https://socialistaction.org/2019/07/12/queer-liberation-march-restores-politics-to-pride/
Queer liberation march restores politics to Pride
/ 14 hours ago
July 2019 Stonewall (Rozwell SImmons)
By ROZWELL SIMMONS
??? NEW YORK ??? In the years since Stonewall, corporations have jumped on
the opportunity to use Pride as a means of profit; it has been perverted
into a cash grab for companies. This corporatization has played a large
role in the depoliticization of Pride. Naturally, it is in the best
interests of the ruling class to distract oppressed people from engaging
in movement building. Of course, separating politics from Pride is
completely counter to everything Pride stands for; the first pride
parade was a police brutality march in response to the raids at the
Stonewall Inn, a haven for queer folks.
The Queer Liberation March, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition of
New York City, occurred on June 30, the same day as the more popular
LGBT Pride March organized by the Heritage of Pride organization. The
Queer Liberation March drew over 45,000 people to the streets of
Manhattan, recreating the same route of the original Pride march in
1969, which started at the Stonewall Inn and traveled 4.5 miles to The
Great Lawn in Central Park.
Following this route was just one example of organizing done to emulate
the first Pride. The Queer Liberation March aimed to decommercialize and
repoliticize pride, attempting to rekindle the revolutionary spirit that
was so vibrant 50 years ago.
From the Reclaim Pride Coalition???s statement on Why We March: ???We March
in our communities??? tradition of resistance against police, state, and
societal oppression, a tradition that is epitomized and symbolized by
the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. We March against the exploitation of our
communities for profit and against corporate and state pinkwashing, as
displayed in Pride celebrations worldwide, including the NYC Pride Parade.???
Instead of the pay to march and corporate/police diversity celebration
of the Heritage of Pride march, the Queer Liberation March represented
an organic and open movement of queer people to celebrate their
identities on their own terms and to continue the political fight for
queer liberation that began with the Stonewall riots.
The militancy and enthusiasm of those involved was inspiring. Marchers
held slogans for a broad spectrum of struggles, including immigrant
rights, trans rights, against police brutality, pink washing, and for
the liberation of Palestine. Chants such as ???We have nothing to lose but
our chains??? and ???The people united will never be defeated??? echoed in the
streets, indicating a consciousness that went beyond gender and
sexuality. Many social political issues?? and oppressed groups were
represented, and almost 200 groups endorsed the event. Participants
expressed overwhelming solidarity for their comrades as well as a
fundamental opposition to the police, capitalism, imperialism,
colonialism, etc.
After the march, a rally was held on The Great Lawn in Central Park.
Speakers included protesters and witnesses of the original rebellion at
Stonewall, a survivor of the Orlando Pulse shooting, and a Nigerian
queer activist, among many others.
Speaker Staceyann Chin???s stirring words on the hypocrisy of mainstream
Pride, as well as the ravaging of the planet and its people via
imperialism, brought thunderous applause at every clause. Paraphrasing
some of the speech: ???What is there to be proud of when the average
lifespan for trans women of color is 30 years? What is there to be proud
of when corporate Pride marches through the same ghettos where Black
boys are swallowing semen to survive, where race and gender-based
violence are ignored because too many people think we???re past that????
Chin???s words reiterated the main point of the march and rally: Pride
must be political because queer people are still suffering from the same
oppression they fought years ago. To merely celebrate an empty diversity
is a slap in the face to people who are still struggling to survive; it
is a gross and reckless display of privilege do any sort of celebrating
without acknowledging just how far the movement still has to go. A huge
banner at the rally stage declared, ???None are free until all are free.???
As a queer man, this march made me feel something much more than pride
for my identity. It made me proud of my efforts to bring about change,
proud to be part of a movement that fights for the liberation of all
oppressed groups (not just queer people). It just goes to show the
evanescent nature of fulfillment under capitalism one may feel during
corporate pride means nothing compared to the pride that comes from
fighting for one???s freedoms and winning.
Furthermore, the feeling of being at peace with and accepted regardless
of one???s identity and the sense of unity that accompanies genuine
community is not something that can be purchased. Corporate pride leaves
something to be desired: solidarity and comradeship.
The march made clear two points: One is that the common proclamation
that pride should be a celebration and not political is wrong. The queer
liberation march made evident that protest can be cheerful and
celebratory as much as it can be political. The current pride organized
by Heritage of Pride is not as apolitical as it makes itself out to be.
To celebrate ???diversity??? and new acceptance from cops and companies is a
political statement. Whereas every other day these organizations are
attacking queer people, they deserve no platform to pinkwash themselves
during pride.
Secondly, the march represents an extremely conscious, militant wing of
many movements, including Black Lives Matter and the struggles for
immigrant rights, universal health care, and public housing. It is
impossible to participate in any of these movements without recognizing
the leadership and work of these activists.
It is likewise impossible to build a movement in solidarity with Black
Lives Matter without recognizing the violence that LGBTQ people face.
How can we advance the movement against police brutality without
recognizing that trans women of color are especially targeted in
homicides? If we do not represent those who are the most oppressed, who
are we fighting for?
Queer people exist at the crossroads of many movements we participate
it, and it should come as no surprise that LGBTQ issues are brought up
almost every contemporary movement. The emergence of a renewed political
pilotage among the queer community is indicative of a new generation of
militant queer activists who have come to recognize the need for change,
as well as their capacity to bring about that change. This gives me hope
for the future of mass movements.
Photo: Rozwell Simmons / Socialist Action
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July 12, 2019 in LGBT rights, New York.
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