In times of Pride...

[jawnbc]

I am a gay man, living in Vancouver British Columbia Canada. I can (and have) marry my male partner. We can adopt children or seek fertility services to sire some. We are protected in civil law with respect to discrimination. If we are proven to be victims of a hate crime, the perpetrator is liable for a higher penalty. And even though all of Canadian society hasn't endorsed my and our rights to a peaceful, open life as gay men, to espouse antagonism towards us is increasingly socially unacceptable.

I take none of this for granted.

But my trans brothers and sisters aren't specifically protected--yet. Not everyone who fought for my rights was a gay guy. Nor should it wholly rest on trans folks' shoulders to secure their entitlements. My political party of choice [the New Democratic Party of Canada] has, through private member's bills, sought to ad these protections federally. And a handful of cases in various provincial jurisdictions will most likely lead to one of two things: either gender identity will be added as ground for protection, or the existing protections based on gender will be read as including gender identity. If you're not aware, Canada's North West Territory added gender identity to its human rights law in 2002.

Outside of Canada, and a handful of "like-minded" countries (Scandanavia, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand), things range from "not great" to "horrendous". Every day our sisters and brothers face harassment, extortion, violence, rape, torture and death. While some communities fight for civil rights, others cannot even safely assert their existence, let alone their rights.

So today...this week, month or summer...as you watch your local Pride event, look past the corporatism, the vanity, the gawdiness--if only for a moment. And remember.

Remember, if you can, the terror, the shame, the despair. Remember reaching the point where doing nothing was no longer an option, even as doing something scared the lights out of you. Remember allowing yourself to hope. Remember allowing yourself to laugh, and dance, and participate.

If your house is in order, how then your neighbourhood? Community? Nation? The World?




thanks to nfotxn for the picture

Comments

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

The thing that pisses me off most about pride is those "decent homosexuals" who demand that all the SM Leatherboys, drag queens, dykes on bikes, effeminate disco dancers, transeverything, etc,... shouldn't be there. Because it doesn't "portray us well", "it's cliche", "teenagers who are in the closet will stay there for longer" (well, not if they harbour secret hopes of being sm leatherboys, they won't), and so on and so on.
"let's show there's also "normal" people at Pride". Oh kindly fuck off. If it weren't for a bunch of drag queens kicking arse at Stonewall we wouldn't even have a Pride.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Maybe I keep really specific circles of homosexualists but I've never encountered these people at pride.

[jawnbc]

I have. I just say "oh lighten up!" They shaddup or piss off. Either's fine by me! :D

[holden-wake.livejournal.com]

Gooooooooo Billllll!!!! http://www.ndp.ca/page/3843.

He can do it! Best politican evar! Bill is adapting sort of a similair approach Svend Robinson did with including violence against gays and lesbians as a hate crime. It was accomplished through a private members bill as well. I should ask him how much support he will have for this. I'm pretty sure the dippers are behind him 100%, dido for the Bloc. Tories probably are against, the Liberals as always, seem to be the wild card unreliables on social issues.

[jawnbc]

And you tell that nice Mr. Bill that I'm happy to pitch in any way that I can. Being so emo an' all...

[holden-wake.livejournal.com]

heh, yeah, i'll ask him how goes the progress and if there is any extra help needed. i'm sure he'll also be at pride and be quite accessible there as well if you want to talk to him further about this policy.

[blue-by-you.livejournal.com]

That was so very well said!! Thank you.

[skeezix1000.livejournal.com]

Great post, and a good reminder that we shouldn't become complacent here in Canada because there are still battles yet to be won. Also a good reminder that we should be looking beyond Canada's borders, and doing what we can (every little bit counts) to influence policy.

[bear-left.livejournal.com]

amidst all the corporate schlock (Pride, by Verizon! Pride, brought to you by Delta and Coca-Cola! This is Atlanta, after all, what would LGBT Pride be without people dressed up as happy little Delta jets, I ask you?), there were glimpses of a broader world:

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Also straight people should realize that if such people can go after gay people -they can go after straight people for what they do in their spare time. It makes good politics to stick together and make sure everyone has a right to a safe life.

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

The 'normal" kind or the drag queens? :)

[holden-wake.livejournal.com]

also sending money and volunteers never hurts. ;)