An ambassador from Just Like Us looks back at the times we have been united not divided
WORDS AND ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLY FAYE, IMAGE BY DAVIDEANGELINIPHOTOS
Since the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the LGBTQIA community has come together on its anniversary to celebrate and support one another. Our history has been a turbulent one, and although we could not be where we are today without the amazing allies who fight alongside us, we have also had to fight for one another.
As we near the end of Pride season, I am reflecting on how our community has historically stood up for each other in the fight for equality, and how allyship within our community is something we must all prioritise today.
Stop The Clause
In 1988, a day before Section 28 was passed in Parliament, a group of lesbian activists stormed the BBC TV News Studio in protest. Section 28 was an anti-gay piece of legislation that outlawed the “promotion” of homosexuality in public institutions, including schools. It had an enormous negative impact on the community, with several helplines reporting a threefold increase in LGBTQIA harassment after it was put in place.
The protest garnered a huge amount of media coverage and was successful in demonstrating just how many people opposed Section 28. Section 28 was repealed in England in 2003, a year after I started primary school.
Growing up and figuring out my sexuality was a very confusing and conflicting time for me, so I am grateful that I was at least in an environment where LGBTQIA themes and relationships could be discussed relatively safely, and that I was able to talk to trusted adults about what I was experiencing, both within my family and outside, such as teachers.
Queer Nation
In 1990 Queer Nation was founded in New York; an LGBTQIA activist organisation, whose mission was to eliminate homophobia, biphobia and lesbianphobia whilst increasing LGBTQIA visibility. Not only did they want to create safe, queer spaces but they also wanted to fight for all spaces to be safe for the LGBTQIA community. As they stated in their manifesto: “Being Queer is not a right to privacy; it is about the freedom to be public, to just be who we are.” The group grew to be nationwide throughout the ’90s, allowing anyone in the LGBTQIA community to join and have a voice.
Reverend Carl Schlegel
Reverend Carl Schlegel was an LGBTQIA activist in New Orleans from 1906-1907 and is one of the earliest known US homosexual emancipation activists. However, he didn’t just fight for the rights of gay people but advocated for the same laws for “homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals and asexuals”, recognising all of these identities as equally important; fighting for the rights of others as well as his own.
Schlegel’s inclusion of both bisexuals and asexuals in his activism is the earliest-known US bid for both groups’ legal equality. In 1907 he was found guilty of “homosexualism” and was fired from his church, where he worked as a minister.
STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries)
STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) was founded in 1970 by Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. It was a queer, trans, and gender non-conforming activist group that helped provide housing and support to homeless LGBTQIA youth and sex workers in Manhattan, New York.
The group also attended demonstrations and pushed for the recognition of trans individuals within both the gay liberationist movement and in society as a whole. They condemned homophobia, racism, targeted incarceration and police harassment. They also brought attention to the predatory behaviour of men in prison against gender-nonconforming and gay prisoners.
The group unfortunately declined in 1973, with Rivera citing the fourth anniversary of Stonewall as the death of the group. Although both Sylvia and Marsha had been present at the first Stonewall Riot and were important figures in the movement, there were transphobic speeches at the anniversary that criticised trans individuals as misogynistic and demeaning due to their attire and use of makeup. Despite facing discrimination from her own community, Rivera continued to fight for trans, gay and queer rights.
The story of STAR not only shows the positive outcome that comes from our community’s activist work but also the harsh, negative consequences that occur when we are not fully united. If Sylvia and Marsha were not faced with transphobia from their own community, perhaps STAR would have lasted a little longer, and its positive impact would have reached more vulnerable LGBTQIA individuals.
L with the T
In 2018, a group of LQBTQIA activists launched the #LwiththeT campaign. It was a counter-protest to a group who had disrupted London Pride that year, marching in the front of the parade all the way to Trafalgar Square. This, alongside numerous and increasing attacks on the trans community, fueled #LwiththeT members to come together in the fight for trans inclusivity.
The group led the Brighton Pride march to prove that the majority of the LGBTQIA community refuses to be divided by our diversity, but instead to be united. The group showed their support for every sector of the community, including the T. After this first march the group gained national support and sub-groups emerged across the country, with the hashtag being seen at many other Pride parades. The group is an important example of why we still need to vocalise our allyship for one another today.
Our community is united by many similarities, and there are many forms of discrimination that are universal to us all. But, it is also important to recognise our differences. As a cis, queer woman, I do not face the same challenges and discrimination as a trans man, or an asexual, non-binary person, for example. We are each other’s equals, but we must also be each other’s allies. It is important that we help give a voice to others as well as ourselves; to not leave each other behind in our individual battles but to stand united. Our community is a safe haven to so many, so let’s make it as inclusive, as loving and as strong as possible.
Charly is an ambassador for Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity. Just Like Us needs LGBT+ ambassadors aged 18-25 to speak in schools – sign up now.
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