George Orwell would have been perfectly at home at the 2014 general membership meeting of Pride coordinators who plan events “for people identifying as Lesbian, Gay Men, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and/or other emerging sexual identities.” The recent Interpride Conference in
Pittsburgh denied the trans community a spot on their board of directors notwithstanding having gender-identified board positions. All might be welcome, but some will not find seats at the table.
The current bylaws of Interpride provide for five vice presidents, four of whom are gender-identified: a vice president of member services; a vice president of operations, female-identified; a vice president of operations, male-identified; a vice president of operations, female-identified, non-U.S.; and a vice president of operations, male-identified, non-U.S. A proposal to amend the bylaws to include a “vice president of operations, trans-identified” was passed at the 2013 annual meeting in Montreal by 57 percent of the vote (the first stage requires a simple majority of 50 percent). This year the second stage required a super majority of 67 percent, but the effort failed with only 63 percent of the vote. Therefore, although the guaranteed vice-presidential positions for “female-identified” and “male-identified” remain, there are no seats for those otherly identified. Two very bizarre observations can be made: The two “male-identified” positions and the two “female-identified” positions, because they are identified by gender and not sexual orientation, could be held by straight individuals, and the positions disenfranchise individuals who self-identify as neither male nor female.
The Philadelphia delegation voted in favor of the proposal and the logic behind the vote was self-evident: Once you no longer vote for simply the best-qualified individuals and carve out specific seats based on gender identity, you have to include a trans identity. Various arguments were advanced on the floor that this would inevitably lead to a “bisexual vice president of operations” and an “intersex vice president of operations.” Well, no and yes. A bisexual could be either male- or female-identified and would not be excluded. And an intersex individual, like the trans individual, because they are not female- or male-identified, are excluded. Admittedly, the alphabet soup becomes unwieldy, and the rational conclusion would be to have no gender-identified vice presidents at all. Interpride is not necessarily rational.
Philly Pride Presents, the Philadelphia LGBT pride organization, is open to all races and sexual identities. There was a time in our history when the discussion was joined about having female and male co-chairs and we handled it in a utilitarian fashion by eschewing all titles whatsoever — we are all simply “Pride coordinators.” Those who run our international organization have chosen otherwise and have carved out hyphenated positions so that they have seats at the table but all do not. Parenthetically, 45 pages of bylaws guarantee selective understanding and participation, so many have trouble finding the seats to begin with.
There will be a wailing and gnashing of teeth by Interpride in the future that there are not enough trans and intersex participation in our events. Participating Pride groups may and should withdraw their volunteer funding of Interpride projects. Public pressure may and should be brought. Until the inevitable change of hearts and minds, all Pride coordinators will be equal, but some will be more equal than others. All members of our community will be equal, but some will be more equal than others.