Happy Pride! Pride is bittersweet. Pride is both a protest and a celebration, and we wouldn’t be able to celebrate without leaders of the queer rights movement, BIPOC trans women and Black lesbians like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and Stormé DeLarverie who came before us, put their lives on the line, and organized with and for our community.
Philly Pride was Sunday, June 1st, and I had the privilege of attending! Since I came out toward the end of June last year, this was also my first Pride out, which made it extra special. Honestly, over the past 11 months, I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome at queer events. I felt like I had to prove myself and sometimes wondered if everyone else could tell how new I was to the sapphic community, but on Sunday, that finally changed.
For the first time, I didn’t even think about how I was being perceived or if I belonged; I know I do. Jamming to Doechii and Chappell Roan on the dance floor with one of my best friends, I felt pure queer joy and belonging. But I know this joy isn’t free.
My friend Katie put it like this, “One of the things nobody tells you about pride is that if you’re a 365 days a year queer it will always be bittersweet. If you’re a casual gay who’s mostly not In The Culture but comes out to celebrate Pride (totally valid), you probably haven’t had to experience the thousand losses inherent in being in the community all the time”.
When you choose to be queer, and by queer I mean recognizing that all liberation is intersectional, you realize that liberation does not care if you’re cis or trans or bi or gay or ace. Queerness recognizes that my liberation is bound up with yours, no matter your sexuality, race, age, religion, gender, etc. and choosing to be queer means actively participating in choosing each other and fighting for that liberation. It means standing with our trans friends and not allowing them to be scapegoated for political gain. When they come for one group of working people, they come for all of us. Our rights didn’t appear overnight. Our queer elders put their blood, sweat, and tears into this movement. I’m not just gay; I’m queer.
Sunday was a really emotional day. It took a lot of undoing the repression I got used to and allowing myself to feel my feelings to get here. I mourned for my younger, closeted self who always felt like something was “wrong” with her and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t fulfilled. I mourned for my friends who aren’t publicly out because they’re scared for their safety. I mourned for my community members who we lost way too soon because we’re at higher risk for suicide and hate crimes. I mourned for my trans siblings who are being attacked at all levels of government right now, including here in PA at the state level.
At the national level, this “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House would prohibit federal funding for gender affirming care for EVERYONE. Anti-trans laws increase suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youth by 72%. Everyone deserves to live with safety, dignity, and the resources they need, and Trump and his minions are trying to rip those resources away from our trans community members. We will not stand for this. We need each other. When the national government fails us, we can protect each other at the local and state levels, and we need you to join us.
We’re fighting for the rights we all deserve and a PA where everyone has what they need to thrive. It’s going to take all of us to get there, so join us today!
If you live outside of our chapter regions (Lancaster, Berks, Lehigh Valley, Northeast PA) reply to this email so I can plug you in with our statewide work.
NEPA Stands Up continues to up the pressure on Marty Flynn after he turned his back on trans youth by voting for SB9. After lobbying on Trans Day of Visibility at the Capitol and hundreds of calls and postcards to his office, Flynn still capitulated to fearmongering and hate rather than listening to his constituents. You can find NEPASU tabling at various events this month including Scranton Fringe’s Big Gay Story Slam and Rainbow Alliance’s Wilkes-Barre Pridefest. Stop by the table to take part in their postcard campaign and let Marty know how you feel about his shameful vote!
If you can’t donate your time, consider contributing to the fight for a PA where we all have the resources we need to thrive.
In community,
Hannah, PA Stands Up Digital Organizer