June is Pride Month 2021. It is almost upon us, and the fight for queer liberation is as important as ever. After a year of massive protests, many centered specifically on the call for justice for trans people of color, the right wing across the United States is mounting an assault on queer rights. The year 2020 was the most deadly for trans murders in U.S. history. Many states are considering, and some have already passed, new laws that attack head-on the rights of trans youth.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is doing very little to counter these attacks, even as Biden himself seeks to portray himself as a friend of the oppressed. While it’s true that Biden named several queer and trans people to positions in his administration, he has put queer rights on the backburner and has largely turned a blind eye to the assault on trans youth. At the same time as corporations increasingly try to sell us on the myth of rainbow capitalism, the Democrats continue to prop up our oppression.
Even with all the reactionary attacks, there have been some progressive moves. Most notably, NYC Pride officially banned cops from the city’s Pride Parade, a victory for activists who fought tirelessly for the Gay Officers Action League to be kicked out. We also are seeing an increasingly queer youth vanguard that emerged during the Black Lives Matter movement continue to fight for Black, queer, and trans liberation across the United States. Internationally, queer and trans people have been on the front lines of struggle in Colombia, Myanmar, and elsewhere. Statistics show us that the youth is disproportionately queer and are becoming increasingly politicized. This vanguard will surely define the queer libeation movement for years to come.
This is the context for our call for collaborators. Left Voice wants to hear and share your voices. Tell us what queer and trans liberation means to you. Tell us about struggles in your community. Recount the conditions you and others face. What sorts of conclusions are you drawing from the struggle?
This Pride Month we aim to publish a wide and diverse roster of voices, and we need your help to do so. Email [email protected] to submit an article, pitch, or ask to be included in our collaborators network.
