Pride
By Renae Swope

What does Pride mean to me?

Pride, Gay Pride, Pride month are celebrations that remain to isolate the Transgender community.

Pride to me is a celebration of resistance and the continual advancement of men, while Queer and Trans People of color continue to compete for progress, existence and a voice. Trans people of Color continue to fight the violence, not just from physical violence but also structural violence. These include housing, healthcare, employment, and education.

These multiple forms of oppression and discrimination also make us a vulnerable population because we are overlooked and pushed aside to be ignored, underreported, unreported, and marked as other. And now we have become Invisible.

Despite the many discriminations we face, Native Trans continue to thrive and survive the daily struggles of prejudice, inequality, judgments, and mistreatments.

We combat these discriminations by choosing to be Visible and not be silenced. What is happening to the Trans community is not specific to Us, we are all as native people and LGBQ people are impacted by violence in one form or another.

Let us stand together and stop the Bull Shit that prevents us from having an actual Pride that involves a stance that demands justice for all. Pride used to be a time to let go, come out of the closet and whatever the outcome would be, accepted or not, it was ok. Because we were surrounded by Family. Pride is about Visibility and creating a sense of belonging. A Community.