Pride Month is finally here, and we will soon find ourselves immersed in vibrant parades, and partially dressed in sequined rainbow flags and face paint. June is the time to celebrate loving who you want, being who you are, and expressing yourself exactly how you want. These festivities not only give us hope, but they are the collective LGBTQ+ middle finger to the patriarchy and the Karens.
Beneath the glitter, there is a crucial message which Claire Willett reminds us of: “for Pride month this year, can straight people focus less on ‘love is love’ and more on ‘queer and trans people are in danger’?” As a straight person, I have the privilege of needing to be reminded of this for the month of June because I’m not living it for the other eleven months of the year. So let’s pull focus.
The attempt at censoring LGBTQ+ voices is extremely dangerous for the community. In 2022, the American Library Association stated not only that the number of challenged books had more than doubled from the year before, but that the vast majority of those books have LGBTQ+ authors or content. While a lot can change in two years, the change is not trending in a positive direction. This article from March of this year reports record numbers for 2023. These attempts at censorship occurred in both educational and public libraries. The availability of books preserves culture and promotes free thought and dialogue. The groups attempting to ban these titles are attempting to eradicate LGBTQ culture and community, silence marginalized voices, and erode the democratic values that have gotten them not-so-far-enough on the spectrum of inclusion and equality. Sounds like danger to me.
Both physical harm and lack of legal protection are significant issues for transgender individuals. Last year during Pride Month, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people. They published this Anti LGBTQ Legislation Impact Report detailing legislative attacks and their impacts on mental health, education, and employment. The systematic discrimination leaves transgender and gender non-conforming people - youth especially - particularly vulnerable to economic instability, homelessness, and disease. Denying legal protections, especially at the legislative level reinforces existing power structures and embarrassingly recedes our social framework. ICYMI, the “Panic Defense” allows perpetrators in 33 states to argue in court that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity caused their violent reaction. Like I said, embarrassing. I’d say shameful, but if anyone was actually feeling shame, this probably wouldn’t be our reality.
And this is just in the United States. There are sixty-three countries where same-sex acts and relations are criminalized, and for some even punishable by death. The crazy part is that some of these countries claim not to be discriminatory towards LGBTQ+ people, but towards their behavior.
So what is there to do? We can mourn the hundreds of thousands of queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming victims whose lives were taken by hate crimes. We can read. Read the books by LGBTQ+ authors being targeted. Educate yourself on the legislation in your area that affects this demographic. As CINTIMA Co-Founder Jimanekia Eborn says, become an accomplice instead of just an ally. Become an active participant in the fight against systemic oppression. The word accomplice means to help someone do something wrong or illegal. Sadly, the shoe fits. The difference between an ally and an accomplice is perfectly articulated in Clair’s post: we should absolutely be celebrating love this month, but we can’t forget about the danger.
As Intimacy Coordinators, it is our job to advocate for consent and boundaries, encourage expression of gender and sexuality, and most of all establish safety rails. Ensuring safety is impossible, but we work everyday to get as close as we can. Our trainees, colleagues, and the performers we work with are extremely courageous accomplices. Two thirds of CINTIMA’s founders are queer. I am proud to stand among them.
