Items
topic_interest is exactly
Pride
-
2023-06-20
Finally got COVID
I finally got sick with COVID after 3 years. I went on a cruise to celebrate my fiancé’s graduation and had to remove my mask when the heat was so bad in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. I’m mostly worried about getting my fiancé sick who is disabled, but hopefully we don’t live together just yet. I’m currently being isolated in my parents house watching people stream on Twitch.TV and playing Animal Crossing. I had a fever of 101 yesterday, and hopefully am able to return to work on Friday which means I’ll be able to represent my work at Hampton Roads Pride on Saturday. Since it’s pride month, me getting COVID feels very homophobic -
2022-06-10
Pride is back — and more expensive than ever
This is a news story from The Washington Post by JD Shadel. Due to the last two years of Pride Month remaining virtual due to COVID, some changes have been made along with it. Included in the changes since COVID are leadership ones in Philadelphia and London after allegations of their Pride leadership having racism and transphobia. The rising inflation has made it so summer travel is more expensive than before. Things like hotels, plane rides, and other modes of transportation cost more than they did before COVID. One change that has been brought about because of COVID is the rise of virtual events. Groups like NYC Pride, Capital Pride and Pride Amsterdam will have online streaming available. The NYC Pride March and the LA Pride March will be available on Hulu. Another debate that has changed since COVID are questions about "pinkwashing" in which a company will recognize Pride for profit, while not donating to any LGBTQ organizations. Some of the corporations in the past that have used Pride merchandise to sell things during Pride month while contributing to anti-LGBTQ organizations have been heavily criticized recently. Overall, COVID has contributed to changes in how Pride is celebrated. -
2022-04-19
Pride month events return with new mission to uplift people of color, trans civil rights
This is a news story from USA Today by Bill Keveney. Pride parades will be returning to full-scale since 2019. With the events that happened during COVID, some changes have been made in how it is celebrated. For 2022, more people of color and trans people have been added to leadership positions. Participation is also going to be more accessible for disabled and low-income as well, by making some events online for easier access. Police brutality will also be addressed due to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Seattle Pride has banned police from Pride. Along with this, there is also the theme of speaking out against the anti-LGBTQ legislation that is happening across the United States. -
2022-05-10
Athens Pride and Queer Collective to host first local Pride Parade
This is a news story from WUGA by Sofi Grates. According to this article, it says that Pride Month will be back in full swing in Athens after it being canceled due to COVID. It will be hosted by Athens Pride and Queer Collective. The parade that is sent for June 12 will include vendors, music, and a cookout -
2021-03-08T12:38
Danny Denial Oral History, 2021/03/08
Self-description: “Audio visual artist that lives in Seattle, Washington, specifically in the realm of music and film, and also the intersection of the two. A lot of my work involves amplifying experiences and voices that are often underrepresented, primarily in the Black and LBGTQ+ community. And that’s something that overtime my work has been diving deeper and deeper into over the years, which is something that I think as an artist, I’ve only really come to terms with in the last few years. But it’s been definitely both empowering for me and illuminating to see it reflected back in the ways that people have responded to the work.” Other biographical details: late 20s, from Los Angeles. Some of the things we discussed include: The dysphoric experience of Black artists filtered through white talking points. Unstable work and income as an artist--audio and visual--pre- and mid-pandemic. 2019 was the first year that work as an artist and in performance communities was stable. Releasing the album Fuck Danny Denial in 2020 (https://dannydenial.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-danny-denial). Pandemic specific economic penalties of musicians in the case of live streams for Seattle Pride and Folsom Street Fair. The burden on artists to make ethical calls about canceling performances in the early stages of the pandemic, and needing to wear “new hats”, like health safety inspector. The pandemic as a shared experience of stoppage, and the need for adaptation. Aging and changing awareness about one’s needs for health care. Working to build equitable opportunities for artists. Since 2015-2019 doing gigs and video projects on contracts. Media outlets’ poor representations of the summer protests, acts of civil disobedience, and the autonomous zone in Seattle. Funding the serial project Bazooka (http://web.archive.org/web/20210622155802/https://ca.gofundme.com/f/dannydenialbazzooka) The ethical decisions associated with wanting to participate in amplifying and uplifting the BLM movement without exploitation for personal gain, engaging as a citizen. Witnessing a friend’s experience of hospitalization due to COVID-19. The value in studying patterns of human friendships and how the pandemic disrupted the conditioning of existence and the importance of local histories of resistance in Seattle. Cultural references: Pan’s Labyrinth, Smash Mouth’s super spreader event, Portland International Film Festival, The Tape Deck Podcast, Punk Black, Darksmith, Taco Cat, Alice and Chains, Duff McKagan, Pearl Jam, MoPOP, Shaina Shepherd, and TheBlackTones. -
2021-03-27
Stop Asian Hate!
