BOYSLUT with Zachary Zane #5
Pride going virtual gives white queer people an opportunity to support Black lives; exploring the parallels between the Stonewall Inn Riots and George Floyd Riots.
This week: Pride going virtual gives white queer people an opportunity to support Black lives; exploring the parallels between the Stonewall Inn riots and George Floyd riots.
June is just a day away, but it definitely doesn’t feel like Pride Month. Of course, this is due to none other than Ms. Rona. She’s canceled all of our in-person events.
I’ve been thinking of all the people who need Pride. I think of the effeminate 13-year-old boy who gets bullied in school. He knows he’s different, though not quite sure how. Seeing tens of thousands of queer people celebrate in the streets helps him realize that he’s not alone. There’s a community out there waiting for him to join, and his life will, eventually, get better.
I also think of all the money that LGBTQ organizations aren’t raising this year. Donations received during Pride Month help these crucial organizations stay afloat year-round. These orgs house LGBTQ homeless youth, provide food for queer people, offer services for queers contemplating suicide, and so much more.
Still, there are at least some benefits to having a virtual pride. Mainly, those who otherwise couldn’t attend a Pride event now can; I’m thinking folks who don’t have the means to travel and people who are differently-abled, claustrophobic, etc.
Without physical spaces, I also think this year’s Pride can focus a little less on partying and more on activism. Don’t get me wrong, I love that Pride is a big ol’ party. I think experiencing joy as a marginalized person in public is necessary and can even be considered an act of rebellion.
But with what’s going on in the United States today, I think we need to go further than joy and celebration. We need to return to fighting against discrimination and police brutality like we did 51 years ago at Stonewall. White queers need to join queer people of color and stand up specifically for Black people. And right now, I see clear parallels between the Stonewall Riots and George Floyd Riots.
George M. Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, said it best in a tweet.
There are many things that upset me when it comes to the discourse surrounding the George Floyd riots. One thing, in particular, is this notion that “there are other peaceful ways to get your message across.” Indeed, there are, and Black people, including queer Black people — two of the three founders of the BLM movement identify as queer — have attempted every possible method time and time again. (Remember when Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem? That was probably the most peaceful way I can think of protesting, and it was such a scandal.) Yet little has changed.
No one starts with riots. Whenever you read about the Stonewall Riots, you often hear phrasing like “It was the last straw,” and “The folks at The Stonewall Inn were fed up.” Across the United States, not just in NY, police had been raiding queer spaces for years. And for a decade before Stonewall, queer people had actually been responding with riots. I can think of the Cooper’s Do-Nuts Riot in Los Angeles back in 1959 and the Black Cat Tavern Riot on New Year’s Eve 1966.
Rioting comes from a place of being repeatedly beaten down. It comes from a place of exhaustion. You riot when you feel — or know — you have no other option. And this form of riot isn’t simply a riot. It’s a rebellion — a revolution.
This differs from riots that are unadulterated chaos. White people riot nearly every year following a major sporting event. A few years back, NY Mag did a roundup of all the times white people rioted for no damn reason. This is inexcusable. Still, it’s not considered a big deal by the government, or really, any deal at all. They just let these white folks "get it out of their system.”
Recently, there have also been reports of white people needless destroying property, then fleeing before the police arrive, leaving Black people to deal with the impending police violence.
I also don’t support the burning down of hospitals, schools, apartment complexes, and small-owned businesses, especially in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods where riots typically take place. (I say this of riots in general, not specifically of the George Floyd Riots, as I’m not entirely sure what has and hasn’t been destroyed across the U.S.) Rebuilding may take years, if they ever happen at all.
Lastly, I don’t see this as a time to loot stores for 50-inch flat-screen TVs. But you know what? Target will survive, while George Floyd remains dead. If some Targets get looted in the process to achieve racial equality — for police officers to stop murdering unarmed Black people — that’s a price we should all happily pay. We should not value the worth of a material object greater than a Black man’s life.
I have to say though, from the footage I’ve seen circling Twitter, it seems as if police officers, by in large, are the ones escalating protests, turning them violent. Not the protestors.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time an unarmed Black person was murdered by a policeman. This happens frequently across the U.S., and it’s been happening for years. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment (while she was sleeping) by Louisville Police in March of this year. In 2015, unarmed Walter Scott was shot in the back by a police officer following a daytime traffic stop for a non-functioning brake light. Eleven years ago, unarmed, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot in the back by a BART police officer in Oakland. The list goes on and on.
Peaceful protests aren’t working. Summits aren’t working. Everything else clearly isn’t working. Or rather, they’re not working fast enough, as innocent Black people are being murdered in the meantime.
Riots like those in response to George Floyd have the capacity to bring forth positive change when all other channels have been proven ineffective. That’s why riots aren’t just acceptable, at times they’re necessary. They were necessary at Stonewall, and they’re necessary now.
Since Pride marches have been canceled this year, I believe white queers have been given an opportunity. This year, we can march — either physically or metaphorically — for Black lives. This means we can physically attend protests. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so because of COVID-19 or any other reason, you also have other options.
If you have the means please consider donating to:
Brooklyn Community Bail Fund (6/1/20 Edit: Brooklyn Bail Fund has reported that they have received an influx of donations and would recommend donating to other orgs.)
Minnesota Freedom Fund (Note: Due to the influx of donations they received, I read online that they’re now asking to donate to other orgs, like those listed above.)
Sign petitions that demand that all four (not just one) of the officers involved in George Floyd’s murder be arrested.
Last but not least, listen to Black folks. Learn from Black leadership. Stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the news to better see how you can support beyond what I listed. Also, provide emotional support by checking in and listening to your Black friends and loved ones. While we can’t imagine what they’re going through, we can call to give our love and support.
Update: 6/1/20: The original post included state official numbers to call from the ACLU website, demanding that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison lead in the prosecution against the officers who murdered George Floyd. As of the evening of 5/31/20, this has happened, and as such, the numbers have been removed.