Blog: Somewhere Under The Rainbow

 “THE SHOTGLASS HEARD AROUND THE WORLD” 
A blog from LGBTQIAAP+ Shaper/Caper Champion, Alex McCrossan 

“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” 
A quote by Black trans activist and drag performer, Marsha P. Johnson, which echoes just as loudly in this period of time as when she first said it decades ago.  

Marsha P. Johnson was an LGBTQIAP+ pioneer, vital to one of the most important turning points in our LGBTQIAP+ history – the Stonewall uprising. Alongside other trans and gender non-conformist individuals including (but not limited to) Sylvia Rivera and also Stormé DeLarverie who is often forgotten about or unintentionally erased when we have discussions about the origins of the protests leading to what we now know as ‘Pride’. There are countless other individuals and collective groups of people who fought back on these evenings and many others, and ‘Pride’ month is when our community remembers the sacrifice made, using our collective courage to push forward in the often uphill struggle for not just tolerance but acceptance and respect. 

The Stonewall Inn still operates as a bar to this day as well as a historical landmark, affectionately known as the place “where pride began”. But if you took a Delorian back to the 1960s, pre-Pride as we know and love it? It would be a completely different story, one that many of us in the modern-day would struggle to comprehend. For example, this was one of the very few and far between venues at this time that allowed two people of the same gender to dance together, something which much of the Western world would see in any average nightlife space in 2020 (well maybe not right now in June 2020, but you get the picture). At this time in New York (where the Stonewall Inn stands) the “Three Article Rule” was in place. This meant it was required by law for people to wear at least three articles of clothing that were ‘assigned to your gender’ at all times. This meant dressing in drag was illegal and could lead to trouble with law enforcement – even women wearing trousers without ‘enough female’ items of clothing could face the same difficulties. In an interview with the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project in 1983, Rusty Brown – a drag king working and living in New York in post-war America – had said the following: “I have been arrested in New York more times than I have fingers and toes for wearing pants and a shirt … you had to have three pieces of female attire”. Because of widespread misunderstanding, fear and even hatred of the LGBTQIAP+ community, I’m sure many of us would have flocked to places like Stonewall – for solidarity, for comfort and support, and for a good time amidst the burden of pain and isolation that came coupled with being any kind of different at this time. And it was on one of these Friday nights at Stonewall, filled with same-gender couples, drag queens and everyone else fitting one of these wonderful letters, that the local authorities – yet again – raided the venue, an occurrence that was unfortunately very frequent for such establishments. It was on this night, that our community decided that it was not a crime to be gay and it was not illegal to be trans and that the law in fact was in dire need of correction – and they fought back. As more police vehicles started arriving at the venue to arrest people, the patrons remained staunch in their position and refused to leave willingly. It was at this point that first action was taken – various people tell the story of Marsha P. Johnson throwing a shot glass at a mirror and say “I got my human rights”. While it is mentioned that some of these accounts may not be directly first hand of what was exactly said, Marsha P. Johnson was no doubt one of the very first people to ever stand up and stand strong for what it meant to be proud of who you are when everyone else tells you to be ashamed.

Whilst Pride events now are fun and vibrant, enjoyed by children, adults of all ages, families, and workplaces, let us ensure now more than ever not to forget the origins of the Pride story. Pride was - and in many ways remains - a protest and many glasses, literally and metaphorically, had to be broken in order for us to sit here, in the Western world, authentically LGBTQIAP+ and proud. When Marsha P. Johnson said “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us” this applies to all aspects of what makes up our identity, including race, gender, sexuality, or otherwise. Can we all be truly prideful knowing that trans people statistically face a lower life expectancy because of rates of violence? Can we all be truly prideful knowing that in many countries today, being gay and actively practicing your sexuality is punishable by death? Even in our comfortable society that I write this blog, we are recognising more and more inequality in our community now than ever before. Conversion therapy for “issues relating to gender and sexuality” is still legal in the UK, despite pledges to change this; celebrities using their social media platforms to spread anti-trans beliefs without care of who they may be affecting all while pulling attention away from the important issues of the Black Lives Matter movement; and of course, the ever present violence, fear, bullying and harassment that people face on a daily basis simply because of who they are. And so, this is why we have taken a trip down, not quite Memory Lane as many of us were not yet alive for the Stonewall riots but more Historical Avenue, to remember what sparked the demand for LGBTQIAP+ decriminalisation and the subsequent continued push for equality. It took multiple riots and the actions of people like Marsha P. Johnson for us to openly live as LGBTQIAP+ today without legal repercussions. This very same concept is being echoed loudly now in June 2020 for different reasons – let’s listen. And let’s remember 2020 not as the year that the ceiling caved in around us, but instead the year that we gazed beyond our own roof – and we can finally see the stars ahead. 

“History isn't something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities." Marsha P. Johnson