*Pride Month is here and it’s not just queer folx who are celebrating! Fresh from inside queer/trans/BIPOC land, I’ve bundled my best suggestions to fuel your fire for allyship and bring some sparkle into your June. Happy Pride!*
You can have a good-ass time while making a difference
I’m not straight. But if you are – and you’re wanting to level up your ally game – chances are you’ve heard two messages: 1) don’t ask queer folx to educate you, and 2) donate your money.
But beyond that it’s just you, Google, and your good intentions. So if you’re having imposter syndrome about being an ally, here’s a guide to getting your Pride vibes on, inside and out.
If you only have 5 minutes...
Watch this video collab between Wanda Sykes and Ellen.It’s basic but covers the crucial stuff. Plus who doesn’t love cute animation and Wanda Sykes’ voice?
Now, let’s dig into the good stuff.
Ally Pride Tip #1: Buy Trans Art
One of the most delightful ways to be an activist is to buy art from queer artists. Your home will be all the cuter for it! My top pick is the Trans Day Of Resilience website, which features select QTBIPOC art activists that your life truly can’t be complete without. While the downloadable art on their website is free, what’s even more awesome is purchasing prints and commissions from the artists themselves. And fangirling out on their social medes.
Ally Pride Tip #2: Geek out on history!
LGBTQ+ history is massively heartening, badass, and important- and you can learn about it from your couch. While drinking Prosecco and showing that charcuterie plate who’s boss, if that’s how you roll.
These are my top three video recommendations on queer history. (My apologies that it’s very American. We’ll have a Eurocentric follow-up article soon!)
The Death and Life Of Marsha P Johnson, available on Netflix
Everyone must – MUST! — know about Marsha P. Johnson, the Black trans woman who worked tirelessly as a housing and LGBTQ+ rights activist, and who just so happened to start the Pride Movement. The DVD can be purchased through DVD Planet Store.
Original Pride: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club, available on YouTube
Leather culture is an integral part of gay history in America. This film offers a look into the development of motorcycle clubs to protect and the culture and rights of gay men in the 1950s, continuing to this day. The DVD is available for purchase through Amazon.
Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes, and Sadomasochism, available on YouTube.
This film has some of the most intense and intimate, publicly available footage from the old school Dyke and Lesbian leather scene of San Fransisco.
Ally Pride Tip #3 – Discuss with other straight folks
Hot tip: straight folks can benefit from analyzing their sexual orientation and gender roles. Chances are, your gender was assigned to you at birth and you had no say in the matter. How do you feel about it? How do you feel about the various gender roles you have been conditioned to perform? Is there anything about your sexuality that you’d like to explore, and can you do so within the bounds of your current relationships?
Gathering with other allies can be a constructive way of educating yourself while receiving pee