The rise in Asian hate crimes has gone hand in hand with COVID. This certainly was not helped by the previous administration continually referring to COVID as “China Flu” or “Kung Flu.” One of the more horrifying things is how close to home these incidents are happening. Just this month, there were two attacks at a local park on Asian Americans. One was on a Japanese-American Olympian, who was in training. The other was on an elderly Korean-American couple. I live in Southern CA, which has the third highest proportion of the population identifying as Asian, yet even here, racism and racially motivated violent crimes are happening. If there is any positive that is coming out of this, it is the honest conversations we’re having with our children about race. In light of George Floyd and similar situations, the immigrant population at the border, and anti-Asian crimes, our kids are engaged in an active dialogue about equity, prejudice, racism and our response to it. My children are proud to be Asian-American and seeing that pride and them use their voices, even in a small way, makes me hopeful for positive change. Like their signs say, they are proud to be Asian AND American, and to love them like people love Asian food! Oh yeah, and in this pandemic year, a reminder that they are not a virus. -
2020-07-07
2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain.
2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. -
2020-07-10
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old. In just the last week, six Black trans women were found dead in the US. Say their names: Bree Black (27), Shaki Peters (32), Draya McCarty, Brayla Stone (17), Merci Mack (22), and Tatiana Hall (22). BIPOC trans lives under the constant threat of violence + murder. We need to protect trans lives, speak out against these killings, and end the systematic devaluation of trans lives in our society, culture, and politics. Here are just a few orgs to get involved with and stay informed: @transjusticefp - a community-led funding initiative to support grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people @forthegworls - assisting Black trans with rent + affirmative surgery @tgijustice - ending the human rights abuses committed against transgender, gender variant and intersex people in California prisons and beyond @blackxcollective - Black trans/Queer youth organizing using art, direct action & political education -
2021-01-20
Poet Amanda Gorman has a star-making moment during Biden-Harris inauguration
I was teaching during the inauguration. But I pulled up the ceremony and allowed the students to watch Biden take his oath. Afterwards I quickly shut it down and tried to catch up on the lesson I had already planned. One of my students during 6th period unmuted (which is rare). "Mrs. Bell? Did you see the poet? It really moved me". I told her I would watch it after class. When I did get a chance to watch it, I was so sad I missed the opportunity to share Amanda Gorman's dream of a better America with them in the moment. The next day, each class watched it with me. Students who normally never speak applauded her, telling me what her vision meant to them, that she was elegant, that she was brave. Watching her speak was a moment I will never forget. She made history with words of hope in a horribly fractured America. She brought a sense of patriotism and optimism that I haven't felt in some time. I know she inspired kids everywhere. Ahhh!!! It was so good. "If only we're brave enough to see it, If only we're brave enough to be it". -
2020-12-15
Pride 2020 Through Art: Handmade Garments
As many Pride celebrations were cancelled this year, many members of the LGBT community turned to social media to share how they were celebrating Pride in these strange times. This post displays a handmade crocheted shirt in the colors of the pride flag, made and shared by an individual seeking recognition for the work seeing as she had no celebration to wear it to. This just shows the dedication of the LGBT community to the celebration of Pride, which will be communicated to any future historians studying LGBT history. -
2020-06-13
When the ideal bar mitzvah is a Zoom Mitzvah
My boy-girl twins had their b'nai mitzvah during the pandemic. It went from me planning a big party, to me trying to make them feel happy about themselves on Zoom. But the secret is: This was possibly the best thing that could have happened! My son is autistic, and we were struggling with how he would deal with the sensory overload of performing in a large synagogue. I wrote a story about it that was published in the Forward, and I want to share it here. -
2020-06-28
Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Gay Lives Matter
Tyler Coffey posted this vibrant image featuring a person holding a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Queer Lives Matter," while standing in front of a colorfully decorate van, on his Instagram account. There is also a sign on the front of the van that reads "The first pride was a riot." The person holding the sign, as well as another figure in the background, are wearing masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This photograph was posted during San Francisco's pride weekend, traditionally held the last weekend in June. Rainbow flags and other apparel items are clearly seen in the background.