Hola dear colleagues of the global majority,
June is Pride Month and across the world there are many cities celebrating throughout these days. While parades will make us think that this is celebration, I want to acknowledge that the beginning of Pride was not as nice. It should be known that the event that began the movement was a riot of trans women and non-binary folks fighting for their existence (something that still feels sadly relevant 50+ years later). To give you a condensed history lesson I will provide you with this article from Them that goes a bit into the history of Pride: https://www.them.us/story/the-complete-history-of-pride
I hope you take the time to read a bit more about the significant events and the people that made it happen.
If you like television and have access to Discovery+ there is a lovely series called The Book of Queer depicting LGBTQ+ historical figures. Here is a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMV53YJkvwg Sharing because the show feels a bit easier to learn from instead of sharing a list of books to read.
However, if you do like to read and want to take some action here is a phenomenal article about what you can do this Pride month as a nonprofit organization. https://communitycentricfundraising.org/2023/06/05/what-you-can-do-this-pride-month/
We owe a great debt to the many queer people of color in our past that have allowed many to live their true lives today. The fight is still ongoing (for if you don't know there are still may countries where it illegal to exist as a queer person) but the work of queer liberation (along with the liberation of people of color) are interconnected and learning our past can certainly help guide us for our future.
Keep an eye out for our next meeting and hope that you have a phenomenal Pride month this year!
unapologetically queerly yours,
Carlos García León he/they