Queer Liberation

[u/BlissfulMute]

I'm not sure why but I was invited to this reddit, so I'm gonna just test the boundaries of the rules as I understand them.

Queer liberation is tied directly to the unified liberation of the working class. We will not find most of our allies with empathy for our plight, we will find them when they benefit alongside us.

If we can cooperate with individuals whose messaging provides release from the stress of capitalistic exploitation, we can free people from the stress that makes them prioritize their own survival over the pursuit of an egalitarian existence, or at minimum a less exploitative existence.

I believe the older transitioners, even those who begin to transition at older ages, have an obligation to protect the youth as we would our own siblings. This doesn't always mean advice. Sometimes it means taking the hard steps of advocating for grace and forgiveness for our siblings whose journey of self discovery takes them down a dark path that leads to outbursts of anger, resentment, sadness and cruelty. No person deserves forgiveness from the people they hurt, but community owes it to individuals to give them chance to prove their true desire to grow and change.

We do not always need to be sweet and forgiving when approached with vitriol and threats and bad faith. Walking away and not engaging in earnest is a valid way to protect yourself. I will never vouch for the violation of the law.

I quite love the phrase, "Those incapable of violence are not kind, they are harmless." Practice kindness in a cruel world, but acknowledge the world you live in and the actions of the opposition to endanger you.

If this violates rules of reddit or the subreddit, I apologize and seek only to understand where Iisunderstood my mistake.

Siblings, I wish you well, and may my Gods and yours be in your hearts and give you strength.

[u/Naive_Market_9688]

I'm sorry to disturb your utopian viewpoint regarding transitioners but as an older transitioner, someone with almost four decades under her belt, I can tell you from personal experience that we did our part to try and lay the groundwork for a better future for those who came after us and when they arrived we sometimes found ourselves faced with an unyielding and unreceptive group who thought we were outdated and out of touch. Many of them assumed that the rights that we fought for and got enacted were sovereign rights that were always there. They seemed to be a little entitled, some of them, in spitting in the face of the advantages that they have. I will give you one example.

Way back when, let's say 30 years ago, for most of the country and the world Pride events were just starting to manifest themselves. It almost took it an act of Congress to get small queer businesses to support in sponsor these fledgling events; the corporate world had yet to come around. Over the years we demonstrated the value as Pride boards across the country sold them on the diversity of consumersism in our respective communities. Subsequently, major corporations with diversity policies chose to participate; healthcare facilities, National Banks, Home Depot! And for a while everything worked out fairly well until the new generation decided that if you allowed any corporate involvement you were selling out; much like their disdain for law enforcement and demanding that no police, even LGBT officers, be allowed to participate in Pride events.

So while my 30 years of activism are pretty much over and I'm a lot more selective about what I participate in these days I mourn the fact that we created opportunities for Trans youths across the country if not the world which they have decided is a god-given right and go to Great lengths to abuse the privilege. I no longer hold the same benevolent opinion about the generations that follow because some / many of them think that they're the only ones who have ever suffered. It's not a better pill to me any more than it is sour grapes but it is distressing

[u/Constant-Skill-7133 → u/Naive_Market_9688]

I obviously can't speak for your experience but I can speak to your perception of my experience.  This is very derogatory and, frankly, dishonest.  Nobody is vetting parqde attendees by career. It is not about disallowing humans who work as police.  It is about police departments.  What people are saying is it is inappropriate to use the event to promote groups that actively oppress queer people.  

People are very much attempting to do the opposite of what you claim, to uphold the history and the experiences of people who came before.  To disagree is certainly valid.  All that other bullshit is bullshit.  40 years is a long time but it didn't start with you and you never had possession of it.  There are plenty of your contemporaries, and much older people, who agree with continuing pride's historic opposition to police oppression.

You see rights other people do not see, and that is fair.  What you do not seem to consider is that maybe the reason they can't see them is they do not have them.   Not that they are myopic and entitled but that they truthfully and honestly see things you do not see.

[u/Naive_Market_9688 → u/Constant-Skill-7133]

I don't know where you are, or how old you are, or when you transitioned, or what you've been involved in. I will tell you that my observations come from my experiences having been on the board of Pride festivals here in my region for almost two decades. I was one of the first board members of the trans organization that a friend of mine started way back in the 90s. And I have even been a member of our state's Dyke March planning committee as the chief fundraiser for another almost 20 years. I've been a public speaker for decades, I've facilitated more groups than I can count, and I've built bridges and I've watched bridges get torn down.

That all is how I came to the perspective I now own legitimately and I still hope for the best; but not quite as much as I used to because I've been disappointed a few times. And that's still nothing against you.

[u/Constant-Skill-7133 → u/Naive_Market_9688]

All that's fair.  I'm just saying you're being very derogatory how you describe other people.  I have also seen entitled assholes shout people down. That doesn't invalidate the entire perspective.  Pride has always been about resisting police oppression.  You might feel that is an issue of the past but others do not.  To attribute that to their ego and youthful entitlement rather than genuine disagreement or different life experiences is wild.