Queer Pride

Hello humans, thanks for showing up!

June is the month of Gay Pride, a month dedictated to celebrate queer people, accept and embrace them and above all celebrate diversity.

Unfortunately this year most Pride celebrations have either been cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19. Hopefully next year, we will return to our celebrations. In the meantime I would like to ask everyone to support the queer community. This means, to provide the same equal access opportunities to jobs, education, medical treatments.

But I especially would like to ask for the support from the white gay men. If anyone thinks of queer people, media will portray a couple of white gay men hugging or kissing. Yet, the queer community is so diverse and has so many facets, that cannot be fully represented by this standard picture.

Since this prototype couple is more and more accepted in society I would like to ask for their support to the rest of the queer community. To open their arms to lesbians, trans people, to people of colour, etc. To stop using comments on dating profiles like “no asians” as this is not an preference, this is racism. To stop giving the evil eye to (cis) women on gay bars.

I myself, have been in queer “safe spaces” and was made feel uncomfortable because I was not a man, or not visibly “gay enough”.

I myself, have heard from gay and hetero friends “what’s up with all these names people are coming up with pan-sexuals, cis people, trans, fluid, isn’t there enough designations already? Why can’t they just pick one ?”.

Well, the simple answer for this is that humans have many different shapes and sizes, have different hormonal systems, have different lifes experiences, feel differently, are attracted to different kinds of people. For some their sexuality is something stagnant, for many is an ever evolving process. Just because you feel that you’ve arrived to your place, where you feel good and comfortable, it doesn’t mean that everyone has the exact same life experience like you. The fact that some people have to explore more than you, that need to get to know themselves better, doesn’t affect you in any way.

Never forget, the queer liberation movement started with trans women of colour. So no, not all gay queer people are white gay men.

White gay men, just because you’re accepted in society, don’t close the gate to the ones behind you.

Everyone, support the queer community, not just by putting a rainbow sticker on your desk at work. Put your support into action, buy from queer owned businesses. Instead of having another coffee at Starbucks, donate £1 to queer charities and if you financially can, don’t do it just once. Do it accross the year, don’t you think that £1 donation per month is feasible ? I can assure you it will mean a lot to the queer community that needs so much support.

I am Franca and this is personal!