To overcome the dangers facing our community, LGBTQ+ leaders must first look inward

As Pride Month celebrations come to an end, I’m uncertain about the current state of the LGBTQ+ movement.

With over 530 anti-LGBTQ+ laws proposed so far in 2023, I wonder what the future holds for members of our community. I question performative allyship and the pinkwashing of a movement that started on the backs of the most marginalized – Black and Brown trans women.

Related:

Why this Black trans activist owes everything to his “praying granny”

“I was blessed with a praying granny…who knew her child was going to need protection from a cruel world,” writes Sean Ebony Coleman.

Recently, the Human Rights Campaign issued a national state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community due to rising legislation targeting these individuals. However, the Black and Brown transgender and gender nonconforming/nonbinary (TGNC/NB) community (especially Black trans women) has always faced extreme levels of violence with little to no attention from the public. We have lived in a constant state of emergency.

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I question the impact of this national declaration, especially when the most vulnerable are continuously not represented and left out of meaningful discussions around policy and solution-based responses. How do we push back against this massive attack against the LGBTQ+ community when critical voices from within the community are continuously not heard?

To date, 19 states have passed blanket bans on gender-affirming care for minors despite the medical community supporting these services. Paired with the vitriol targeting drag queen story hour, there is a common theme: The attacks are focused specifically on gender and the perception of the acceptable standard of gender performance and presentation. Policymakers are directly targeting trans people, and we must push back.

This legislation is resulting in families fleeing their homes to seek sanctuary in states where their freedom to live is less compromised. But what happens to those who cannot afford to leave? What does safety look like for those at the intersection of marginalized racial, gender and socioeconomic identities? We cannot sit back and watch our TGNC/NB community become political fodder for clicks, likes and votes – we must take a step back and recognize why the movement continuously fails to protect and serve these individuals.

Dare I say, we went wrong with marriage equality. Let me explain. The fight for marriage equality was masterfully done. We had all the key elements of a winning strategy – a campaign that garnered public support, the backing of key elected officials, donors willing to finance the movement and a face in Edith Windsor. But once same-sex marriage was fortified, many who were instrumental in its passage packed their bags and went home as if their job was done.

While many from within and outside the LGB community packed up, TGNC/NB folks were left to regroup and identify legitimate critiques and concerns about the movement, specifically for those facing intersectional identities. Genuine allyship and collective action for the TGNC/NB community is alarmingly lacking, despite the fact that this group is among society’s most vulnerable and faces extreme rates of violence on a local and national level.

So here we are today with a national state of emergency but no significant cohesive plan of action. We must learn from what has proven successful in the past and create a national strategy to counter the ongoing political war aiming to strip away TGNC/NB rights. We must identify leaders from these vulnerable communities who are working directly to dismantle the barriers preventing these individuals from living freely. We must provide these leaders with resources and a platform to organize nationally. However, this plan will only work if we have support from all individuals within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community.

We need to hold everyone accountable to collectively fight for the protection of TGNC/NB individuals. There are folks in power, specifically corporations and celebrities, who have long benefited from queer culture and remain silent at a time when these individuals need their support the most.

In a time when violence is being codified into law, we must draw from the power of our community to remove these leaders and hold our policymakers accountable. We ask for action from these folks for the TGNC/NB community, because they have the resources and platforms to initiate change.

My organization, Destination Tomorrow, has locations in both the Bronx, New York and Atlanta, Georgia where we have seen increased fear from our clients regarding how these bills will impact their lives, both present day and the future.

Because of my Blackness, Transness and connection to the house and ballroom community, I am rooted in resistance. I understand how it feels to be erased while also being celebrated. I understand how my narrative can be co-opted and used to uplift and empower everyone but me.

Our next step must be rooted in truth, honesty and accountability. We must make space for difficult conversations in order to hold each other accountable and build a collective movement that is truly inclusive of all LGBTQ+ people.

It is about financial investments in grassroots, movement-building organizations to uplift the people doing work on the ground. It is about sharing power with those who until now have been powerless. Our work now must be intentional and honest, without ego. It is the only way our community as a whole will survive. Until next year, Happy Pride.

Sean Ebony Coleman is the founder and executive director of the grassroots LGBTQ+ organization Destination Tomorrow.