The LGBTQ+ community is
inherently intersectional and
our struggle is shared and our resilience unrelenting.
DC Capital Pride and the 2017 Equality march on Washington
DC
Capital Pride may be more like a parade than a protest, but for many, visibility is still an act of protest. I
started marching in the parade with Affirmation and Mormons Building Bridges.
It was integral in my process of being honest and authentic about who I am.
In the
past five years of making it out to Capital Pride, I have asked myself: Do I
post these pictures on social media? Will people I work with see it? Do I post
this vlog from Pride? My students could see it. What if someone from church
sees it? Is it okay to share this picture of my friend at the parade? Will my
family just assume that I'm there as an ally? Should I let them just assume
that?
I went
back to look at pictures from past years, and I noticed that I dodged several
group pictures. This year, I didn’t ask myself so many questions. I wore a
shirt with Cheer Bear in front of a bright, glittery rainbow. I bought the
rainbow bandanna that I've wanted for the past 5 years. I put on a complete
rainbow selection of beads during the parade and I headed back for the LGBT Equality
March on Washington.
These
were some of the phrases that struck me the most:
· Existence is resistance.
· A peaceful reminder
that we will not be silenced
in our faith communities.
· It's not just about
bathrooms
just like it wasn't just about water fountains.
· We have stood in
solidarity with you.
We ask you to stand in solidarity with us.
As a
fairly feminine woman, no one would know I was bisexual unless I told them. My
coworkers think my gender neutral pronouns are just a product of my liberal
upbringing. Or, maybe they think I'm being funny. My friends at church assume
I'm an ally. My family assumed I was always going to support a friend. I think
that at times I have too often been complicit in my own bierasure. Though, I
remind myself that it is not my fault that people see what they want to see. Also, everyone has their own journey.
It
meant a lot to me to hear the brief but powerful comments of Sara Ramirez about
visibility and bi-representation. She spoke directly to the bisexual
experience: "Our experience makes people uncomfortable...[deemed by some]
as not gay enough or not straight enough...having chosen a side [or] damaging
to the cause. Our very existence threatens hetereonormativity and the gender
binary."
Other
speakers represented the varied experiences of the LGBTQ+ community: an African
American trans woman who has overcome youth homelessness, a gay immigrant from
Guatemala whose mother gave up her job and home to move to a country where her
son could live a more authentic life, and a two spirit water defender from
Standing Rock. The focus on intersectionality could have felt contrived, but it
didn't. Because, the LGBTQ+ community is
inherently intersectional. Like Sara Ramirez said, "[Our] stand for
equality has never been about just one person, just one lived experience, or
one identity. Our struggle is shared and our resilience unrelenting." The
intersectionality was well thought out as well as thoughtful.
This
Pride was a powerful commemoration of its roots, those we have lost, and the
authenticity of who we are. It’s not enough that people are fine with us as long as they don't have to see us. This pride was a powerful commemoration of its roots, those we have lost, and the authenticity of who we are.
~Guest post by MC
