the current reality) things are not right.
Today, a "friend" on Facebook made what he thought was a funny comment about Pride. It was one-bad-joke too far for me. The "DELETE" button has become an empowering tool. I am not in the giving vein anymore. If you find anything "funny" in my life or my opposition to Donald Trump, not only do I not have time for you - I don't have interest. To quote Dionne Warwick: just walk on by.
I wish I could tell you things would "get better" or "get better soon" if by "get better" I meant, all races and creeds would join hands and sing cumbaya. But, that ain't gonna' happen soon. As long as we have a president seeking to divide us, frighten us and - yes - ATTACK us, I don't see anyway forward but to resist, fight and yes - march in Pride marches: ever expanding Pride marches. From my point of view, "Pride" is no longer about being gay. It is about standing up - proudly - from whatever community you spring -- in protest to this new, frightening era of would-be fascism 2.0.
Be proud. Be focused. Be prepared to fight until Donald Trump AND his entire administration is removed from office. Today, I marched with my husband and celebrated "Pride" as everything I am. Mainly, today, however, that had little to do with my sexual orientation. It had to do with my commitment to fight, oppose and remove-from-power the cancer that is Donald Trump and his ilk.
RESIST!
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