They broke the restaurant's glass windows and set a nearby newspaper stand on fire. Within minutes, dozens of trans people and drag queens spilled onto the street in opposition. Officers arrived, and when a cop tried to arrest one of the trans women, she threw her hot coffee in his face. One August night, management of the 24-hour diner called the police on the trans women and drag queens who congregated there. history in support of LGBTQ+ rights took place in 1966 at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. And considering it was queer and trans people of color whose audacity ignited the LGBTQ+ rights movement, it’s time the benefactors of their labor-white LGBTQ+ people and their allies-join the Black Lives Matter movement. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, our trans and queer ancestors fought tooth and nail, quite literally, to have their humanity recognized, just as black people who lead the current social unrest demand the right to live without fear of death because of the color of our skin. That’s because Pride was-and still is, despite it’s corporatization and sanitization-a protest. In reality however, they couldn’t be more alike.
On the surface, it might seem like these two movements are diametrically opposed-one a community celebration, the other an enraged protest of an unjust system.īlack Lives Matter. But it’s also different because as the month unfolds, so too do ongoing demonstrations against police brutality, systemic anti-blackness and institutionalized white supremacy. It’s different because the spread of COVID-19 has driven celebrations online, cancelling parades, festivals, and other in-person activities. This month, Esquire is examining what Pride means now, beyond the parade and for the next 50 years-whether it's advocating for justice over Zoom, discovering the intersectionality too often missing from Pride, or simply existing as a trans father. For those who can't, celebrating Pride in quarantine is a protest itself. But that hardly means that Pride is canceled scores of people have taken to the street in protest for Black Lives Matter. Many celebrities were also expected to take part and perform in the live stream such as Sir Elton John, Stephen Fry and Natasha Bedingfield.Pride has never looked like this before. Politicians and world leaders were set to take part in the event including US presidential candidate Joe Biden, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
One such event is a 24-hour live stream celebration, Global Pride, which took place on Saturday from 6am. Many members of the LGBT community have opted to hold online celebrations throughout Pride month.
Thousands attended the march despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Black Trans Lives Matter march was held in place of Pride celebrations. Mr Tatchell added: "As well as campaigning for LGBT+ rights, we are expressing our solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and black LGBT+ people." He said just around a dozen GLF veterans would be joining the march due to Covid-19 and having underlying health conditions. Mr Tatchell added: "We hope that our protest will encourage people to remember the long, difficult struggle for LGBT+ rights and remember that here in Britain, and around the world, there are still battles to fight and win." "We are seeking to reclaim Pride as an event for LGBT+ human rights." Mr Tatchell said: "Today's march is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Gay Liberation Front. Some of the demonstrators held flowers while marching through London. The demonstrators, some of whom are in their 70s and 80s, marched the route usually taken by the Pride In London parade and called for political action, including the end of deportations for LGBT asylum seekers.ĭemonstrators held signs reading 'Black Trans Lives Matter'. 68-year-old human rights activist Peter Tatchell and former Gay Liberation Front (GLF) members also marched in central London.