Pride month is here. Now what?
Pride month has arrived, and although that usually calls for celebration, with everything going on in the country and around the world, it is clear that we are in no position to be celebrating much of anything. Lock down orders are still in place in much of the United States, and as we continue to try and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, protests and riots are spreading across the country in an effort to bring attention to the racism and injustices that have plagued the black community, often marked by police brutality and death.
Bayard Rustin
In light of that we have in fact found something to celebrate, and will be making posts all month long to acknowledge the lives and legacies of fierce black queer people in our history. Today we salute Bayard Rustin, who was a mentor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Rustin was a pivotal figure in the black civil rights movement, but because he was openly gay, his work and achievements were kept under the radar. In 1962, J. Edgar Hoover circulated stories about MLK, and some of those stories made hints about how he may be more than friends with Bayard. Despite Bayard having worked within the civil rights movement for almost a decade, MLK put together a committee of 8 people whose job it was to determine if Bayard’s involvement would be a distraction to all that they were trying to accomplish. The answer was ultimately yes, and he was asked to leave. Bayard passed away in 1987, long before he could really receive his flowers. However in 2013, Barack Obama honored Mr. Rustin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The highest award in the land for a civilian.
“For decades this great leader, often at Dr. Kings side, was denied his rightful place in history, bc he was openly gay. No medal can change that, but today we honor Bayard Rustin’s memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love.” - Barack Obama
The gay rights movement, which began with a black trans woman, Marsha P. Johnson, would follow several years after the March on Washington, and was largely influenced by the black civil rights movement. The fruits of Bayard’s labor prevail today. The blood, sweat, and tears of black gay and trans people have literally been integral to advancing equality within our country, yet racism is still very prevalent. White privilege is still flexed just as often as a Pines boys abdominals when he’s posing for his IG beach photo. Over the past couple of day’s I’ve seen countless resources on social media that show white people how they can use their privilege to support the black community, so I won’t rehash that here. And if you are white, posting on social media can help educate your followers, but not taking any action makes what you are doing largely performative.
We are at a very pivotal moment in our country’s history and it’s time to shake the table everywhere. This is the first pride in a long time that is not being defined by sex, circuit parties, body politics, concerts, or parades. Let’s reallocate that energy to action. Let’s examine ourselves and see how we can bring each other up and move each other forward. That only happens if we bring the most marginalized groups of people with us.
In the words of Bayard Rustin…
“We need in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.”
Are you one of them?
