Will our history become faded memories?

 - by Dustin Woods
  Visionary Columnist

October is LGBTQ+ History Month and Halloween. An excellent combination given our penchant for camp and flair for the festive. The spooky and the book-ee.

Along that theme, I’d like you to consider some truly spooky thoughts I’ve been contemplating. What would we as a community do if our successes in being recognized as equal citizens in American society were taken away? What would we do if a tyrannical dictator ordered the removal of any representation or mention of our existence? What would happen if the right-wing extremists got their way and they eliminated everyone in the rainbow coalition?

How could we preserve our story for future generations of Americans to hear?

I know it looks pretty apocalyptic, but most can agree that we live in unprecedented times. Perhaps it’s time we consider how to best safeguard our history from being written by those who will win at any cost, including voting for a convicted felon.

What is to stop Trump from ordering the removal and destruction of any 2SLGBTQ+ artifact held by the federal government, including the original trans flag? He has already signed an executive order requiring the review of every display at the Smithsonian to ensure it meets his standards for what constitutes American history. It doesn’t feel like there will be much deliberation given, as that lot seems to shoot first and ask questions later.

Consider those Venezuelans in the boat that Trump bragged about bombing, or any number of black and brown people who have been deported without due process. When the strong man decides to flex his muscles, it may take more than lawsuits to protect our history from being erased or painted over, like the crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub.

We need repositories for local 2SLGBTQ+ history that save the stories of our communities. These repositories may be virtual or physical, but they should focus on the ways in which the local queer community has fought to stake a claim in an adversarial world.

Nevertheless, we persist when many of the odds are stacked against us.

I recall the “gay mayor of OKC,” Floyd Martin, posting on a social media platform owned by a lackey of the current Republican tyrant, about how a bar owner sued Oklahoma City to stop the police from raiding the bar and arresting its patrons. It’s stories like this that should have a place to live, where all can find them and none are hidden or shadow-banned.

How many marriages are at risk of being rescinded by a conservative Supreme Court? According to USAFacts.org, in 2023, there were 774,553 same sex marriages in the US.

They say you can’t put the contents of Pandora’s box back inside. I say, you can’t hide the love that over 1.5 million people have for each other, and have put in writing on official government documents and proclaimed before at least an officiant and two witnesses, or even entire families (found or otherwise).

It is a part of our history to be able to marry, but will that right soon be just a faded memory ascribed only to a history that later becomes illegal to tell?

The Gayly. 10/16/2025 @ 12:44 p.m. CST.