Written by oneTILT Social Media Manager & Graphic Designer, Maddie Boehnlein. Maddie identifies as a white, queer, cis-woman.
I’ll be honest: when I received the prompt for a Pride-themed thought piece, I was ready to basically confetti cannon everyone’s inboxes this June. As oneTILT’s social media manager, and one of our graphic designers, I probably could have found a way to program this article to virtually explode with glitter. Of course, we’re now in the midst of not only a viral pandemic, but a racism pandemic as well — both of which are disproportionately and systemically killing Black people, one of which has plagued us since 1619. Now’s not really the time for rainbows and glitter, but that doesn’t mean Pride is cancelled. It means we’ve got to square up and refocus.
The co-optation of Pride
Pride, since its conception, birthed out of riots led by Black trans, queer women and drag queens, has been co-opted by white queer folks, and then made to exclude, ignore, and become apathetic to the same identities that kickstarted queer liberation.
White queerness has an insidious tendency to throw its hands up in the face of racism, transphobia, lesbian and bi-erasure and say, “I didn’t do it, I’m marginalized, too!” That kind of mindset, the see-no-evil, do-no-evil mythic symptom of white privilege, breeds a notion that “acceptable” queer identities are white and cisgendered, and everyone else is an outlier.
And that means that when Black trans folks like Tony McDade, Iyanna Dior, Nina Pop, Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, Riah Milton, and countless others are killed, brutalized, and ignored by a racist institution that continues to target them, they become forgotten about by the mainstream LGBTQ+ community. That’s the opposite of what pride stood for on June 28th, 1969, and it shouldn’t be our reality, now.
Some tips, tricks, and TILTs
Frankly, as a white, cis, queer woman, I’m not so sure that my white, queer voice is the one that should be centered this pride month. So, rather than spend the next couple of paragraphs self-aggrandizing my own queerness, I’m highlighting Black queer people and places that need to be heard. You’ve heard us say it a million times: at oneTILT, we believe in the power of doing one tiny, inclusive, little thing differently each and every day. Well, here are MANY tiny, inclusive, little things you can do to celebrate this June:
- Familiarize yourself with Black queer history. And I’m not talking just Stonewall, I’m talking the deep cuts: like how we can attribute much of modern day rock and roll to the unequivocally queer 20’s and 30’s blues jams from Black artists like Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thornton, and Little Richard.
- Support and buy from queer Black artists. Check out ggggrimes, Kah Yangni, and Loveis Wise on IG.
- And further, if you’re buying pride merch, buy it from Black creators. Lucky for you, our pride merch came straight from the mind of Jessica Charles. All proceeds are going to TGI Justice Project & Trans Women of Color Collective.
- Donate directly to organizations affirming, protecting, and providing for Black Trans folks. The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, the National Black Justice Coalition, the Okra Project are all doing incredible work. Read up on their missions. See how you can donate your time, too.
- Read queer Black authors and thought leaders. Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, bell hooks are great places to start.
- If you’re white and queer, take time for interrogation: of yourself and of the queer spaces you occupy. Interrogate the whiteness of your queer icons. Interrogate where much of your queer slang comes from (hint: likely, from Black drag queens). Queerness does not cancel out Anti-Blackness and racism. Often, it finds ways to uphold it.
- CELEBRATE QUEER JOY. Practicing anti-racism doesn’t mean halting the celebration. Actually, it’s the only thing that will ensure the party goes on. Marsha P. Johnson said it best: “There’s no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”
If it seems like a lot just got added to your to-do list, don’t fret. Pride is just one month, but practicing active anti-racism is one of those 365 days a year kind of events. So, same place, same time, tomorrow? See you there?
