Pride is a time when the queer minorities can just be visible and be proud of the difference they were born into. Most of us, like all minorities, inhabit a world that is designed for straight people, with expectations to behave and be as straight people determine, day in day out. Black people similarly, when in a minority, will have experienced that in a white world. There is not one type of queer person as we are all different, but its important that society gets to see, now and then, queer people in their differences, some quite ordinary, a few are flamboyant and some who know their prescribed gender identify is not who they really are.
Most of us love consensually and, at least for people who are happy with their gender as identified or assigned at birth, we love people of our own gender. But there is plenty of variation and nuance between people in that too. This is not woke as some kind of political correctness, but plain simple human rights. The word ‘woke’ is almost always used incorrectly especially by the tabloids, Reform or any other Nazi leaning view that prevails from vocal right wing minorities. We’re all human, we all contribute to humanity in out way, some more than others perhaps. But we all are equal as human beings, unless you lean to some fascist philosophy of oppressing others, because you think that is right, beyond reasonable culturally, properly formulated, consensual law that also protects all and provides fairness and justice.
So this is Earthwaves’ contribution to Pride Month; a celebration of everyone, whatever their shade of queer, a shout out to everyone who fought our hard won rights and recognition, and to champion the ongoing fight against oppression.
Happy Pride Week – let your rainbow shine bright!
Photo taken by Lance in Campsie, Northern Ireland