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Today marks the first day of #PrideMonth. To be honest, it usually passes me by — the usual “happy pride month” tweet on 1st June, and on we go.
This year feels different, somehow, and I think it’s important to talk about it. Thread 1/
This year feels different, somehow, and I think it’s important to talk about it. Thread 1/
Over the past few days, we’ve seen protests across America and around the world. #BlackLivesMatter 
https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt=""> has been put back on the public’s agenda, front and centre. And as it should be — it really doesn’t take a genius to figure out that (A) pretty much every government, 2/
public authority, police force, judicial system, and more, is racist, and (B) black lives matter. They are humans, with rights, and the racism they’ve endured for centuries can’t justify a continuation of such oppression. Of course you can’t draw perfect comparisons. 3/
The movement for LGBTQ+ rights and the #BlackLivesMatter https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt=""> movements are different, but they have similarities. They’re both fighting for rights, against an establishment which is not just passively opposed to them, but actively attempting to silence their voices 4/
and strip them of their freedoms. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I stand in solidarity with all those protesting around the world. The #Stonewall riots, amongst many, many others, showed us both what governments and police forces are prepared to do to keep 5/
the status quo of inequality and injustice, but also showed us the power of protest, and how it can build, mobilise, and focus a movement, influencing real change. There’s a long way to go for #BlackLivesMatter https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">, and there’s a long way to go for LGBTQ+ rights. This year, 6/
we’ve seen attacks on LGBTQ+ rights around the world, from Hungary’s ban on legal recognition of gender changes, to @trussliz’s attack on young transgender people’s rights, to the UK government’s failure to act on calls to ban conversion therapy, which threatens and destroys 7/
lives. In Poland, there have been anti-LGBT marches, and the establishment of “LGBT ideology-free zones”. In the US, a report showed a 43% increase in anti-LGBT hate groups, fuelled by the “discrimination administration”. 8/
The world may look a little bleak at the moment. But when there is the desire and indeed the need for change, It can happen. Now is not the time for complacency: celebrate the rights we have, and those who fought to obtain them for us. And then continue their work, 9/
to ensure that our rights are maintained and improved. Whether it be LGBTQ+ rights, #BlackLivesMatter https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">, women’s rights, or any other social movement, add your voice. Pride month should serve to remind us of the history of LGBTQ+ rights, inspiring us to keep on pushing. 10/
It’s our responsibility to use that drive to help other movements too, though, because we know how it feels. So let’s go change things.
Happy pride month. 11/11
Happy pride month. 11/11
