top of page
Search
Writer's pictureHowie Klein

45 Years Ago Today, Drag Queens Led The Fight For Our Dignity And Humanity-- The Fight's Not Over



The now-legendary, iconic Stonewall riots were spontaneous— and successful— and began on June 28, 1969 in Greenwich Village, and continued into the 29th. Drag queens and trans people were the shock troops… fearless, courageous, heroic. 54 years have passed and, releasing the results of a new poll yesterday, Data For Progress noted that “Less than half of transgender adults feel comfortable dressing and acting the way they want or engaging in public displays of affection in their local community without fear of violence or harassment.” Imagine… in 2023!


There were two polls that came out, one of LGBTQ adults and one plain ole likely voters. Writing for Data For Progress, Devi Ruia, Kirby Phares, and Sabrina Jacobs noted that though the LGBTQ+ community has achieved monumental progress, including legislative and judicial victories and greater representation in media and government than ever before… this increased visibility has been met with a political backlash, particularly at the expense of the transgender and nonbinary community. Trans people are the GOP’s new punching bag. “New Data for Progress polling,” they reported, “finds that a majority of LGBTQ+ adults feel like they somewhat or strongly belong in U.S. society (53 percent) and in their neighborhoods and surrounding community (52 percent). However, a majority of transgender adults report a low sense of belonging in U.S. society (59 percent) and in their neighborhood (50 percent). In comparison, a majority of LGBQ+ adults who do not identify as transgender report a high sense of belonging in U.S. society (56 percent) and in their neighborhood (53 percent)… [O]nly 43 percent of transgender adults feel comfortable being open and transparent about their sexual orientation or gender identity in their local community, compared to 60 percent of LGBQ+ adults who do not identify as transgender.”



In a separate survey of likely voters, LGBTQ+ voters report feeling higher levels of dissatisfaction with their mental health, standard of living, and household income compared to straight, cisgender voters. Among straight, cisgender voters, 72 percent are satisfied with their mental health, 65 percent are satisfied with their standard of living, and 52 percent are satisfied with their household income. In comparison, 51 percent of LGBTQ+ voters are satisfied with their mental health, 46 percent are satisfied with their standard of living, and only 38 percent are satisfied with their household income.
In addition to higher reports of dissatisfaction with their standard of living and household income, LGBTQ+ voters are more likely to struggle to pay essential bills. While 53 percent of cisgender and straight voters say they never have problems paying for food and groceries, only 31 percent of LGBTQ+ voters report the same. Fifty-five percent of cisgender and straight voters never struggle to pay utility bills, compared to 36 percent of LGBTQ+ voters.


It’s clear that many LGBTQ+ adults, particularly those who are transgender, struggle to feel a sense of belonging and don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves in their communities. The alarmingly high levels of dissatisfaction with mental health and standard of living cannot be divorced from the reality that the LGBTQ+ community has increasingly been under attack and made to feel less safe. Elected officials must work to confront economic and health disparities, defend LGBTQ+ people against misguided political attacks, and implement intersectional policies that foster acceptance and connectedness.


Can I share a poem? “A Litany for Survival” was written by Audre Lorde who described herself as “black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet," who "dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism and homophobia.” The New York State Poet Laureate, she died in 1992, long before the people like Meatball Ron came along to screech about woke.


For those of us who live at the shoreline

standing upon the constant edges of decision

crucial and alone

for those of us who cannot indulge

the passing dreams of choice

who love in doorways coming and going

in the hours between dawns

looking inward and outward

at once before and after

seeking a now that can breed

futures

like bread in our children’s mouths

so their dreams will not reflect

the death of ours;

For those of us

who were imprinted with fear

like a faint line in the center of our foreheads

learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk

for by this weapon

this illusion of some safety to be found

the heavy-footed hoped to silence us

For all of us

this instant and this triumph

We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid

it might not remain

when the sun sets we are afraid

it might not rise in the morning

when our stomachs are full we are afraid

of indigestion

when our stomachs are empty we are afraid

we may never eat again

when we are loved we are afraid

love will vanish

when we are alone we are afraid

love will never return

and when we speak we are afraid

our words will not be heard

nor welcomed

but when we are silent

we are still afraid

So it is better to speak

remembering

we were never meant to survive.



3 Comments


hiwatt11
Jun 30, 2023

Ever notice how the Guestcrapper uses 'shithole' just like Trump Sr. uses 'witch hunt'? That's not everything about crapper's style that's very similar either. Reason included.

Like
Guest
Jun 30, 2023
Replying to

except shithole is apt whereas whatever dribbles outta the mouth of a nazi is just pure hate. like whatever comes off your keyboard.

ever notice that? didn't think so.

Like

Guest
Jun 29, 2023

54 years. one step forward. three steps back. shithole!

but... we seem to demand it be this way... I mean NOBODY has EVER voted against the shithole since 1968.

Like
bottom of page