‘At its core, Pride is (and always has been) a protest. Pride is also a time of immense joy and celebration. We celebrate the courage of those who paved the way for us. We celebrate the fact that we can hold hands with our partners without fearing for our lives. We celebrate the fact that young people are finally seeing themselves represented positively in media. We celebrate the simple joy of being alive, feeling love, and having a place in a community that will accept you no matter what.’
By Caleb Jackson (SaLT), Hannah Anthony (SaLT), and Andrew (Andy) Fraser (Marketing Executive).
As June comes to a close, Pride Month on a global scale will eventually start to fade to the back of mind for many. That being said, it’s important (now more than ever before) to note that Pride is more than just a month… it’s a movement that is relevant and the community is actively celebrating (and protesting) all year round.
There are Pride events taking place in cities and towns throughout the Summer all across the UK, and it must not be forgotten that the act of raising awareness and continuing allyship goes far beyond just the month of June. Especially since this year, in record numbers, we are seeing a frightening uptick in violence, discrimination, and new policies targeting the safety and wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ community at large.
To unpack this, a few members of our team wanted to share a bit about what Pride means to them and why support for the community doesn’t stop at the end of June.
Caleb Jackson (he/they), one of our Birmingham-based SaLTs is passionate about Queer history and politics and wanted to emphasise the importance and history that protest plays in the freedoms we now have in modern times as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“It would be wrong to say that Pride is not a celebration of love, identity, and progress. However, I am keenly aware that at its heart, it is a protest. In a perfect storm, Pride came to be through the influence of a celebrity death, a number of well-aimed bricks, and a few very angry lesbians. “
Caleb wrote a beautifully poignant and powerful retelling of the history of Pride and how it all started as a protest. If you’ve got a few minutes, Caleb invites you to take a stroll down the yellow brick road of history.
Hannah Anthony (she/her), one of our SaLTs based in Milton Keynes, wanted to highlight the importance of ensuring that we have a variety of safe, inclusive spaces that give everyone a chance to participate in Pride events that match their comfort levels.
”For many, having a diverse range of events to choose from is important - allowing members of the community to take part in activities that they feel comfortable and safe taking part in. Some love to dance the night away at a club, while others look for quieter, more sensory-friendly spaces to mingle and meet others. For example, my wife and I love going to the theatre (and do so often), certain shows attract more members of the Queer community than others. ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, for example, is a theatre show that features central characters that are proudly Queer. However, others aren’t as inclusive, and whilst we still feel happy to go to these shows, we feel less safe showing affection towards one another in these spaces.”
“In our case, my wife is slightly more introverted and doesn’t gravitate to the larger Pride events. I myself have marched in Pride parades, representing both the RCSLT and England Netball, but that isn’t something my wife would feel comfortable taking part in. We both gravitate to the types of events we know we will enjoy, in spaces where we know we will be safe. While we are both very lucky to feel supported in our jobs and feel safe to be ourselves, it would be great to one day be able to feel comfortable holding hands as we walk down the street - without having to think twice.
Andrew Fraser (he/him), our Marketing Executive here at Magic Words, grew up in a small-town on the East Coast of Canada and recently moved over to the UK to be with his British partner. He is a proud member of the Queer community, and feels that with some of the suggested changes in policy recently, that the safety of the LGBTQIA+ community at large is seriously at risk.
”Even though I’m still new to the country, I see a lot of people talking about the upcoming election and how scared they are to have their rights and everything they have fought for ripped away from them. We have been fighting for years just for the basic right to be unapologetically ourselves, to be free to exist and to love who we choose to love. We have not come this far, only to be forced to step back and to compromise on all of the things that make us proud to be who we are.”
“As Caleb highlighted, the importance of seeing Pride as more than just a party, and more of a protest, is the way we must move forward. As much as we would love to only focus on celebrating the magical things that make our community special, conservative, close-minded viewpoints are on the rise, and people are seemingly unafraid to speak out (in very hateful ways) against the community as a whole, or even worse, they say they are prepared to take action/commit acts of violence against those of us who are just trying to exist and live our day to day lives. That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves, and the people around us, that now’s not the time to back down and hide - if someone you love, someone close to you is a member of the Queer community, please let them know that you care. Let them know you are an ally, that you will be there in times of need. That means so much more than you’ll ever know”.
Caleb closes out this important conversation on Pride with an important reminder:
“Yes, Pride is still a protest. Pride is a time for me to protest the fact that my transgender community are unable to go to the bathroom safely. Pride is a time for me to protest my gay brothers and sisters being executed for daring to show their love. Pride is a time for me protest the fact that 31% percent of my Queer community have considered taking their own life, and 41% of nonbinary people have harmed themselves in the last year alone. Pride is a time for me to protest the poor social and medical care that leads 61% of the LGBTQ+ community to experience clinical depression in their lifetimes. Pride is a time for me to protest the fact that transgender people are being murdered at record levels -- more than 1 person each day.”
“However, Pride is also a time of immense joy and celebration. We celebrate the courage of those who paved the way for us. We celebrate the fact that I can hold hands with my partner without fearing for my life. We celebrate the fact that young people are finally seeing themselves represented positively in media. We celebrate the simple joy of being alive, feeling love, and having a place in a community that will accept you no matter what. But this yellow brick road to celebration is blood-soaked, and Pride is a time for us to remember that as well. Pride is a time for us to protest inaction, and vow to do better.”
