Last weekend was certainly a busy one. It was the fifth anniversary of the Pulse Massacre and the first anniversary of Milwaukee’s March with Pride for Black Lives Matter. It was also the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that, on June 12, 1967, legalizing interracial marriage. And, for the first time, a sitting Vice President of the United States marched in a Pride Parade. I also attended the 70th birthday party of one of our local LGBTQ veteran activists and PrideFest founder, Bill Meunier.
I vividly remember the morning of the Pulse Massacre. I was dog sitting for friends at their home and had gotten up early to tend to my charge and get through his morning rituals before heading off to photograph the Pride Parade. I turned on the TV to watch the news and heard the first reports of a mass shooting in Orlando. At that point, little was known except that there had been massive causalities at a popular night club. In the midst of the 2016 presidential election campaign, in a year of mass shootings (this was the 133rd of that year as I later learned), in a tense political atmosphere with hate a plank in the GOP platform, I can recall hoping the site wasn’t a gay bar and a Muslim shooter. I knew that would give fodder to the Republican campaign.
Domestic Ideology
As details became known that 49 people (90% of whom were Hispanic) were killed, the shooting would, however briefly, be the worst in American history. That the victims were LGBTQ and the killer’s motive attributed to his religion, the Republican candidate was quick to exploit the tragedy, promising the LGBTQ community it would not be victimized by “foreign ideologies” under his presidency. Of course, he didn’t mention his domestic ideology that he would poise against us. Meanwhile, five years later, President Joe Biden will soon sign a bill designating the Pulse Nightclub grounds a national memorial.
Then came Sunday’s reprise of the 2020 March with Pride for Black Lives Matter. Whereas last year’s event was organized in 72 hours and yet assembled an estimated 5000 participants, this year’s planning began weeks ago. This time, March organizer Broderick Pearson enlisted a number of LGBTQ organizations as logistical support. While the crowd was smaller than in 2020, they were vocal and clearly empowered by speeches given by a spectrum of Black community leaders focused on the continuing struggle and raising awareness of police violence against people of color and the social inequities that pervade in the nation. Black trans activist Elle Halo was particularly poignant in her remarks about the struggle of her community.
The numbers were disappointing though. Aside from the reality that support of any cause is often emotionally based and those emotions are hard to sustain, especially for those sympathetic but not directly affected by the cause itself. In this case, there was also some confusion and, in fact, resentment, among LGBTQs who wrongly thought the March with Pride for Black Lives Matter had replaced the traditional Milwaukee Pride Parade that had been canceled months ago due to the pandemic. That may have impacted participation. Not surprisingly, it was a subject of conversation at Meunier’s birthday party.
That discussion took an awkward turn. Among some, there was tepid, almost begrudging acceptance the idea of the greater LGBTQ community’s common cause with Black LGBTQs marching for their common cause with the greater Black community. But there was still an insistence on a march “for us.” I tried to explain my view that marching in solidarity with anyone for social justice and equality is, in fact, “for us.” Our struggle is mutual and intertwined. Somehow, though, we reached an impasse. Too busy bickering, no one thought to suggest a solution, say, now that the pandemic seems to be in retreat, a Pride Parade in October for Coming Out Month.
Of course, all this was against the little noticed backdrop of “Loving Day” (conveniently, the plaintiffs in the case were named “Loving”) celebrating that 1967 Supreme Court decision on interracial marriage. It serves as yet another reminder that our own achievement of marriage equality is preceded by another struggle against systemic and egregious prejudice.
Ironically, one of Sunday’s March speakers, ZAO Church Pastor Cameron Malakai, addressed this very issue, quoting the civil rights mantra, “we are not free, until all of us are free.” Meanwhile, Kamala Harris spoke at Washington DC’s Pride Parade, offering the ultimate encouragement, “there is so much more work to do and I know we are committed.”
