cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/695945
Ottawa (June 14, 2023) - Today, 39 queer, trans, human rights, labour and educational organizations from across Canada have released an Open Letter to Defend 2SLGBTQIA+ Students in New Brunswick and call on Premier Higgs to reverse his attack on vulnerable students. Standing with students, parents and families, the letter calls on the Premier to reverse the weakened Policy 713, uphold human rights codes, and end the cruel campaign against 2SLGTBQIA+ New Brunswickers.
Sorry I’ve taken a while to reply, I wanted to take the time to hopefully reflect and give you a better answer. I think it really depends on a lot of things; the specific parade and how it’s organized, if you’re planning on going alone vs accompanying queer friends and the level of support and solidarity you plan on showing.
Keep in mind, if you’d ask this to 100 queers and you’d probably get 102 different answers, this is just my personal take on it. But if you’re there with some queer friends, in a fun outfit, with “ALLY” written in makeup on your face, waving a rainbow flag or holding up a supportive sign, I don’t think anyone (or at least most) would be opposed to you walking in the parade.
If you’re there alone and just dressed in a polo shirt and cargo short, I’d personally recommend showing your support more from the sidelines. Pride is very community-centered, and unless you regularly interact with the community (going to drag shows with queer friends, for example) you might be perceived as a bit of an intruder.
A final note, this year’s been a rough one for queers. I know many drag performers in the province. Every single one has received death threats via social media multiple times in the past year. A few people I know have decided not to attend Pride this year, in fear of violence. If you do attend Pride, please wear something noticeable which will mark you as an ally. A rainbow shirt or hat or whatever, anything that a homophobe would never wear. It pains me to say this, seeing as you seem like a swell person who cares about the queer community, but if you were to go to Pride alone, presenting as unambiguously straight, some people would get anxious. They don’t know you’re an ally, they don’t know that you’ve taken the time to reflect on what your place in Pride as an ally should be, and that you’ve tried to get input from queer people. I’m not saying it’s right to be distrustful and fearful of straight people, but it is a super common trauma response in LGBTQ+ folks, which I feel should be kept in mind when in an environment like Pride which is explicitly for queer people.
Thank you so much for this extremely thoughtful response. I really appreciate it. FWIW I would be there with my wife and most likely some queer friends, but point well taken. I must however take offense at the implication that I would ever wear cargo shorts, especially in public!
Your last paragraph describes exactly why I want to go. I don’t want to see the queer community alone in this – I want to do my small part in making it clear than the “us vs them” divide is between the bigots and everyone else. Far too many of them seem to think they’re part of a silent majority, and the rest of us need to make it unequivocally clear that they are not.