Take Pride in Your Story
Happy Pride Month! Throughout this blog, we are writing as a collective “we”. We note that there are those that are reading as a member within the LGBTQIA community and those that are reading as active allies along side the community. We, as a collective, can use this article to process, to reflect, and to restore from our feelings of unsteadiness.
As we near closer to another anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, we want to talk about taking Pride in our story. Before Stonewall, there were notable movements, particularly against police brutality, that helped put the pendulum in motion for LGBTQIA civil rights. In particular, The Compton’s Cafeteria riot of 1966, led by drag queens and transgender women, was an act of resistance towards targeting and abuse at the hands of the San Francisco Police Department. Felicia Flames, who lived in the area said the riots started because, “We were tired of being arrested for nothing. Arrested for being who we wanted to be.” Compton’s Cafeteria is forgotten by some but it remains one of the first records of resistance by queer people to police brutality. Other demonstrations included the 1967 raid on the Black Car bar which led to a demonstration of over 400 people.
We know, however, that pride is also more than riots. It is a collective movement of equality - a collective movement of identity (that is not to say, though, that the queer community is free of racism, xenophobia, or other prejudices). We want to focus this article toward ourselves and the human need to restore when the world has placed us on shaky ground.
“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”
- Marsha “Pay it No Mind” Johnson
As it relates to our own experiences and our own understanding, how are we feeling? Are we unsteady? Does our foundation feel off-balance? Or, perhaps, are we in the garden looking at our home, not quite ready to go in to see the condition? If we are having some of these feelings, it may be time for us to focus inward to restore.
Each one of us is living our own unique story - that’s true. But, it is important to recognize where we are in our story and find rest in that we have come a long way. The history of queer-liberation did not start overnight, and the fight is far from over. Through hetero-normative messages, our identities have been silenced by systemic oppression and violence. As we peek behind the door of our identity, and greet our inner child longing for love, what embrace can we offer ourselves? This week, let’s reflect on our unique stories and our collective history.
This Pride Month, no matter where you are in your journey, you are where you are meant to be.
Tips to Restore and Take Pride in Your Story:
Take your mental health seriously.
Though we often joke about being unwell, unstable, and overworked, it is important to take our mental health seriously. Taking your mental health seriously is the first step to doing the hard work to restore.
Remember - you don’t have to be “out” to be valid.
There is a lot of work on ourselves still to do before (and if) we choose to come out. It is a difficult decision for so many still and comes with consequences seen/unseen. Where ever you are in your story - it is where you need to be.
Stay in touch with your body.
You body is a great tale of feeling unsteady. Are you jittery? Are your muscles achey or stiff? Your body will do a great job telling you to focus on yourself - if we choose to listen to it!
Make time to process what you’re feeling.
Whether it is in the morning, before you go to bed, or on your daily commute, make space to process what you are feeling.
Seek guidance.
Someone has likely been there - or been through similar. Seeking non-professional help from a peer can be empowering and humanizing - you are not alone! Seeking professional help can offer space and support in a unique way that our peers cannot provide. Both are wonderful ways to restore and create more steadiness.
