Last week, I wrote that this past Pride Month was the worst in two decades, with widespread political attacks on LGBTQ people and the craven withdrawal of many corporate and political ‘allies.’
That is still true. In fact, since I wrote those words, our status has declined even further, as the Supreme Court authorized twenty-five states to ignore scientific data and pander to ignorance, fear, and misinformation about transgender youth.
But in many ways, NYC’s Pride March, which I attended last weekend for the first time in five years, may have been the best in many years. Full of joy, resistance, and resilience — and free of corporate bullshit — it reminded me of what really matters not just for LGBTQ people but how to build progressive, liberal, and anti-fascist coalitions to resist authoritarianism.
I also saw how boring, old mainstream Pride is often a lot more inclusive than the supposedly progressive alternatives to it.
