In 1972, I went to Trafalgar Square in London with a trans friend to march to Hyde Park with the Gay Liberation Front. At that time, it was illegal for a same-sex couple to kiss in public. Life was difficult for trans folk like myself: You could be arrested for “walking while trans,” so I approached the event with some trepidation.
I really didn’t know what to expect. It is easy to be a fired-up revolutionary in a meeting. But on the street in those dark days, not so much. For the march, a slightly carnival theme had been planned; the thinking being that the humor aspect would soften the provocative aspect. Along the way, I met some folks I already knew from involvement in other protest groups such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. They, as it turned out, were still in the closet in their professional lives, and greeted us with sheepish grins.
During the march, there was some cat-calling and jeering, but most folks seemed to watch in stunned disbelief as “those people” marched past with banners flying and chanting, “We’re here, we’re queer.”
Since those heady days of protest, the outlook has shifted. The pace of change seems to accelerate almost daily. The revolutionary zeal has given way to a more celebratory atmosphere.
The reality of being an activist is that it takes physical and emotional strength. For some folks, the physical challenges are becoming increasingly difficult. We LGBT older adults will keep marching, protesting and celebrating, wherever and whenever appropriate. Our youthful zeal has not been lost. Now, however, when we take to the streets, for whatever advocacy or celebratory purpose, our effort has to be intergenerational and include all of the communities under the LGBTQI umbrella.
Many within the trans community boycott some events, seeing them as a creature of a political and advocacy structure that is not inclusive of trans people, or all LGB people for that matter. Some national and local advocacy organizations have decided not to lobby for inclusion of trans rights in major pieces of civil-rights legislation, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act as one current example. These groups argue that including trans rights in the legislation would kill it in Congress for all people.
Other advocacy groups do not agree with the strategy of exclusion. This exclusion serves to marginalize and frustrate members of not only the trans community, but many in the LGB communities as well. Remember, the members of the trans community have been marching, advocating and protesting at the same great risk since the very beginning. We have always been stronger together.
Many trans people of all ages see Pride month as not being relevant to them. Key issues of housing, health care and employment are major concerns. These basic needs should not be overlooked as we celebrate and recognize the communities’ achievements. We must also be addressing these basic, unmet needs of significant portions of our communities.
There is much to celebrate, and this is good. However, it is all too easy to think that the battles are over: HIV has not gone away; marriage equality is not a reality for the majority of LGBT people; it is still legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity in most of Pennsylvania and most other states; discrimination and homo-, bi- and transphobia are excuses to deny equal opportunity in education, employment and housing to all members of our communities.
It is predictable that there are many who will resist our efforts for equality to the bitter end. Without all-encompassing federal nondiscrimination legislation, this will not change any time soon. Even with legislation, history has shown us that it will take an untold amount of time for people’s opinions and behaviors to change.
Despite all of these challenges, I celebrate, with my LGBT family, the positive changes that have taken place over the past half-century and more, especially the enormous change in this last year. From all of these years of advocating, protesting and celebrating, I have learned to wear comfortable shoes and keep the goal in mind. Marching to a capitol building or government office to protest a policy, standing in line to get into a city council hearing, handing out leaflets at a community festival or walking in a Pride parade can be hard on the feet, but so rewarding to the spirit. The evidence of those rewards is in the headlines almost every day. We should be proud.
Dawn Munro is a transgender activist and a member of the Board of the LGBT Elder Initiative. The LGBTEI fosters and advocates for services, resources and institutions that are competent, culturally sensitive, inclusive and responsive to the needs of LGBT elders. You can contact the Elder Initiative at [email protected] or call 267-546-3448 and watch for “Gettin’ On” each month in PGN.