Writing the world we want.
While the tech bro billionaires are hellbent on destroying our beautiful planet in their outrageous (and mainly failed) attempts to expand their manly conquests into space, beautiful queer communities are bravely and joyfully showing us how we can all expand our sense of humanity.
What a week!
No doubt about it, for anyone with a modicum of decency and even half a heart, last week was BRU-TAL. Between the spineless and/or downright evil Republicans passing the massively nasty piece of legislation, and the glorification of Florida's new concentration camp complete with merch (WTAF!), to the horrific, deadly flash floods in Texas, last week was a heart wrenching horror show. A full week of really shitty news.
But then it was Sunday, the day that approximately 70,000 of the happiest people on earth turned out for Victoria Pride reminding me of all that's good in this funny old world. More than that, it was a reminder that WE get to decide what kind of world we want to live in. WE get to write the future we want to see, and, let me tell you, I want to see a world made up of the kinds of people I saw on Sunday.
Some things I saw at Victoria Pride that made everything in this chaotic moment feel okay:
Joy; connection; beauty; silliness; exuberance; kindness; laughter; love; rainbows; bubbles; balloons; openness; friendliness; happy little kids; dogs in rainbow tutus; humans in crazy costumes; all kinds of exotic outfits; and gay abandonment of pretty much all societal norms. And, did I mention joy? I witnessed this amazing swarm of humans (not to mention an abundance of adorable doggies) in all shapes, sizes, abilities, ages, attire, and every possible gender variation one could possibly imagine, and it made everything feel right.
Imagine! We can have this:
or this:
And it is our imagination that is being relentlessly challenged these days.
We are being told to believe that we live in a world of scarcity and that is how it MUST be. Scarcity of colour (I invite you to visit the website of every Republican senator, and behold the overwhelming whiteness currently running the USA), scarcity of resources (you know - food, housing, money, water, health care, care...), scarcity of safety, scarcity of kindness, scarcity of love. This is what they want us to believe and many lack the imagination to question this. But, I've been seeing this quote from Ursula K. Le Guin popping up and I'm taking it as a sign of what we need to do:
In fact, hard times are here right now for so very many, and the right-wing pillage party is just getting started, so now is the time when "we'll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope." Anyone who reads anything Rebecca Solnit writes knows that she firmly believes that it is in the present moment when we are writing our future, and we have a choice to decide how we want it to go. We can give up in despair (so damned tempting, I know!) and allow the hateful psychopaths to write a future of monochrome monoculture and cruelty, or we can keep stepping up - even when it feels impossible - to demand a future full of colour and queerness and kindness and joy.
Our reality is prettier than theirs, and we deserve pretty.
While the tech bro billionaires are hellbent on destroying our beautiful planet in their outrageous (and mainly failed) attempts to expand their manly conquests into space, beautiful queer communities are bravely and joyfully showing us how we can all expand our sense of humanity. I went to the Pride Festival after the 2-hour parade and sat and people-watched in complete awe. There were two older gals next to me wearing black and white, and there were folks wearing next to nothing, and others entirely bedazzled. There were throngs of beautiful individuals of all shapes and sizes and ages and genders who had put a great deal of thought and effort into adorning themselves in outfits and accessories that would make them feel proud of who they are. What really struck me was the unlimited variety of people presenting themselves in an equally unlimited variety of ways, and all of them were beautiful and joyful and loving themselves and each other in all their colourful glory. This is the world I want, and it is just so pretty.
The first Pride Protest I attended was in San Francisco in 1978. At age 16, I went with my childhood bestie and her dad who, after 2 straight marriages and 3 kids realized he was gay, and invited us to celebrate with him in this joyful event. I don't think I've ever realized just how significant this parade was historically (as well as it being the debut of the rainbow flag, Harvey Milk was at the head of the parade, and it was a protest as well as a celebration). I just remember how fun and outrageous it was, and how my friend's dad was having a really wonderful time. One of the highlight's of this year's Victoria Pride for me was watching all the kids who were either participating or just spectating. Loads and loads of little kids right up to gangly teens and all stages in between were 100% into it, enjoying everything this event had to offer. My guess is that those kids will grow up with a greater capacity to accept themselves as well as others. Pride expands our hearts and it expands our ways of viewing the world.
In a time when 2+LGBTQ rights are under attack, and joy is under attack, and kindness is under attack, this year's Pride celebration was a reminder of just how important it is to understand how deeply impactful Pride parades are, not just for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but for all of us. Pride allows us all to openly be our joyful, colourful selves. Pride encourages us to question our ingrained biases and prejudices. Pride reminds us how good it feels to be among happy people. Pride reminds us to just be kind to ourselves and each other. Pride reminds us of a world we can have, but we will need to do everything we can to make sure we get it.
So let's find our joy and wear it and share it with the energy of a fully-bedecked drag queen.
Over and over, we hear that joy is resistance. Our continued joy really rattles those who would try to deny us the world we want to see. While the right-wingers double down on cruelty and outright crazy (Geezus! The shit they come up with to defend their positions is crazier than anything we could've possibly predicted!), we need to double down on identifying what bring us joy, embrace it full-heartedly, and share it far and wide. We absolutely cannot turn away from the daily horrors being wrought by the orange menace and his clown cabinet and his bootlicking minions, but we also cannot allow them to steal our joy.
We don't need to believe the lies we're being told about living in scarcity, and in fact, we must not believe them. It is our job to write the future we want to see, and we seem to be at a point in time where our choices are stark. We are being asked to choose between good or evil, joy or grief, kindness or cruelty. I've just been to Pride where I was reminded that THIS is the future I want to create, the world I'm ready to fight for, and I hope you'll join me in whatever capacity you have. Together, we have what it takes to create a bright, joyful, kind, and loving future, but we need to be writing this story now. A million thanks to the estimated 70,000 individuals who showed up to Sunday's Pride celebrations, each adding their own joyful voice to the story of the world we want to see.
With love and pride,
Jessica
