Look at this cool new t-shirt I made for fans of Abraham Lincoln! I made it on my own time, with my own resources, and without any affiliation to existing public or private institutions concerned with history, education, hospitality, culture or retail. You can find it at my new Threadless shop or directly at bit.ly/imissabe
Someday I’m gonna need to actually write about this conservative tactic of demanding we basically turn off the part of our brain that interprets words and finds meaning when we talk to them. If they don’t specifically say some exact words, well you can’t respond to those words. You can’t assume JK Rowling is saying she’s a victim of a witch hunt by trans people because she never said those exact words in that exact order.
It’s a fascinating form of intellectual cowardice, where they want to essentially say something without ever being held responsible for saying that thing.
Knowing that trans women of color started the movement in the united states and were literally immediately erased and excluded from what they started is the most deeply jading knowledge.
It is the original sin of the so-called queer community and it damns it from the cradle.
no white gay boy will ever reblog this, watch:
no white gay will reblog this
no white lgb person will reblog this
Without Stonewall, without the efforts of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the LGBTQ Community wouldn’t be where it is today. Don’t forget the roots, don’t forget the catalyst.
and then TERFs wanna be like, “hmm well the LGBT community existed before Stonewall!”
but like…Becky, of course LGBTQ+ people existed before Stonewall. We’ve all existed since the beginning of time. But the movement got a shock to its senses, a jump-start, a rocket-into-space when that glass shattered via Marsha P. Johnson, and when Sylvia Rivera was up on-stage protesting guess who was on the sidelines heckling her?
The same fuckers who won’t ever reblog or acknowledge this
My apologies to the original poster as I photo captured this post to add to the thread-I reposted this last year for pride and expect to repost it every year I have left-it’s our history people.
Marsha P. Johnson allegedly died of suicide in 1992, and her death was never investigated. Even I, a mere prole, could catch the “she was murdered” vibes from the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her body.
Without a trans black woman, LGBT+ rights would not exist. Never forget. Never “pay it no mind”.
R E M E M B E R
[ID: A series of screenshots of a post by Emily Miller. Taken together, they read as follows:
“This is Marsha. 48 years ago Marsha put on a dress (when that was against the law) and rode the subway to Greenwich Village to go dancing (where that was against the law) with me (when that was illegal). She partied until sometime after 1 am with a bunch of homeless kids, prostitutes, butch lesbians, effete gays, and other trans women who just wanted to dance. That was the chief draw of the Stonewall Inn - the dancing.
“When the police arrived, as they did nearly every month, those in dresses would be “checked” to see that their genitals matched their owner to the officer’s satisfaction. If not, there was a paddy wagon waiting outside. Their pictures would be in the paper for cross dressing. They might horrify their families. They would probably lose their jobs.
“When you’re out celebrating pride this weekend, when you read the news about violence against black people, remember Marsha. The reason any of us can go to a three day festival as casually as we please with whomever we love and celebrate our lives, is because Marsha P. Johnson, an African-American street queen picked up a goddamn shot glass, shattered a mirror in that slum bar, and resisted arrest.
“Never forget our lives are easier because of the sacrifices of our black and trans brothers and sisters who are still dealing with prejudice and discrimination on a scale the broader gay community hasn’t experienced in twenty years or more.” (Note: the word “still” is in all caps.) “Because of people like her we are free, while people just like her are marginalized, brutalized and murdered.
"Never forget who you owe your freedom to. Never forget that your Pride was once against the law. And when the discussions about the reduced police presence at Pride come, I want you to remember Marsha’s face and ask yourself, who needs the greater protection, support, and solidarity? Who has the power, and who is still struggling for the enforcement of their civil rights?
"Remember her.”
At the bottom of the post is a black and white photo of Marsha P. Johnson. End ID]
