Solidarity has always been the heartbeat of the movement. This heartbeat is a rally cry right now as we fight back against the fascist ICE kidnappings of our neighbors, genocide in Palestine, and attempts to silence and eradicate transgender people. We instinctively understand that our survival depends on this radical and unquestioned united front.

During Pride month we are reminded that the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has been so effective with the message of solidarity that many forget the important differences between identities and lived experiences, forget that this is not one homogenous group, and ignore the deep and ongoing work of unweaving sexism and white supremacy that continues to threaten the strength of the community.

It is easy to forget that until the early 80s, the one unifying term for the community was “gay” — despite the movement always having a wide variety of gender and experience, white cis gay men were the dominant image the outside world knew. The work of lesbians and feminist politics during 70s and 80s widened the understanding of those outside the movement to “LGB,” and continued the work of pushing back against lesbian and bisexual erasure in a community dominated by male privilege. The debate over solidarity and inclusion of transgender folks within the community during the 90s was heated and intense. I was a queer adult in my early twenties during this time, and the local queer community in Memphis was ripping apart under the anxiety of “spreading ourselves too thin” and “diluting our message” — the fear that widened solidarity would weaken our activism and political fight. Despite the worry and internal fighting, the community once again returned to the values of solidarity and only strengthened as a result. Yet, we are still grappling with sexism and erasure today, and we are still having important arguments that ring with the same resentment over sexism, erasure, and inequality. We argue and fight at night because some part of us understands the intense threat to our continued ability to lock arms and resist together during the day. The fight continues to be crucial to our collective survival.

The internal scrapping forgets that roots of increased protections and rights came directly from solidarity actions by black and brown trans women and butch lesbians during Stonewall. These heroic women were key leaders in caring for their community. In 1970, one year after the Stonewall riots, two of the riot heroes, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), a shelter for homeless trans youth. STAR was the first LGBTQ+ youth shelter in the United States and the first organization led by trans women of color. Earlier that year, Rivera also co-founded the Gay Liberation Front, a collection of gay liberation groups that fought against homophobia, capitalism, militarism, racism, and sexism. Miss Major Griffin Gracy, another black trans woman Stonewall hero, had her jaw broken by cops and was left unconscious during the riots. After her five-year incarceration, she moved to California to continue her activism and started a nonprofit to address the AIDS crisis and prison abolition. She founded Transgender, Gender, and Intersex Justice Project, and, as executive director, led the organization’s important work for incarcerated trans women of color who suffer from police brutality, poverty, racism, and gender discrimination. Stormie DeLarverie was a butch lesbian with a black mother and white father who was not only at the Stonewall uprising, but is said to have started it, earning herself the title of the Rosa Parks of Stonewall within the community. Her activism continued as a bouncer in lesbian bars and street guardian of lesbians in New York City, legally armed to protect lesbians and lesbian spaces at all costs.

This Pride, we celebrate these women and their fierce protection of our community. We stitch their strength into our current fights, which are still about protecting black, brown, trans, and female lives. We continue to fight for the right of trans youth to live and thrive in a society that is trying to erase them. We still insist on the visibility and need for lesbians and bisexuals, and that their place in our community is not dependent on their emotional labor or continued caregiving of gay males. We demand that antiracism and intersectionality work continue and that this only strengthens our solidarity and activism. 2SLGBTQIA+ people have always been part of our movement and have always lit the path for working together, despite the differences and history of inequality. Folks in LA are allegedly throwing glitter on unidentified ICE agents so that we can identify them for days to come. Is there anything more joyously defiant, more queer, more unified? This Pride month we protect and uplift each other with all of the strength from our trans and queer female heroes and remember what it takes to live and fight. Together.

Our Trans Youth are needing us now more than ever. Please listen/watch this clip from Democracy Now to learn about what is happening. Defending the rights of targeted communities continues beyond “Pride month.” Reach out to your local trans organizations for ideas on how to get involved in the efforts to protect our youth and thank you for being an ally.

~ Written by River, CLDC’s Director of People & Culture