Pride - a frivolous celebration or still a necessary movement with much more to achieve?
In a time when more and more marginalised communities around the world are moving backwards, further from equality, minorities and the underrepresented/under-respected among us need to shout louder to make our voices heard.
Women of America and around the world – we see you and we feel your anguish. As the largest marginalised group of all, women have suffered the most over the centuries and should not have life-changing/threatening decisions made for them by men still in this day and age. The news from late last week is as shocking as it is disgraceful.
This year marks 50 years since the first LGBT+ march in my hometown of London. A LOT has changed in this time, some things for the better, some for the worse. But I want to help highlight why it is vital that these global celebrations take place still. They have as much work to do today as they did in the 70s.
The movement first started back in June 1969 when the Stonewall Riots took place. The New York police stormed Stonewall – a gay bar in Greenwich Village, and tried to close it down and arrest its colourful patrons. For the first time, the community fought back and things turned ugly. People from other local bars and in the street joined in when the protests became violent. The police were not used to this pushback from our community, and a movement was born…
Within a few years, marches to show visibility, strength and celebration were appearing all over the world in June to mark the anniversary. This movement is now familiar in many parts of the globe with cities closing down streets for official parades that can feature several thousands standing up to be seen, to have their voices heard, and to ‘normalise’ our existence and enforce our place in the public’s collective consciousness.
Pride parades around the world
Some may be of the opinion that this is an inconvenience, or worse, an unacceptable thing to have to look at and be inconvenienced by.
However, with LGBT+ rights around the world still on very shaky ground, here is a look at the reasons we should stand up for equality and to be accepted by society.
I live in London in the UK, and here (like many other spots around the world) – where we have marriage equality and a large gay scene – it is easy to think that the work here is done. But there are still horrific news stories about people being abused or even murdered for their sexuality. Here are a few stories that spring to mind for being so public and shocking but this does not diminish from the wealth of homophobic incidents that take place in the UK every year.
Two young women a couple of years back were brutally attacked in public, on a bus, by a group of young men who demanded they perform intimate acts in front of them when they discovered they were a couple.
In the late noughties a man was assaulted in Trafalgar Square in London for his sexuality, and died weeks later from his injuries.
Gay may assaulted in central London who later died
This one is an older incident from late last century but so shocking I am not going to stop talking about it. The Admiral Duncan, a well-known gay pub in London’s Soho – was blown up with a nail bomb, killing three and injuring many. David Copeland had also set off bombs in Brick Lane and Brixton, targeting Black and Bengali communities.
BBC News article about the Soho pub bombing
There are still 70 countries around the world where it is illegal to be gay. In 12 of them, the ‘crime’ carries the death penalty.
Suicide rates amongst the LGBT+ youth community are reported to be up to 4 times higher than our peers. This is not as a result of us being more prone to suicidal thoughts, it is a result of the environmental pressures/abuses that are inflicted on us by society and the communities we live in. Across the world this is an issue, in developed and developing countries alike.
There are awful stories that come from Russia (surprise surprise) and parts of the Middle East, with LGBT+ members of communities or just those perceived to be ‘Other’ being targeted for state sanctioned abuse or even execution.
Whatever your sexuality, gender identity, your personality type, one should be able to celebrate one’s individuality in a safe and respected environment.
It is important, even if you do not identify as LGBT+, that you show support for legislative change, for freedom to hold hands in public without fear of repercussions. As an ally to all who live their life with respect and kindness, but are not afforded the same respect yet by society, even if our love is between consenting individuals.
Political leaders have started recognising the importance of adding their voice to the cause, with Canada’s Justin Trudeau a regular visitor these days.
Washington Post - Just Trudeau at Pride
This piece did not start out intended as an angry outpouring but has gone that way not because I am writing this on a Monday morning, but because it is a fight that is still so real, so necessary and so important that I want to stand up and shout about it.
Go to your local Pride event – share in the joy and the spectacle and the waves of love – whether you are a member of the community or an ally – show your local community that you support them. Be a part of the fun but also add your voice to the important message these marches and celebrations pass to communities, the media and government.
Thank you to all who wrote the pieces above for your inspiration in carrying the torch forward for us all.
Happy Pride everybody.
