‘so until the day we have dismantled structures that have constantly oppressed us, we will need a black pride.'
lady phyll is a gay black woman who co-founded black pride in the uk. black pride aims to diversify the pride celebration, because in mainstream LGBTQ+ media and pride, middle class white gay men (who are the most privileged and represented in the community) overshadow the bisexual, black, transgender and working class members of the community.
she was nominated for an MBE in 2016. she appreciated the recognition of her hard work, but didn’t want to be at all hypocritical by accepting an award from an ‘empire’ build off of enslavement; especially one which never completely got rid of the racism that paved the way for it and still perpetuates discrimination in all its forms. so, she publicly refused the award. her authenticity and humble attitude is truly inspiring.
she says that in an ideal world, we wouldn't need a pride or a black pride, because people from all walks of life would be represented positively and true diversity celebrated. but, racism, homophobia, transphobia and biphobia are all very contemporary and deadly problems within our society, so pride and black pride are still necessary to celebrate. it's so great to hear about members of the LGBT community fighting the important fight of intersectionality within pride.
i've said it before & i'll say it again; positive representation of diverse groups of individuals is so key to reaching equality, without forgetting the structural changes that must go alongside it.
writing posts for LGBTQ+ history month has taught me a lot already about the history of my community, and i hope it's educated you too! so necessary to teach ourselves what we don't learn in the textbooks at school. after all, we’re living in the 21st century; why shouldn't we get the opportunity to learn other great histories that counter the white supremacist, heteronormative narrative we grew up in?
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