Lauren Thompson, per Spot Easy Blogs
Two weeks ago, Spot Easy opened the conversation about LGBTQ+-owned businesses to our viewers in honor of Pride Month. However, we only briefly
touched on the discrimination and hostility Boston has projected onto the LGBTQ+ community. Today, we want to discuss why people are boycotting Boston Pride, and how we can combat racism in the Boston community and stand up for all non-white LGBTQ+ members.
As mentioned in our last article, Pride began with the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, and this was rooted in police brutality, racism, and violence, in addition to transphobia and homophobia. Now in 2021, these immoral acts of violence and murder are still happening, so how can we possibly say things have changed?
Black and Latina transgender women were at the forefront of the riots, including Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and Sylvia Rivera. We have people of color to thank for positive change in the LGBTQ community, but we have not been properly thanking them. Instead, LGBTQ+ people of color have been subjected to violence, police brutality, racism, and murder.
Not only is this a global issue, but Boston Pride, a place where all members of the LGBTQIA+ community should be welcomed and accepted, was under fire for taking ‘Black Lives Matter’ out of a public statement last June after the tragic murder of George Floyd. In addition, their board lacks any people of color, or transgender folks, and has been under fire in the past for other racially driven acts. Black, transgender folks are the entire reason Pride exists, so how could this happen?
Due to both the pandemic and this pushback from the community, Boston Pride was canceled both in 2020 and 2021. Thankfully, the LGBTQIA+ community has begun to rebuild with a different organization, focusing on BIPOC transgender folks.
Trans Resistance Massachusetts
I spoke with KB (he/they) from the board of Trans Resistance Massachusetts. Trans Resistance Massachusetts is a non-profit organization that uplifts and centers the voices and needs of the transgender and queer, Black Indigenous People of Color in Massachusetts (TQBIPOC). TRM was founded in June 2020 by Athena Vaughn, Chastity Bowick, and a handful of volunteers after Boston Pride fell short on providing inclusivity to the LGBTQ+ community. Now focusing on transgender People of Color, TRM is partnered with Transgender Emergency Fund, an organization founded in 2008. Last year, Trans Resistance Massachusetts and Transgender Emergency Fund formulated an alternative event from Pride in only one week. This event is the Trans Resistance March, Vigil, and Pride Fest, and after exceeding their capacity expectation by over 10,000 people, they have decided to make this an annual event. While KB was not on the board last year when they first hosted their event, he did share his thoughts on the situation, saying,
“2020 was a groundswell year for a lot of social movements for change, especially for racial justice. From my understanding, there was some difficulty on the board for Boston Pride for quite some time in a long-standing history of exclusion of voices of trans and queer people of color, specifically at that intersection. The white queer community, both in Boston and more generally, needs to urgently address its exclusion of transgender people of color, as the work of TQBIPOC is the reason we have the Pride, to begin with. Transgender people of color should not just be included, but should have leadership roles in every LGBTQ+ organization.”
Performative allyship is, unfortunately, a larger problem than it may appear when it comes to human rights, and choosing which side of history you want to be on. This is a large issue Boston Pride had and falls in line with many corporations that capitalize on Pride during June. Supporting LGBTQ+ community members doesn’t only happen during the month of June, yet businesses will hang rainbow flags and sell pride merchandise for that one month, and not do anything beyond this act of exploitation.
While Pride was not using their donations for keeps, from what I am aware, the organization did hide key pieces of themselves from the public, including who runs the event, what they believe in, and who is welcome. By not speaking on the Black lives that were taken in 2020, but claiming that Pride is for everyone, they left out the Black LGBTQ+ folks. Was this intentional or did Pride simply forget to watch the news last year? Regardless of their excuse, it is prevalent that change is needed, and Trans Resistance Massachusetts has provided this.
KB shares how Trans Resistance MA is in partnership with the Transgender Emergency Fund, where they are the only organization that works closely with the homeless and low-income transgender and non-binary folks in Massachusetts. The Transgender Emergency Fund aims to acquire property in Boston to properly home the folks they are supporting, and since they are entirely donation-based, our dollar matters now more than ever.
While prior to this event, the best way to support the Trans Resistance March would have been to volunteer your time to help plan and execute the event. Now that the event has passed, supporting this cause financially would be the best way. KB shares,
“We are entirely volunteer-driven and most of the folks on our board work full-time jobs in addition to doing this organizing. We have an incredible board and a number of volunteers for planning. In 2021, we began raising money for what we call the ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ campaign. The goal we set for this year is $250,000, hoping by the time of the march we can raise $50,000.”
Prior to the march, TRM raised $46,000. However, KB shares that on the day of the march itself, donating is usually easiest to do in person at the event.
Saturday’s Trans Resistance March and Vigil were beautiful, emotional, and uplifting, just as a white, cis-gendered ally. I knew it was important for me to stand quietly in solidarity, and not make the event anything about me. I chose not to interview any of the lovely folks I spoke with to keep them safe and to assure them that I was here for more than just getting a story.
The LGBTQ+ community and the Black, Indigenous People of Color community all matter, and all deserve life, safety, inclusivity, and opportunity. At the crossroad of these two identities, lives are often lived in fear due to the transphobia and racism rooted in America. Let this article be a wake-up call, as if 2020 wasn’t already, that racism has no room in our world. No life should be taken due to the color of your skin, or what type of genitals you have. We all must do our part to keep these communities safe, and away from the hands of violence. In that same breath, we must end the violence in our country.
You can help support the Trans Resistance Massachusetts Fund, and the Transgender Emergency Fund here:
https://www.transresistancema.com https://transemergencyfund.org https://linktr.ee/TransResistanceMa
LThomps Art 