A participant holds a ‘Trans Rights Are Human Rights’ sign during the 2023 LA Pride Parade in Hollywood on June 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
However, as we close out another Pride month I can’t blame my queer and trans siblings who don’t share my civic enthusiasm. Democracy’s better angels seem to be on hiatus.across the country have criminalized trans health care and drag, banned books and sanctioned lawmakers who dissented. The Montana House Majority Leader explained that trans Democratic state lawmaker Zooey Zephyr had to be silenced because “freedom” within the state legislature demanded “obedience.
The post-Stonewall Gay Liberation Front and earlier organizing actions at the Black Cat and Compton’s Cafeteria were founded in a tradition of survival. Alongside other pro-democracy groups, the early LGBTQ civil rights movement recognized the role of social transformation as a mechanism for democratic preservation. Through riots, marches and the development of technocratic expertise, the LGBTQ rights movement has succeeded in many ways.