Pride was born out of protest

Voornaam,

A year ago, our nation faced a crisis unlike any in recent memory – one that we are only now beginning to emerge and heal from.

June 2020 was supposed to be a month of celebration and Pride, but Oregonians were asked to make sacrifices for the health and safety of all. Instead of big colorful parades, we had big colorful virtual celebrations.

But something else was happening in the streets, despite the global pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out to protest the state-sanctioned violence against Black and Brown bodies.

Just weeks after the public murder of George Floyd, Americans of nearly every walk of life were marching for the lives of Black Americans.

Not unlike the protests of the '60s for the lives of LGBTQ+ folks and the dignity to be able to simply enjoy a night at a bar living your authentic self, these marches were a clarion call to recognize each other's basic humanity.

Pride did not begin as a celebration of a widespread, shared vision of equality. Pride was born out of protest – specifically against raids by New York City police against the LGBTQ+ community. Still today it lives on in protest, both as a celebration of the progress made and to reaffirm our commitment to continue the fight for full equality.

The struggle for Black lives has deep roots within Pride and the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. After all, many of the leaders of the Stonewall uprising were trans women of color. So as we emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic and look toward Pride celebrations this year and in the years to come perhaps with a renewed sense of hope and optimism, let us also resolve to keep fighting for all the Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ folks who are simply trying to live their lives free from hate, discrimination, and oppression.

Thank you,

Lupe Preciado-McAlister
Chair
DPO Stonewall Caucus

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