Ever since we were little, we’ve been told that blue is for boys and pink is for girls. While families are only composed of a man and a woman and their ultimate goal is to bear children. We are enclosed in a box set by society’s standards, whoever dared to cross its line would pay grave consequences. All our lives we were taught that there are only two genders, while the rest were seen as an abomination. 51 years since the riots in Stonewall, the struggle for queer liberation lives on.
We personally know people who only see members of the LGBTQA+ community as mere comic relief, just a group of people to tickle their funny bones and nothing else. While there are those who only tolerate their existence but do not fully respect their demands for rights equal to heterosexuals, some even have the audacity to say that they are asking for too much. Remarks of “Ay, gwapo sana kaso…”, “Ay, maganda sana kaso…” and “Ay, matalino sana kaso…” are overplayed whenever a queer individual shines in the spotlight. The system itself is founded on exploitation and oppression, the hetero-normative and patriarchal society has bred homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.
Pride month is not a celebration alone but rather a protest, an age-long fight to uphold rights of the LGBTQA+ community and to put a halt to state repression. It is hypocritical to raise the rainbow flag without acknowledging its militant roots tainted with blood and vigor. At present, we witness that intersectionality of pride and its critical relevance. There are farmers, workers, indigenous people, and urban poor people who are part of the LGBTQA+ community. Despite that they are oppressed two-fold, the intertwining of each sector and collective unity is a significant feat.
51 years later we still witness the police brutality and state violence that the Stonewall riots were faced with. Twenty protesters who were peacefully conducting a pride march along the streets of Mendiola were violently dispersed. Despite adhering to the health protocols,, the Manila police brutally handled the situation. Media personnel were able to capture the arrest on camera, the police even dragged the driver of the private vehicle the protesters were using and drove it to the police station. Last April 5, three LGBTQA+ individuals in Brgy. Pandacaqui, Mexico, Pampanga were ordered by barangay officials to dance, do push-ups, and kiss in a video livestream after they were caught outside after curfew hours. Their names were also mentioned in the video. We also recall the discrimination some LGBTQA+ senior citizens received when they were refused to be given relief support amidst the pandemic. These different forms of exclusion and hate crimes have always been prevalent, it is only taking turn for the worse.
The Stonewall riots had a lasting impact not only on the community but also the entire world. Speaking truth to power has always come with a terrible price, more so when the society is plagued with misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. Pride has always been a protest, standing up for the rights of all genders and sexual orientations across every sector. It becomes more relevant now when the state is fixated at implementing anti-poor policies aimed at encroaching our rights. The first color of the rainbow is red, echoing the rich history of Pride—the militant defiance against the fascist state.
