To my queer folk, after Orlando.

 

notgay_black_400wPartly because I am an art and music nerd, and those activities tend to draw queer folk…and partly because a nerdy fat girl has some stuff in common with many queer folk…I have often found myself surrounded by and making common cause with various folk along and outside the gender and sexuality spectrums. Over the years of working and playing and collaborating and protesting and writing and living with those delightful folk, I not only developed some cherished relationships, I learned a lot about solidarity with statistical outliers.

In the wake of Orlando, I have been struggling. I am not queer. I am not trans. I am not Latinx. I respect that queer/trans/Latinx spaces are not all for me, and I recognize that I will probably never experience the kinds of fear and oppression over my identity and my relationships that queer and trans Latinx folk deal with on a daily basis.

Queer folk, including trans people of color, have given so much – and I don’t just mean culturally, like RuPaul is talking about – I also mean to me, personally. Relationships with queer folk have brought me music and art and theater and laughter and love and deep learning about my spiritual practices and what it means to be who you are, regardless of what assholes have to say about it. Queer folk have come to my shows and supported my art and my communities and my causes (and vice versa, because SOLIDARITY).

And then something as unspeakable Snapchat-7337924096012168889as this massacre happens, and even though it’s not me, it’s no one I know, it’s not people who look like me…my heart is aching. It’s fucking PRIDE GODDAMMIT. WHAT THE FUCK, AMERICA?!

I have cried so much this week. I have been so angry at the many ways this fucking tragedy could have been avoided. I have been so heartsick at the beauty extinguished far too early. I have been enraged at the inadequacy of the responses of so many public figures, not to mention the disgusting hatred and bigotry of so many others. I have been paralyzed with emotion.

I’ve struggled with what to do or what to say, beyond boosting signal for other voices, but here it is: to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual, pansexual, agender, non-binary, and otherwise-identifying folk in my life and reading this, I say a heartfelt thank you for so much. I wouldn’t be who I am without your generosity, kindness, and fucking courage. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I’m gonna continue to do everything in my power to work for a world where you never have to be afraid of shit like this again. As long as there’s one trans Latinx person who can’t go fucking dance their heart out with their partner in peace and love and freedom, the fucking revolution ain’t over.

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Suggested further reading/watching:

If you’re a cisgender/straight/white person, and this post makes you angry or confused, please talk to me about it. 

Something seems to be wrong with Twitter. I miss the fail whale.

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