Do you celebrate pride? Are you worried about Trump's impacts on it? Tell us. | Opinion
What does pride mean to you? Can it continue to exist under Trump? Share your opinion below.
Do you ever stop to think how much wisdom and guidance is lost when a generation dies?
A project in college opened a mental window into the vibrant tapestry of LGBTQ+ history. It helped me contextualize, for the first time, what pride was.
During the Stonewall riots, under the advocacy of icons like Marsha P. Johnson – a trans woman forced into survival sex by society’s rejection of people like her – our predecessors demanded a better tomorrow for the LGBTQ+ people who would come next. In those steamy, riotous June days of the late 1960s, LGBTQ+ history took a turn against the constant police raids of gay bars and spaces and stepped into the sunlight – where we belonged.
Of course, the idea of gay pride and freedom didn’t start there. But it didn’t end there, either.
The HIV/AIDS crisis, under President Ronald Reagan’s apparent disinterest in addressing what was erroneously understood as a disease that only affects gay people, ravaged the LGBTQ+ community. Our queer elders died. There is a whole generation of LGBTQ+ people who are now mentoring the next generation of us without having mentors of their own. They had to slide into the empty bar stools vacated by their predecessors and decide what tomorrow looked like for the rest of us.
I'm proud of who I am – but I'm worried about pride
The existential threats continue. President Donald Trump, during his second administration, issued an executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion funding. He issued another executive order banning transgender military members. He has made his intentions in attacking our community clear – and his anti-DEI policies already have corporate sponsors pulling out of major pride events from San Francisco to New York City.
Can Pride Month continue to exist under Trump? Are you worried that he could end the federally recognized celebration altogether? (Take our poll here or scroll down to submit your responses.)
To be represented, to be proud, is to say it to yourself over and over again. It is to say it louder than the people who don’t think you deserve to be who you truly are. It is to say it when you’re happy, when you’re scared. It is to say it loud enough for somebody in the next room to hear and maybe feel themselves represented for the first time. It is to be unflinching and unafraid of who you are – and who you deserve to be.
That’s pride to me.
What does pride mean to you?
But it’s your turn now. With this latest Paste BN Forum installment, we want to know: What does pride mean to you? What are your hopes, your fears, your wishes, your moments of joy that make the month what it is? If you’re a queer elder, what do you want to say to the younger generation? If you’re Gen Z, what questions do you have for the older generation? Here's some more questions to help you get started.
- Do you think it's important to have a Pride Month?
- Do you agree with pride in its current form or think it should change?
- Do you think corporations, business and government should have a role in pride?
- Are you worried about how the Trump administration could affect pride?
- Are you concerned that the federal government may try to further infringe upon the rights of LGBTQ+ people?
Fill out the form below or email us at forum@usatoday.com with the subject line "Forum Pride Month." We'll use some of your responses as part of our upcoming Forum roundup.
Drew Atkins is a digital producer for Paste BN and Paste BN Network Opinion.