OPINION: In the aftermath of Pride, I'm worried
OPINION: By Clay Cane, a Sirius XM radio host and the author of Live Through This: Surviving the Intersections of Sexuality, God, and Race. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
It's July now, so will the people and corporations who shouted, "Happy Pride!" continue to show up for the queer community?
The WorldPride march, which began in Rome in 2000, has reached astonishing heights and gathered millions to its side, but it's crucial to acknowledge that the strengthened international unity of the LGBT community is not the same thing as achieving the goal of equality.
This year's march, held in New York City to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots -- when LGBT pioneers fought back against police violence -- was estimated to draw a crowd of more than 100,000 people.
And while it's wonderful to see so many coming together, remembering what people -- especially the black and Latinx transgender women pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera -- endured should not be glossed over with a corporatized sea of rainbow logos and flags.
Yet it feels like some have forgotten that Pride began with grit. It was about liberation by any means and fighting back against a system that brutalized us. Remember, Stonewall was a riot, not a party.
It is 2019 and the political climate has a new tenuousness: There is a need for us to get back to the roots of Pride. If you need any evidence, just consider that there have been 11 transgender women murdered this year alone.
Meanwhile, in May President Donald Trump's administration introduced the "conscience rule," potentially allowing health care providers to turn away queer people on the basis of the providers' religious beliefs. Trump is also fighting to roll back an Obama administration ban on discrimination against gay and lesbian couples who are adopting. He has appointed numerous judges who are vehemently against queer equality. And let us never forgot the hypocritical Christian Vice President Mike Pence, who has consistently advocated against gay rights, and his wife Karen Pence, who now works at a school that bans LGBT teachers and students.
As this administration continues to roll back protections, the 50th anniversary of Stonewall is not just a time for celebration but reflection. As a result, I don't just question Trump and those who work for him, but the many corporations, politicians and even celebrities who -- in contrast to his administration -- have decided to support the queer community during Pride Month.
I can't help but pause when I see that Target has offered an overflow of Pride Month clothing when it's the same company that Lady Gaga ended her partnership with in 2011 over its contributions of to an anti-LGBT politician. (Former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement at the time that Target "rarely endorse[s] all advocated positions of the organizations or candidates we support...Target's support of the GLBT community is unwavering, and inclusiveness remains a core value of our company." )
It is disturbing to see Meghan McCain cackling with three drag queens on The View, when she also supports a Republican Party (loathing for Trump notwithstanding), which historically has not supported queer rights. In addition, her husband, Ben Domenech has used homophobic slurs (he later apologized) and his site The Federalist published a hit piece on the queer community in June. Though McCain won an award from the Harvey Milk Foundation for her so-called allyship, she cannot be celebrated as an ally if she votes and advocates for a party that consistently tries to limit the rights of the LGBT community. It is disheartening that the bar for being an ally is so low that any performative act is considered support.
It's the same reason why I rolled my eyes at the countless reality stars, like Real Housewives of Atlanta Porsha Williams, babbling queer lingo and saying "Happy Pride!" with a "Yaaaas!" logo when they were just on camera a few years ago damning queer people to hell.
Even the New York Rangers now have Pride merchandise, which will likely disappear this month -- but would the team welcome a transgender player? Moreover, how would a transgender player feel next to Anthony DeAngelo who has spewed homophobia and racism in the past and still managed to make it to the New York Rangers? (Shout-out to Harrison Browne, the first openly transgender player in the National Women's Hockey League.)
I have a feeling if Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera -- known for being two of the most outspoken, blunt figures of the movement's history -- were alive today, they'd give a big middle finger to these so-called allies and some of these shouts of "Happy Pride!" So, now that Pride Month has ended, I hope we aren't all sitting back comfortable, like our rights are safe and we are trending in the right direction. We cannot forget all that we have lost and all that we still need to fight for in 2019.
Not to say people shouldn't still be decking themselves out in rainbow gear and marching for freedom at every opportunity. March! People fought for you to do so. I've marched in many Pride parades myself. But on the 50th anniversary of the riots, we can't forget that Stonewall was not about love and rainbows -- it was about the anti-establishment, radicalism, anti-police violence and pure, unapologetic revolution. Don't let the revolution be co-opted.
Of course, there are many who will never forget. On the last day of Pride, there was a die-in, organized by ACT UP New York, which represented HIV-positive asylum seekers who died in ICE detention. ACT UP has been fighting the AIDS crisis for decades. Also, a black transgender woman reportedly disrupted a drag show at the Stonewall Inn, saying Pride was too focused on corporations and parties, while ignoring black trans women dying at alarming rates.
So while I hope folks celebrated, I also hope they were thinking about the delicacy of their freedoms, who is really on their side -- and whose pockets they lined as they dressed in their rainbow-best.
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The Gayly. 7/2/2019 @6:01 p.m. CST.