Pride, Protest, and the Fight Against Erasure #TheOtherSideOfChange

Pride Month, often commercialized, originated from acts of resistance, specifically protests like the Compton Cafeteria riot and Stonewall, led by Black and brown queer and trans people against systemic discrimination, violence, and exclusion. It was fundamentally about survival, not just visibility or celebration.

Ria Baker states, 'Pride exists because LGBTQ people, particularly black and brown queer and trans people, refused to accept discrimination, violence, and exclusion. Pride was never just about visibility, it was about survival.' Jamila Burley adds, 'the truth of Pride started with a protest.'

The significant contributions of Black LGBTQ+ individuals to the Civil Rights Movement and broader social justice efforts have been intentionally minimized or erased from history. Figures like Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1963 March on Washington and advised Dr. King, and Audre Lorde, a black lesbian feminist poet, had their identities downplayed to avoid perceived controversy or to fit a 'white gaze' narrative.

Ria Baker mentions, 'Key point, Bayard Rustin, a black gay who organized the 1963 March on Washington... His contributions were intentionally minimized because he was openly gay.' She also notes, 'We say Audre Lorde quotes all women's history month, but do we talk about her sexuality, right?'

Across the United States, there is a coordinated effort by lawmakers to target LGBTQ+ communities, especially youth, through legislation. This includes curriculum bans, attacks on healthcare access (particularly gender-affirming care), and attempts to collect sensitive personal data, such as transgender youth medical records, which are seen as precursors to broader disenfranchisement.

Jamila Burley states, 'we also are watching lawmakers across the country target LGBTQI communities through legislation, curriculum ban, attacks on healthcare, efforts to erase the contributions of LGBTQ people.' Ria Baker later adds, 'hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced across the country. Many of them were specifically targeting transgender youth, health care access, classroom discussions, and public expression.'

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has retracted a 2021 law requiring public reporting of detainee deaths within 30 days. This move is seen as a dangerous step towards reducing accountability and obscuring inhumane conditions, particularly impacting Black and brown immigrants who disproportionately die in ICE custody.

Jamila Burley reports, 'ICE is no longer going to report the deaths of um detainees in their care within the 30 days.' Ria Baker adds, 'now that information is going to be blocked from us and I think that that lack of transparency is very alarming because it's like what are they preparing to ramp up they don't want to have a record of.'

The LA mayoral race exposed a segment of 'wealthy Democrats' who, despite publicly supporting progressive causes and displaying symbols like rainbow flags, are fiscally conservative and vote for candidates who protect their wealth and resist policies that address issues like homelessness or wealth inequality. This internal conflict within the Democratic Party hinders genuine progress.

Ria Baker explains, 'these are celebrities who don't want to say it. They they publicly want to say I supported Harris and I supported Hillary and I supported Obama but behind closed doors they're very fiscally conservative as they like to say.' Jamila Burley adds, 'they know that he won't push policies that might force them to reckon reconcile with the fact that they are hoarding so much wealth, and it is sucking the city dry.'