Pride, or A Call to Action

Judging from the sponsorship of DC Capital Pride,

homosexuals have clearly arrived! I mean, there is no clearer sign of political and social acceptance in America than the endorsement that comes in the form of corporate sponsorship dollars, am I right? It’s the Gay American Dream! Yay, homos! Time for a gay victory dance…Punctuated by a weekend of shits and giggles andThis would be all well and good, except that there are so many people who don’t even have their basic human rights, let alone the Gay American Dream.

But Dominion, you say, we should celebrate our ability to get married in 19 states! Yes, but 31 states have gay marriage bans enacted through either state law, constitutional amendment, or both! While it’s (theoretically) great to be gay in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, or Washington, it kinda sucks to be gay anywhere else. There are places in this country (let alone the rest of the world) where our LGBTQ brothers and sisters risk violence against them if they reveal their true selves. They could give a fuck about marriage and are most likely resentful of those who would frame the entirety of the gay rights movement in terms of a (semi) successful fight for marriage equality.

But Dominion, what about all the work the HRC has done? To which I respond…One of the surest signs of an ineffective and useless organization is a fabulous headquarters, and thus I present to you, Exhibit A:But for some factoids, the HRC’s 2013 annual report focuses on one thing: the fight for marriage equality. That’s cute and all, but what did HRC REALLY do effect this change? And even if we give them credit for these “wins”, they are wins in relatively low-hanging blue or purple states. When the HRC is instrumental in securing marriage equality in Texas, I’ll reconsider my opinion. When the HRC announces a strategy to address increasing tides of violence against our transgender brothers and sisters, I’ll reconsider my opinion. When the HRC engages in a meaningful way with LGBTQ communities of color to address the epidemic of homelessness and HIV among young Black and Latino men, I’ll reconsider my opinion.

But Dominion, you say, maybe you are just a bitter bitch.Look, has the HRC done some good work? Yes, if nothing more than to elevate the national conversation. Should we celebrate marriage equality? Yes, but there is still much work to be done, and it can’t (and shouldn’t) all be done by the HRC. Pride IS a time to recognize our collective successes, but when did it morph from a passionate demonstration of our right to exist as LGBTQ people into a self-congratulatory victory lap?

Perhaps somewhere in the midst of the parties and the binge drinking, maybe we could take a moment to think about that young gay boy whose entire life consists of being beaten up and called a faggot. What can we do to make his life a little easier? Perhaps sometime during our weekend of revelry, maybe we could remember the little girl who is punished by her caregiver for not being feminine enough.

Perhaps somewhere in the midst of our victory dance, maybe we could figure out a way to make sure that those who can’t come to the party this year will be there for the next one.ON HIATUS

Ya Brista will be taking a break for a couple of weeks to recharge the batteries and have some fun and fab adventures to report on. I’ll be back on July 16 with more carryings on, cuttings up, and cruel observations. Until then, you can still reach me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.