Solidarity

June 1 kicks off Pride Month here in the US; honoring the Stonewall Riots, a 6-day violent clash with police in June, 1969 in NYC. The queer community, fed up with endless police brutality and discrimination, finally fought back during a raid at the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village. According to those who were there, the bar that night was filled mostly with drag queens and gay men of color. This event is hailed as the official start to the modern day LGBTQ civil rights movement. And it wouldn’t have happened without our Black brothers and sisters. While great strides have been made and victories won in the name of LGBT equality over the years, Black Transgender women continue to be killed at alarming rates, their stories going untold and their murders unsolved or unprosecuted. We must do better, at work, at home, and in our communities. You can find more info at hrc.org and transequality.org. It is going to take all of us — protesting, voting, joining our ERG’s, organizing, speaking up in meetings — to ensure the rights for some of us. And those are always the battles worth fighting. We’re here, we’re queer, and we know how to riot.

#solidarity #blacklivesmatter #translivesmatter