The year is 1972. San Francisco is hosting its first gay pride parade. There had been smaller gatherings in the years prior but nothing quite as pronounced as this. LGBT people were ready to claim their place in our society and there would be no turning back.
Pride’s mother is resistance. The movement for LGBT equality and visibility began with queer people refusing to be ignored, abused, or forgotten any longer. Throughout the years Pride has been a time to affirm our lives and dignity, celebrate monumental victories, mourn tragedies, and of course to resist.
For Pride 2017, we are called upon to resist once more. The current administration is rolling back LGBT equality or simply ignoring us. We will not be ignored. Our community knows what it is like to have the government ignore us when we are in need. In the 1980s a similar form of resistance was forged in response to the government doing nothing to stop the AIDS crisis. We must demand that our government today enforce our hate crimes laws, fight for our Transgender brothers and sisters who are being disproportionately taken away from us, and ensure that people have access to PrEP. We must resist any attempts to roll back the many legal protections we have gained and also continue to demand that our queer family in states like Alabama and Nebraska have access to housing, employment, and health care. Resistance is essential in an era where the status quo in many instances is still not affording us what we deserve.
Pride has brought us together for decades now. Queer people from all walks of life descend upon San Francisco to affirm our humanity and demand progress. Pride is also a time to come together in our queer spaces and have a good time with our friends, family, and chosen family. The history of our community is largely rooted in clubs and bars as these are our safe spaces to meet, love, dance, and thrive. But it is not enough just to dance. Please do have fun but do not forget to give back to our community for we are facing issues that require resistance every day. Our community still faces a homelessness crisis and LGBT seniors who fought for us are being evicted. We need to have fun but we also need to lead from the heart in our fight for those whose shoulders we have stood on in the past. Presently our community is stronger than ever and we posses the power to connect, learn, and grow together. Let us resolve to continue to love, lead, and resist at this Pride celebration and everyone in the future.