In pursuit of understanding...
Pride month has arrived. But due to the circumstances, this years celebration is going to look very different. I believe intersectionality is the highlight of this years pride and all prides to come. It is now more important than ever to be an ally and defend those who check off several boxes on society's discrimination checklist. Black queer people check of several of those boxes--specifically Trans-women. They, along with other Black members of the LGBT community, are fighting the hardest to exist. Let's discuss why.
I believe the barrier between the Black Queer community and the Black community as an entity, stems from a lack of understanding. The Black community is unable to understand why anyone who is Black would want to live an alternative lifestyle. Why would you want to make an already hard life, harder? In addition, religious dogma plagues the minds of people, and blocks their ability to see the human that lies underneath identity's surface. The key idea is understanding, or a lack there-of.
What people forget, is that in the battle of trying to understand someone else's life, you can lose sight of the most important act of all: respecting that life. Respect will ALWAYS trump understanding. Respect is inherent, and is due to each and every individual whether you understand them or not. We weren't put on this earth to understand everyone and their motives for how they show up in the world. It's not your job to understand, and no matter how much you try, you might never be able to grasp how or why someone is the way they are. I believe this lack of understanding gets under peoples skin. They become overly inquisitive, and frustrated at the fact that there are parts of the human experience they never had to consider or acknowledge before. That lack of understanding festers inside and turns into disrespect, which then turns into hate.
I can admit that although I am a part of the spectrum, there are areas of sexuality and gender that I still don't understand. Regardless, that lack of understanding doesn't affect my ability to be an ally, or my ability to respect my peers. My love for human life conquers my inability to understand someone else's' identity. Does yours? Though there is power in understanding, there is also power in love and respect. Most of all, there is power in the tongue. Say this with me:
"Though I may not understand you, I love and respect you anyway."
This mantra is what pride is all about. Loving and respecting each-other in-spite of our inability to understand each other. It is empowering, and necessary now more than ever.
